Term 1 - Weeks 6 & 7 - 25th March 2025

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students,

Enjoy the fortnight ahead.

Kind regards,

Kate

Kate Thomson
Principal

“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.”

Catherine McAuley

OPALS
Opals are to be published at the start of week 8. We encourage parents to talk with their children about their OPAL grades. Here are some questions you may find helpful to facilitate this discussion:

1. How are you doing with your learning? This question invites students to reflect on their overall progress and identify areas of strength and improvement.
2. How can you improve? Encouraging students to think critically about ways to enhance their learning experience empowers them to take ownership of their education.
3. Where do you go for help? Reminding students of the available resources and support systems reinforces the importance of seeking assistance when needed and fosters a sense of community within the school environment.

Years 7-11 Parent-Teacher-Student Conference

Tuesday 1st April

Many parents would have already scheduled a time for the first Parent-Teacher-Student Conference of the year. These meetings are essential for parents, students, and teachers to engage in meaningful discussions about academic progress, accomplishments, and overall well-being. They provide an excellent opportunity to connect with your child's educators and better understand their academic performance.

We strongly encourage the participation of both parents and students in these sessions. Student involvement in these conversations helps them build vital skills that benefit them. However, we understand that situations may arise that prevent attendance. If this happens, we urge families to prioritise these conversations and collaborate with teachers to ensure students remain engaged.

If you've booked a conference but cannot attend, please inform the college via phone or email to reschedule or address any concerns.

Year 12 Semester 1 Reports: 

The Semester 1 reports for Year 12 students will be released before the term ends. These reports offer a detailed summary of student achievements and progress to date. They provide valuable insights into each student's areas of strength, growth opportunities, and overall preparedness for the challenges ahead, particularly as they approach their Trial and HSC final exams.

Interventions

Year 7 Targeted Interventions are Continuing.

We are pleased to continue offering two key intervention programs for selected Year 7 students.

1. Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU): Led by Ms Day, an EMU-trained teacher. This program focuses on strengthening the conceptual understanding of Mathematics for students requiring additional support. It aims to accelerate growth and ensure successful engagement with the classroom curriculum.
2. Macqlit Reading Intervention: Implemented by Mrs Blacktop or Mrs Gleeson, the impactful program fosters our students' reading literacy success and well-being. Thanks to Mrs McLennan and Mrs Beresford for all their work with the testing and intervention organisation. 

Dianne McGowan
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching

April

1st: Year 7-11 Parent Student Teacher Conferences

       Year 9 Lovebite- Group 1

2nd: Year 9 Lovebites- Group 2

8th: Open Night

9th: School Photos: Catch up day

10th: Cross Country Carnival

11th: Last day Term 1

Harmony Week

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world. Our cultural diversity is one of our nation’s greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. It makes this country a great place to live for all Australians.

McAuley Catholic College is celebrating our cultural diversity in Harmony Week during the week of March 31 - April 4. Harmony Week gives students the chance to reflect on aspects of inclusiveness, respect and belonging for everyone and a chance to celebrate all our cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 

The Harmony Week celebrations are being organised by the senior student committee, Grace Stackman, Jasmine Chellew and Logan Cone. They have a variety of events planned including a Homeroom activity, Photo Booth, quiz and other events in the pipeline. Additionally, students are welcome to come in their national dress to have their photo taken in the photo booth. 

The Mercy Library will also be hosting some events in conjunction with Harmony Week. Have a look at all the new decorations that have been appearing to celebrate the orange theme of Harmony Day.

While Harmony Week is traditionally held between 17 - 23rd March, McAuley Catholic College has opted to celebrate it later due to the floods. 

Did you know:

• More than half (51.5 per cent) of Australian residents were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
• Since 1945, more than 7.6 million people have migrated to Australia.
• Nearly every single country from around the world was represented in Australia's population in 2020.
• More than 150 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages are spoken in Australia
• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Punjabi.
• We identify with over 300 ancestries.
  

Reading Rocks

Reading has always been fun, but it is now a social event in the new ‘Reading Rocks’ Book Club in the Mercy Library.

The new book club has about 20 student participants and it is a chance for students to share their love of reading with each other while also playing a couple of different book-styled games. As an extra bonus, they get to have the first chance to borrow any new releases the library has in stock.

As always, Manga remains a favourite with the students. The students are setting their own agenda for the club and they will be focusing on a Manga book for the next fortnightly meeting.

At the same time, the new puzzle corner has continued to be an attraction for the students. The corner has a mix of brain teasers and puzzles, which they can enjoy in the bustle of the many other, much louder activities within the library.  

Reading Challenges

Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. 

Given the importance of reading, the Mercy Library promotes reading through a variety of campaigns.

The first program is Renaissance Reading.

The Renaissance Reading Program combines an incentive program and testing program, which should help students in Year 7 and 8 realise a significant growth in reading by the end of the year.

Students can read a book and complete an online test and the program will add up the amount of words read. So far Year 7 students have read 7 million words in total including two students who have read more than 1 million words already, and three students in year 8 have read nearly 1 million words.

At the end of the year, students who have read more than 1 million words can invite their parents to a special morning tea at the school.

The second program is Premier’s Reading Challenge: 

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. 

Students from Year 7 - 10 are encouraged to read 20 books by September 5.  Reading records are kept in the library and students are welcome to come and write down any book or audio book they have read at home or have borrowed through the library.

Any student who completes the Premier’s Reading Challenge will be invited to a pizza party and they may also be eligible to receive a Premier’s certificate or medal.

Please use these incentive challenges to encourage your child to read 15 minutes a day. You can further help them by being interested in their reading choices and experiencing all the amazing new worlds that they can enter. 

Note: If you would like to know more about the importance of reading you can visit this site: The benefits of reading - Book Trust

It has been a busy time in Careers with lots of different opportunities and experiences being offered to students. Year 12 have begun researching for their courses at university. Some people have already applied for Early Entry to Charles Sturt University. However, parents and students do not need to panic as the window for applying is until late June. We will be applying to universities through the U.A.C. and Q.T.A. C. systems next term.

The process for applying to university

In early April, U.A.C. - the University Admission Centre for New South Wales- will issue students with a pin to apply for courses, and we will have U.A.C. booklets to help them research courses, as well as our Career Tools website. Then they can apply online to their desired courses. They make 5 preference choices for courses and their ideal choice is their first preference. Their last choice is encouraged to be the course with the lower entry score in case they do not secure their ideal spot. Preferences can be changed during the process, so students are not locked in until the course offers are issued. People who may not be able to secure a university spot may also research a bridging course to lead them towards their desired degree. Students will be stepped through these processes in class and we will start applying for their courses next term. I will be posting more information about this next term, including dates and the offers system, but if you need more information, please contact me. At this stage people should not be panicking but instead should be researching their options.

University Visits

This week we are travelling to Charles Sturt University to sample different course workshops including Paramedicine, nursing, teaching, engineering, allied health and many more.

Celebrations

Annabelle Hourigan has secured a spot in The Southern Cross University Scholars Program which is a free 6-week program completing a university subject whilst at school. The program also develops advanced academic skills to help students through their final years in high school and offers them the choice of a subject of interest. They also get the chance to experience university life at one of the Southern Cross campuses or online. Successful completion of the program puts students in the running for a generous scholarship.

Work placement

Further celebrations are that we have four Year 10 students successfully completing work placement in various industries including Early Child Care, Veterinary work placement, bicycle repair and building design. If your child is interested in a workplace opportunity they need to research an appropriate placement and then see me for advice.

Year 10

Work experience

Later in the year in term 4 week 8, 1st December to 5th December, Year 10 will be going on a week’s work experience. Students should be researching their chosen workplace and liaising with them soon to ensure they can organise a spot there.

Applying for a USI  - unique student identifier

Most students have secured their USI at this stage but due to flood interruptions, some students still need to access this. The notes on this process are posted below again.

As a part of our program, they will need to apply for their unique student identifier (USI), which is a number they will need for various educational courses. To access this number, they need to go to the USI site: https://www.usi.gov.au/students/get-a-usi. From here, they will fill out an online form that requires one piece of identification such as a passport, birth certificate, or Medicare card. They enter the details on the form. If your child needs any help please give them a screenshot of their official documentation and we can apply for their USI in the careers class.

More opportunities for Year 10

In June, we will be attending the Coffs Coast Careers Expo in Coffs Harbour. This is where students will have an opportunity to talk to people in different trades and industries so they can research career options.

Year 11 Celebrations

As a part of their English Studies assessment Year 11 CARE class has completed a job application and interview process to apply for specific jobs. The students worked well in researching positions, completing resumes and cover lessons and then completing a mock interview with Ms Joe and I. The students prepared well for the interviews and practiced excellent interpersonal skills to help them secure their jobs. These are essential life skills to prepare them for the real world.

LAT tests - Law Admission Tests

Any year 11 or 12 students who wish to apply to study Law at UNSW need to see me for information. The LAT tests are online tests to help students secure a position in UNSW. There is an online information seminar in May.

Tuckwell Scholarship Program

There is a prestigious scholarship with very generous financial support from the Australian National University in Canberra. The application closes on April 14th. The recipient must have a high academic record and show evidence of outstanding achievements in other endeavours beyond academic strength. Students need to come and see me for information as soon as possible.

Maria Rouse

Careers Advisor

Year 9 Commerce - Consumer Choice/ Product Differentiation

As part of their studies in Consumer Choice, Year 9 Commerce students participated in a product evaluation lesson. Students were provided a range of products to ‘blind taste’ then predict price, describe the quality, analyse packaging and marketing and then evaluate and recommend the best product. Chocolate biscuits were a popular product among students, with 90% guessing the correct Tim Tam brand!

Students will provide their recommendation in their first Assessment Task, creating a Consumer Choice style magazine article.

Year 8 Medieval Incursion

In Week 4, Year 8 historians stepped back into the medieval world with the assistance of Colin from Celtic Thunder. Students participated in a range of interactive presentations that brought their studies to life. Students dressed in replica clothing that represented each level of the feudal system, re-enacted a scenario involving a thieving peasant and a Viking, witnessed the attempts at curing the plague and watched demonstrations of weaponry, punishment and sword fighting!

A big thank you to Colin for his knowledge, experience and artefacts and to Year 8 for engaging and participating in the activity so well! 

Food Technology

Safe On Social 

Over the last week we have had concerns with students using their phones inappropriately and we have spoken with all Year 7 students regarding social media sites and the responsibility involved with developing group chats. It is essential that students realise they cannot create or participate in any social media that may bring the College into disrepute. As responsible users of technology they were reminded of their responsibilities in the IT (Information Technology) Student User and Parental Consent Agreement 2025. 

All students in their Pastoral Care lesson on Thursday signed off on their Student User Agreement and agreed to abide by the following: 

1. I will use any/my device for school activities at the direction of the teacher. 
2. I will use my own DSCSL username and password and will never share them with others. 
3. I will ensure my avatar (profile image) connected with my DLCSL account adheres to professional educational requirements. 
4. I will not use any device outside of a scheduled class without permission from a teacher. 
5. I will not use another person’s DSCSL account and/or trespass in their folders, work, files or email. 
6. I will not share personal information that could be used to identify me, my family or school community members without permission (e.g. names, passwords, dates of birth, community members without permission (e.g. names, passwords, dates of birth, phone numbers or addresses). 
7. I will ensure that when I am using any device, I log in and out. 
8. I will use McAuley Catholic College's WIFI network for educational purposes only. 
9. I will not access external wireless internet providers at school, for example, a WIFI dongle, a hotspot from a mobile phone and/or Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). 
10. I will not hack or bypass any hardware and software security the College implements. 
11. I will treat all equipment with respect and will return it in the condition it is given to me. I understand I am liable for any damages. 
12. I will not use the camera or recording device during class time, on the playground, or anywhere considered school property without permission. I will seek permission from the teacher prior to using audio or video recordings. 
13. I will not use any device to knowingly search for, link to, or access content that is illegal, offensive, harmful, pornographic, threatening, abusive or defamatory. 
14. I will not use any device to view, store, upload, download, post, publish or circulate material, content or commentary that might be deemed to defame an individual, a company or an organisation. This includes bullying, harassment or discriminatory behaviour based on age, gender, race, sexuality or disability. 
15. I understand that to maintain academic honesty and ethical standards in my academic work, I must acknowledge and reference all sources, including Generative AI, that I have used. 
16. By using my device, but not limited to my computer, software, and online platforms, I acknowledge and accept that artificial intelligence (Al) technology may be employed within these systems. I agree to utilise Al technology in a responsible and ethical manner, respecting the rights and privacy of others, and adhering to applicable laws and regulations regarding data protection and Al usage

Please discuss these guidelines with your child and the importance of responsible use of technology. Included in this newsletter is a Safe on Social cheat sheet on Snapchat. Use this guide to review your child’s privacy settings and controls and discuss the safety tips included in this resource.   

Did you know that 6 in 10 Australians don’t fully understand how school funding works? Catholic Schools NSW has launched the Keep School Funding Fair campaign to ensure families have access to clear and accurate information.

Our schools play a vital role in providing high-quality education while keeping costs affordable for families. A fair, means-tested funding model ensures all students are supported, no matter their background.

Read the Catholic Schools NSW media release below to learn more, and visit keepfundingfair.org.au to watch the explainer video and take action.