Term 1, Week 1 - 4 February - 2022

Welcome to the 2022 School Year at McAuley Catholic College

I would like to warmly welcome back all our returning students and welcome our Year 7 and new students and their families. The following information is provided to help support families in knowing who to contact. 

OUR PASTORAL STRUCTURE

Each year at this time we outline the roles within the Pastoral Structure and the communication process that needs to be followed when making contact with the College.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN PASTORAL STRUCTURE 

• Homeroom teachers are a very important part of the pastoral structure. The Homeroom Teacher is the teacher primarily responsible for the welfare of each student in his/her Homeroom.
• The Year Coordinator will be responsible for the welfare for the students in their year group. The six Year Coordinators form a pastoral team and will liaise with parents, Homeroom teachers, House Leaders, Leaders of Learning, Classroom teachers and the College Leadership Team.
• The House Leader is the Coordinator of the entire House. They are responsible for building the House Spirit and House system. They work with their House Team which is comprised of the seven Homeroom teachers and other teachers allocated to the House.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSE SYSTEM

The House System was introduced at McAuley Catholic College in 2004. The aim then and now is to promote a strong sense of community as well as opportunities for connectedness which will, in turn, promote resilience and a sense of achievement for all our students.

We continue to promote the House System at McAuley Catholic College as the “umbrella” under which all activities - religious, academic, pastoral, cultural, community, social, sporting - take place.

 Homeroom teachers are listed in the allocated section of the Newsletter.

STUDENT PLANNER

All students are issued with a Planner at the start of each year. The Planner is an important learning item that is to be taken to every class every day. It will be a valuable tool in the Pastoral Care lesson and will support the positive education program being delivered. Students are to record all homework, assessments, reminders etc in their diary. It is also used to collect and record Merit Stamps and exits from class (eg toilet, library, office, sickbay).

STUDENTS WHO BECOME ILL AT SCHOOL

Students do get sick while at school. We have a sick bay where students can be attended to and monitored. The Office staff regularly contact parents when a child is sick. Any student who is feeling unwell must report to sickbay. 

As per our Mobile Phone Policy, students should not use their phone to contact parents during school hours.  The students must go to the office where the office staff can contact home. It is difficult when parents arrive at the College Office to collect their child and the Office staff are unaware the student is ill and then have to find the student somewhere in the school. This can be very disruptive for the Office staff. It is appreciated if our policy is followed. 

UNIFORM 

As per the information that was provided in the Parent Letter earlier this week from our Principal,  Kate Thomson, we are aware that there are uniform issues and the following are some short term issues.

SHORT TERM UNIFORM SOLUTIONS

• Please contact the College via phone (66431434) or email (grafslism@lism.catholic.edu.au) to let us know your child does not have certain uniform items
• Where possible, students wear their school uniform items they have.
• If they don’t have normal school uniform items - wear sports uniform
• Senior students 
• Those who do not have white McAuley shirts can wear their Year 10 shirt or a generic plain white shirt or white polo shirt. 
• Missing shorts/skirt - wear sports shorts
• Junior Students:
• Year 7 students can wear their primary uniform or a polo style shirt and sports shorts (appropriate for school)
• Missing skirts/shorts can wear College sports shorts
• Missing College Sports shorts - wear black sports shorts (similar length to current sports shorts)
• Missing cream or blue shirt - wear sports shirt or plain blue shirt (boys) or white or blue polo style shirt

PDHPE PRACTICAL LESSONS AND UNIFORM PROCEDURES

The PDHPE staff are currently assigning practical lessons to their classes. When this is completed we will share the timetable with parents. 

Students are able to wear their PDHPE uniform on days that they have a practical lesson to avoid changing in these challenging times of COVID and the need to be extra vigilant in good hygiene. 

All students, however, are expected to wear their full school uniform each Wednesday and on days they do not have a practical PDHPE lesson. There will be no practical lessons scheduled for a Wednesday. 

Please support the College in ensuring your child is wearing the correct uniform each day. 

COLLEGE EXPECTATIONS

Students and staff expect to work in a safe, secure and supportive environment. The expectations shown below ensure all learning spaces are settled and productive. These expectations work in conjunction with our Mercy values of Respect, Compassion, Justice, Excellence and Hospitality. The expectations are displayed in all classrooms and are clearly stated in the Student Planner.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY 

Rationale

Mobile phones and other related devices have become an important part of today’s world and, as such, are seen as common and necessary items which must be incorporated into and managed within the educational domain. 

