Mission and Wellbeing (AP)
As we are soon approaching the end of the term, please be reminded about the activities taking place in this busy period:
Thursday 11th September - McAuley Fest
This College community event showcases the creative talent of our staff and students. All families are invited to attend this event, which will feature live music, food, and more.
Friday 12th September - McAuley Day
A fantastic day of celebration for the whole college community as we acknowledge our founder, Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy. All money raised will go to Mercy Works.
Wednesday 17th September - Year 9 One Stop Shop Headspace Presentation
See the article below for more information.
Week 9 from Tuesday 16th September - Yr 11 Exams
Tuesday 23rd September - Parish Family Mass for Year 12
The Parish and College community are invited to celebrate Mass to acknowledge our Year 12 students and families at 5.15pm in St Mary's Catholic Church.
Wednesday 24th September - Yr 12 Graduation
The Year 12 Graduation will take place at 9.30am in our College hall.
McAuley Day
A reminder that McAuley Day will be held this Friday 12th September. The day will begin with a Liturgy starting at 9:30am, to which we extend an invitation to any parents and carers who wish to attend.
McAuley Day is one of the highlights of our school year. It is a day when we celebrate our traditions and come together as a community of Faith and Action. The day of celebration acknowledges our Mercy traditions and the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley. The day will include a range of activities and events, and each homeroom will run a fundraising activity. Money raised on the day will support Mercy Works programs run by the Sisters of Mercy.
‘The poor need help today, not next week.’ – Catherine McAuley. These words have been the guiding mantra for all who have contributed to Mercy Works since its inception.
Year 9 One Stop Shop
On Wednesday 17th September, Year 9 will be involved in the One Stop Shop program. The day is supported by headspace Grafton, Local Drug Action Team, Clarence Valley Council, Bulgarr Ngaru, SERCO, Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation, The New School of Arts Neighbourhood House, Carers NSW, Momentum Collective, Verto Employment and Mission Australia. It includes evidence-based workshops, activities and quality resources specifically targeted to address some of the bigger issues typically faced by young people today.
Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025
1 in 10 people in Australia will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. There is no single cause, and each journey is as unique as the person walking it.
This year’s theme, “Unpacking the Why: What causes eating disorders?” invites us all to understand the true breadth of challenges that can cause an eating disorder: from body dissatisfaction to trauma, anxiety, unmet sensory needs, co-occurring health conditions, and more.
Unpacking the Why builds empathy for the many people whose experiences of an eating disorder may lead them to feel ‘invisible’ behind common stereotypes.
When we show the full picture, we send a clear message: I see you. You are safe to talk about what’s really going on. I will meet you where you’re at and walk alongside you.
Australia’s largest positive body image initiative couldn’t come at a more critical time, with findings from Butterfly’s BodyKind Youth Survey recently revealing that more than half (53.8%) of young people in Australia aged 12-18 are dissatisfied with how their body looks, and two in five never or rarely feel good in their body.
Worryingly, 7 in 10 say they never or rarely speak to someone if they’re not feeling good about their appearance, and around half of young people said their body image has stopped them to some extent from raising their hand in class, focusing on schoolwork, and attending school.
The Butterfly Foundation has a range of resources for students and families. By learning about the various causes of eating disorders, raising awareness, and having a caring conversation with someone about body image or eating disorders is essential to encourage young people to be BodyKind, to prevent serious mental health concerns, like eating disorders, from developing.
For Body Image & Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025, Butterfly Foundation and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration held a special webinar dedicated to unpacking the diverse causes of eating disorders. Facilitated by Dr Sarah Trobe, National Director of NEDC, the webinar featured lived experience advocates Skye Cusack, Nicole Lee, and Tim Conway. This expert panel discussed how different factors like trauma, sensory sensitivities, disability and co-occurring health conditions such as OCD can lead to the development of an eating disorder, and how they sought support.
Body Image & Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025 Webinar: Unpacking the 'Why'
No matter how the eating disorder developed, recovery is possible, and Butterfly is here to help.
For confidential and free counselling, call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or chat online or email, 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEDT).
(Article from https://butterfly.org.au/)
RUOK Day
Ask R U OK? Any Day because life happens every day.
Thursday 11th September is R U OK? Day but we know that whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, or colleague, the people around us go through life’s ups and downs every day. That’s why we want everyone to feel confident to check in with the people they care about and Ask R U OK? Any Day.
To acknowledge R U OK Day on Thursday, students can wear a yellow accessory as part of their College uniform to highlight and celebrate the day.
Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year, because a conversation could change a life.
eSafety has a dedicated Parents section with resources and advice to help parents and carers with online safety issues and strategies to support their child. Some resources include:
Cyberbullying Guide: This page helps parents and caregivers understand how they can support their child if they are being bullied. You can also download and print the cyberbullying quick guide, which provides key information and advice, as well as help in easy read formats for individuals with low literacy or intellectual or cognitive disabilities.Online Safety for Every Family: These resources include short videos and easy-to-read advice sheets to encourage parents and carers to start and continue conversations with their children about online safety. There are tips on how to stay safe online, as well as important information on what to do if something bad happens online.
Webinars: These live webinars provide parents and caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to support their children in having safe online experiences.
Some webinars coming up include:
- Understainding AI companions: What parents and carers need to know
- Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know
- AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat
- Algorithms and adolescents: The rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people
- The changing face of cyberbullying: Protecting your child in 2025
- Supporting healthy tech use as your child transitions into secondary school
- Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online
Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing