Term 3 - Week 5 - 18 August 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

What an amazing fortnight we have had! This newsletter is packed full of news from all areas of the College.

Year 12 have returned from their trial examinations and will now be finishing off their courses, revising, and preparing for their graduation at the end of the term. Time goes very quickly for our Year 12 students. Year 11 are coming to the end of their preliminary courses, with an assessment week in week 9 of this term. The Student Leadership process has begun with nominations for various positions now closed and interviews, speeches and voting scheduled for the next few weeks.  I thank the many Year 11 students who have accepted nominations for a College leadership role, which, in our setting, is an opportunity to serve others. 

The Year 10 reflection day facilitated by Michael Fitzpatrick was a great day and an opportunity for the students to reflect on their lives and those in their community. Reflection days and retreats are a very important part of the spiritual dimension of the College as we work together with parents to develop the whole person. Year 10 has a day at RYDA - Road Safety Education, sponsored by various local Rotary Clubs on Friday 25th August. This is a compulsory day for all of year 10, so all students are expected to attend.  RYDA features a highly engaging and memorable one-day workshop which front-loads students’ understanding of road safety and gives them the tools, habits and motivation to take action and stay safe on our roads as both drivers and passengers throughout their lives.

Congratulations

Thank you to the staff and students who attended the Year 8 Camp, and various other excursions that are mentioned throughout this newsletter.  A huge congratulations to the Debating Team who travelled to Port Macquarie in week 4, especially to the year 7, 8 & 9 teams who won their sections on the day.  It has been some time since we competed in debating so this was an excellent result. Thank you to Mrs Rouse for organising and preparing the students for this event. Well done to Ashton Pullen and Regen Howard who attended the WorldSkills Championships in Melbourne with their teacher Mr Dean Coggan and congratulations to Ashton who achieved Bronze for Wall and Tiliing! 

Year 10 Future Pathways 

Year 10 students and their parents recently participated in Future Pathways conversations, coordinated by Di McGowan and Tiffany Lee. These are very important conversations about subject choices and options for students both within and beyond the College in 2024. 

Parent Forum Event - Tuesday 29th August - Brave Parent Conversations with David Kobler  

All parents are encouraged to attend this event - either in person at the College or online. Please see the detail of this evening on the flyer that has been sent home and is also in this newsletter. Thank you to our Parent Assembly co-ordinator, Chrissie Morrison for organising this event. 

Principal Appraisal 

As you know from various pieces of correspondence over the last few weeks, I was formally appraised on Monday 14th August,  as I am in the fourth year of my Principalship. At the end of the day, I received verbal commendations and recommendations from the panel which will give me direction for my professional development for the next few years.  

Staffing News

• Welcome back to Mr Stuart Tait who returns to work after 5 weeks of leave with members of his family. Thank you to Amanda Kennedy who has taken Stuart’s classes. Amanda is staying on until the end of the term. 
• Kathy Warby has extended her leave until the end of Term 3. Kathy needs to spend time with her family and I ask that you keep Kathy and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  Thank you to Tiffany Lee who has been the Acting AP Mission and Wellbeing for the last 5 weeks. Margaret Bertalli will be acting in this role until the end of the term. 
• Mr Alex Montford has been appointed to the Leader of Pastoral Care position, replacing Rob Imeson. A number of timetable changes will be needed as Alex transitions into the role. 
• Mr Kevin Flanagan has been appointed to a permanent Mathematics position at McAuley in 2024. Mr Flanagan has been working at McAuley on a temporary contract for the last 12 months. I look forward to having Mr Flanagan as a permanent member of staff and the wealth of experience he brings to the school.
• Finally, I am taking 5 weeks of Long Service Leave in term 4 this year. I will be travelling to a few Scandinavian countries, Ireland, England and Croatia. While in Ireland I have the opportunity to stay at Mercy International House in Baggot St, Dublin. This is the house that Catherine McAuley built to provide care and education to the poor and disadvantaged, especially women and children. I look forward to sharing my experience with the College community on my return. Dianne McGowan, Assistant Principal, Learning & Teaching will be the Acting Principal while I am on leave. 

Special Events 

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for Through Our Eyes - a unique and never seen drama production by our year 7 & 8 students, created by our students under the guidance of Mr Mark Conaghan and Noa Rotem through a NORPA grant. We also have McAuley Fest on Thursday 7th September - a fantastic night of entertainment at the College for families. Tickets for both these events are on sale through Compass.

On the 8th of September, we will celebrate McAuley Day, which is our College Feast Day where we acknowledge our Mercy history and traditions and raise money for the Mercy organisation Mercy Works, which supports those less fortunate than ourselves, modelling Catherine McAuley, and the Sisters of Mercy. Planning has started this week for McAuley Day with Homerooms getting their activity ready and we look forward to a great event.