Policy

Students who choose to bring their mobile phone and other related or similar devices to school must adhere to the following procedures. This includes all times students are under the supervision of MCC staff (ie. excursions, camps, travelling to and from school events). The decision of the Principal on all phones, smart devices and related technology will be final. The Principal reserves the right to allow an individual student to use their device for medical monitoring or other such purposes. 

Procedure

• Phones must be turned off upon arrival at school in the morning and may be switched on again after classes at 3.10 pm. 
• Students are welcome to leave their phone in the office each day or place them on the teacher desk/phone tub each lesson 
• If it is necessary for parents or carers to make contact during school hours this must be done in the usual manner through the School Office. 
• Students must not lend their phones to other students during school hours.
• Students can only use their phone with the permission of a teacher, for example when used for educational purposes during a lesson, using eftpos at the canteen and office.
• After 3.10 pm, while being supervised on school grounds, students may use their phones to listen to music,  check messages and make calls. However, they cannot take photos or videos.
• Students found using phones during school time without permission will incur the following consequences:
• 1st Offence:
• The phone will be confiscated by the teacher and placed in the office. 
• The student’s name is recorded on a phone log in the office
• Students may collect the phone at the end of the day.
• The teacher is to record the incident on schoolworx
• A warning is issued to the student by the teacher (and Year Co)
• 2nd Offence
• When the phone is confiscated for the second time the above points 1-4 are followed 
• A second warning is issued to the student from the teacher and Year Coordinator
• The parent is to be notified by the Year Coordinator or Pastoral Care Coordinator
• 3rd Offence in a term
• The student’s phone is confiscated and placed in the office. 
• The student’s name is recorded on the phone log and in schoolworx
• The phone is to be collected by the parent/carer - not the student. 
• The parent/carer and student are to attend a meeting with the Year Coordinator and or Pastoral Care Coordinator and or Assistant Principal. 
• At this meeting, consequences and strategies will be put in place to assist the student in the management of their phone. This may include:
• Placement on a stage/monitoring
• Handing the phone to the office each day for a period of time (determined in the meeting)
• Intervention as needed

Mobile phones are valuable items and the responsibility for them rests with the owner. If a student refuses to follow these instructions it will be dealt with by the Pastoral Care Coordinator, Assistant Principal and/or Principal.  No responsibility will be accepted by the College for the loss, theft or damage of a phone. 

Please note: 

1. The following is deemed unacceptable use of mobile phones and similar devices - (this list is not exhaustive and therefore not limited to the following): 

accessing social media (such as but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other similar platforms), taking photos and videos, text messaging, phone calls, facetime or similar, accessing apps, streaming movies, listening to music etc 

2. The following is an extract from the Terms and Conditions section of the College Enrolment form signed by parents/guardians:

MUSIC DEVICES/EARPHONES 

These items are not banned from the College. If they are used in class it is only with permission from the teacher. If they are used inappropriately or at the wrong time, the item will be confiscated and placed in the Office for collection by the parent/carer as per the Mobile Phone Policy. 

BANNED ITEMS 

Chewing gum, bubble gum, matches or lighters, cigarettes, e-cigarettes (vapourisers), alcohol, drugs, knives and other weapons, liquid paper, aerosol cans, fireworks/crackers, water bombs, inappropriate printed and electronic material and other such items as the Principal may determine to be unsafe or nuisance items, are banned from McAuley Catholic College.

The Mission and RE team is supported by our Youth Ministry Officer. 

This year we welcome Georgia Salvestro, who graduated from our Yr 12 2021 class, as our 2022 Youth Ministry Officer. Georgia is excited to be returning to the College in this role. She is currently attending the YMO Equipping School in Lismore learning valuable tools to enable her to lead students in youth ministry and discipleship activities. We look forward to Georgia’s support in the range of mission activities we offer and being a valuable member of Religious Education classes.

Learning and Teaching

I would also like to warmly welcome our existing and new families to the school for 2022 and also welcome our new teachers. All of our new staff add to the experience, enthusiasm and passion for teaching our staff have at this school. Our community of teachers continues to grow, but our organisational mission remains the same - to support our students to ‘achieve the fullness of life’ (John 10.10).  

