From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students,
Welcome to the 2023 school year! It is with great pleasure that I welcome all our students, staff and families to McAuley Catholic College, especially our 129 Year 7’s and our new staff who I will introduce further on in the newsletter. We have had a very pleasing and positive start to the year, with high enrolments in all year groups.
On Monday, Years 7, 11 & 12 started their school year and it was an exciting start with Yr 7 parents and students able to gather for a meet and greet opportunity with staff in the Courtyard and at Catherine’s Cafe. In our brief welcome Assembly, we presented each year 7 student with a College badge, which we ask them to wear with pride. Our Year 11 students joined us, looking very presentable in their new senior uniforms! We also welcomed back our Year 12 students who should be ready to start straight back into work. We have included some photos from Day 1 in this newsletter. Years 8, 9 & 10 returned to school on Tuesday and there was an excited buzz around the school, with perhaps a little bit of nervousness evident at times.
Our overall mission of the College continues to be the development of the whole person through spiritual, academic, cultural, physical and wellbeing experiences. This year we will have a focus on High Expectations as well as continuing our focus on building strong relationships, improving student engagement and achieving student academic and personal growth through the continued implementation of the Berry Street Education Model and The Learning Collaborative, based on the work of Dr Lyn Sharratt. We have been building a strong wellbeing - pastoral care base to ensure students are ready to engage in learning. Everything we do is under the guidance of Jesus Christ, who is our model, as demonstrated by the Sisters of Mercy and Marist Brothers, whose ethos and charisms form our traditions and history.
Last year we spent time reviewing our College Mission and Vision, as part of our school review, which you will find in this newsletter. These will gradually be placed into our documentation and promotional material. In addition, we have prepared a 3-year Strategic Management Plan and Annual School Improvement Plan. These are in draft form, waiting for approval. When finalised they will be shared with the community.
ENROLMENTS
It is exciting to inform our community that our enrolments are very healthy and at a number that we have not reached for many years, if at all. We have started the year with 590 students. To ensure students and staff are settled from the start of the term we won't be taking new enrolments until next term unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Students leaving McAuley must sign out correctly, which means completing a leaving form and stating where the student is going (education, work), paying outstanding fees and returning any borrowed items. A student who has finished year 10 but is not 17 and wishes to leave school must be doing 25 hours of education or work or a combination of the two.
WELCOME TO NEW STAFF
We welcome the following staff to McAuley in 2023:
- Raquel Light - Science
- Ashley Esad - English
- Kiya Saffigna - School Counsellor
We welcome back:
Katrina Don & Tegen Filewood, returning on a part-time basis
On behalf of all members of our College community, I warmly welcome each of these staff members to McAuley in their respective roles and know that they will each make a valued contribution to our College during their time with us.
OTHER STAFF NEWS
At the end of last year, we received notification that Laura Phillips was taking a position at another school. We wish Laura all the best in her new venture and position. During the holiday I was informed that Mr Mark Bellamy, our Librarian, Ancient History teacher and Learning Technologies coordinator is unable to return to work due to illness. Mark will be receiving treatment and focusing on getting well, and we look forward to welcoming him back in 2024.
Important Beginning of the Year Information in this Newsletter
The majority of this Newsletter is providing parents & carers with introductory information on staff (Year Coordinators, House Leaders and Homeroom teachers), communication, requirements and procedures and some COVID-19 information. Hopefully, this helps you navigate the start of the year smoothly.
BUS TRAVEL
It is important that all students requiring bus travel to and from school must apply for a bus pass. This is done online through Transport for NSW. There is more information on this in the newsletter. Transport for NSW makes decisions on bus requirements based on this information, so it is vitally important the applications are made before the 24th of February.
WALKING - BIKE PATH
The walking-bike path from South Grafton to McAuley is almost completed. The opening is expected to be Monday 13th February. I look forward to promoting this new mode of transport and in the meantime, we are in the process of developing our Bike management policy and procedure to ensure safe entry to the school.
Year 12 2022 HSC results
Congratulations to our Year 12 students who achieved their HSC after enduring 3 years of uncertainty and disruption. We are proud of the achievements of each and every one of our students. There were some outstanding performances that I would like to acknowledge here. Congratulations to Jonathan Leung who achieved our highest ATAR of 90. I also congratulate Brooke Surowski for also achieving an ATAR over 90. Well done to the 6 students who achieved Band 6 results in a variety of subjects. Many students achieved substantial growth and we have been congratulated on this achievement.
Congratulations to Peter Dougherty - Australia Day honours - OAM
I wish to congratulate Mr Peter Dougherty on being awarded an OAM for his community work in the Grafton region. Peter and his wife Pam have supported McAuley Catholic College in many ways for an extended period of time and I thank them for their generosity and care.
Parent Partnership
We pride ourselves at McAuley on building relationships and productive partnerships between home and the College. As in all partnerships, from time to time issues will arise. Mrs Warby, Mrs McGowan and I are available to speak with parents on any matters, provided that these have been initially addressed with the staff member concerned. To contact any member of staff, please phone the College Office on 66431434 or come to the Office to make an appointment.
I look forward to working with all parents and guardians throughout 2023 and beyond and I ask for your ongoing support as we work in partnership to make a difference in the lives of our children so they can be the best person they can be.
Kind regards,
Kate
Kate Thomson
Principal
“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.”
Catherine McAuley