As our students start or return to their school journey this year's main academic focus area in learning and teaching is learning for continual growth. In the 2022 welcome assembly, our school principal Ms Thomson indicated that at our school we expect everyone in the College to be respectful, responsible, honest, caring, compassionate, and curious. 

We have high expectations for our students and appreciate your support as we instil in your child the following behaviours: 

• Coming to school ready to learn. This means they bring all their equipment
• Using the planner 
• Being punctual
• Wearing their uniform correctly
• Treating everyone with respect (Self, students & staff)
• Following instructions
• Making an effort in everything they do
• Not disrupting the learning of others
• Participating and being involved
• Learning from mistakes 

The 2022 school year at McAuley started with a hive of activity, with some excited (and nervous) year 7 students starting their first day at a new school after a hearty breakfast hosted by the school. Thank you to the Year 7 Coordinator Mrs Nardia Hill, and the team of teachers who came in to prepare the annual welcome breakfast for students and families. It was wonderful to see such a large representation of families enjoying the morning.  

Due to the pandemic, we have implemented changes to meet NSW health advice and to keep our school community safe. Thank you for supporting us as we try as far as possible to keep face to face teaching occurring. A big thank you needs to go out to our staff who have changed their practices to also cater for students who are required to stay at home due to NSW health advice. These students are still able to access the curriculum, and if they are well enough, continue in their education whilst at home. Should this be the case for your family please refer to the email sent to parents on Tuesday 1st of February that outlines our McAuley continuity of learning processes (also available in the COVID 19 section of this newsletter and on the College website).

We know that being together in the classroom is the most effective way for our students to learn and grow and our COVID-smart measures have been developed to help to minimise transmissions at school. The health and wellbeing of our students and staff remain our priority, and we thank you for supporting the surveillance testing which will provide an important additional layer of protection for our students and staff.

Elevate 2022

In the 2021 December newsletter, we asked parents to save the date for an opportunity to attend an ‘Elevate’ session either in person or via zoom. 

Elevate is an external program with young presenters aimed at guiding students to reach their academic potential. The program will explore mnemonics, study skills, time management and ways to ace exams. Our year 9-12 cohorts will be attending Elevate sessions next week.  Parents of students in any cohort are also invited to an evening session focused on the best ways to support their children in their studies. 

We are continuing with this essential curriculum focus for our parents with a presentation at the school on  Monday 7th February at 5:30 pm in P1 (tea and coffee will be provided).  Please ensure if you attend in person you have a mask and that you check in with a QR code. For those who would like to zoom into the presentation please use the following zoom link:

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://lismcatholic.zoom.us/j/65804092204

The presenter will also be available to answer questions so parents can help their children navigate their final years of school.

Di McGowan
Assistant Principal, Learning & Teaching

Caring for your child with COVID-19 at home

Happy Birthday to the following Students:

Ryan Savins, Zachary Hallett, Isabelle Pye, Beau Thompson, Ruby Egen, James Egen, Andrew Dyball, Jaleb Kyle-Robinson, Xavier Cassidy Thomason, Hannah Hall, Maddison Giggins, Ava Whiley, Riley Lloyd, Oliver Shortt, Corrie Wells, Bradley Hollett, Kyle Moran, Gemma Steel, Alyssa Steel, Michael Young, Kai Brossman, Chase Corcoran, Kaitlyn Hunter, Brooklyn Roach, Annabelle Hourigan, Grace Shorrock, Clay Cook, Layla Warren, Damon Irving, Maddison Gravolin, Tom Landrigan, Caleb Ford, Madison Newman, Kyra Barrett, Ayla Howell McLachlan, Josi Bricknell, Jade Simon, Bellamae Johnson-Jones, Kate Morgan, Ava Cable, Marlee Hughes, Ruby Bowling, Max Odgers, Ella Cahill, Nate Laurie, Aidyn Pearce, Brock Pearce, Jemima Adamson, Nash Crofton, Jake Horton, Sienna Sutherland, Tia Monaghan, Jak Anderson, Saffira Barnier, Ally Hayes, Brodie Madden, Noah Burchell, Madeleine Cassidy Thomason, Kiara McDonald, Kurtis Corcoran, Matilda Hanson.