AMSSA Conference 2023

Last week I had the pleasure and privilege of attending the AMSSA conference, accompanied by Marg Bertalli and Alex Montford. AMSSA is the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association. We have been a member of this association for some time but haven’t attended a conference since 2013. It was a great opportunity to meet with colleagues from Mercy schools across Australia and New Zealand and seek out ways to improve and foster our Mercy Charism and advance Catherine McAuley’s vision for Mercy-inspired education. The conference was held at the All Hallows School, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Some highlights of the 3 days (Thursday - Saturday) included the beautiful Opening Mass in the College Chapel, Key Note addresses from Sr Berneice Loch, Stan Grant and Jemima Welsh, a range of workshops focussing on many aspects of Mercy, tours of the School and other relevant Brisbane sites, a Conference Dinner at Customs House, insights from ex-students on their experience of Mercy as well as meeting and networking with colleagues from Mercy schools. We have come back with many ideas to foster our Mercy charism. We will bring you more information and insights from the Conference over the next few weeks and months.

All the best for the fortnight ahead

Sincerely

Kate

Kate Thomson

Principal

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

Catherine McAuley

The Inspiring Journey of the Matilda Women's Soccer Team

Sports have always held the power to unite communities and transcend boundaries, showcasing the remarkable strength of the human spirit and determination. The Matilda Women's soccer team, with its meteoric rise in popularity, stands as a shining example of how sport can inspire, uplift, and foster a sense of togetherness among people. The Matildas, Australia's national women's soccer team, has captured the nation's hearts for their impressive skills on the field and the hope and dedication they represent.

At the forefront of this inspiring journey is the captivating story of Mary Fowler, a young Matilda whose journey reflects the values of sacrifice, dedication, and determination. Mary's rise to prominence wasn't a stroke of luck but a result of relentless hard work and commitment. Her journey resonates deeply with me as an educator because it underlines that success isn't achieved overnight or handed on a silver platter. Instead, it's the culmination of countless hours of training, overcoming obstacles, and never giving up on one's dreams.

The Matildas' story, particularly that of Mary Fowler, offers a meaningful connection to pursuing academic excellence. Just as Mary didn't succeed without immense effort, McAuley students must recognise that their educational journey requires dedication and perseverance. Like the Matildas, students face challenges and setbacks, but the determination to overcome these hurdles sets them on the path to success.

The Matilda Women's soccer team's incredible journey is a testament to the power of sport in bringing communities together. Through their determination, sacrifice, and hard work, they have become a beacon of hope and inspiration for individuals of all ages. Mary Fowler's story reminds us that success results from continuous effort and dedication, both on the field and in the classroom. We have rallied behind the Matildas and their remarkable achievements. Let us also embrace their message of unity, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence in every aspect of life.

Year 12

Our year 12 students have completed the trial HSC exams and are now finished with all their school-based exam-style assessments. Some of our students still have ‘major’ works to submit, while others are now receiving their marked trial exams. All students must keep in mind that 50 % of their marks are still to come due to their efforts in the HSC exams that start in October. By continuing to persevere, all students are keeping options (such as scholarships for university) open.

The Trials are notorious for their difficulty; in the face of disappointing assignment grades, the path to improvement requires embracing lessons from errors and enacting change. What this involves is pinpointing shortcomings and crafting a corrective strategy, encompassing these steps:

• Analyse and grasp the feedback

Once your trial exams have been returned, allocate time to examine the feedback offered by your teacher.

Reflect on the subsequent queries:

• Were all the outlined assignment criteria met?
• What precise feedback points were highlighted by your teacher?
• Is a comprehensive understanding of the furnished feedback attained?
• Can you pinpoint the factors contributing to your assigned grade?

In situations of uncertainty regarding any feedback facet, feel free to seek additional clarification from your teacher. Comprehending your errors is pivotal to circumvent their recurrence in subsequent endeavours.

• Learn and Adapt:

Embracing mistakes as learning opportunities and proactively rectifying them. An intentional approach involves:

• Exam Review: Dedicate effort to understanding your mistakes and devising a rectification plan.

Consider:

• Task Redo: If feasible, revisit sections of the assignment for resubmission. In doing so, you represent your commitment and facilitate the integration of received feedback.
• Seek Exemplars: Request permission to examine top-scoring assignments, comprehending the elements contributing to their success and identifying your assignment’s areas of deficiency.
• Use the NESA site to get access to past papers, continue to complete timed responses and submit for marking.

OPALS

Mid-term OPAL scores will be released shortly, and they focus on the efforts of students to achieve classroom success.

Overall there are positive signs with our student's participation and application. However, I must address an area for growth. Our Compass data shows that some students must be more responsible for appropriately using technology, particularly in their junior years.

To nurture the appropriate use of technology, consider these steps:

For Parents:

1. Open Communication: Talk openly about responsible device use with your child and set clear expectations.
2. Model Behavior: Be a positive example of balanced screen time and offline activities.
3. Check-ins: Have regular talks about technology use to address challenges and concerns.

For Students:

1. Follow the rules: Respect school guidelines and prioritise education over games on devices.
2. Seek Help: Talk to parents or teachers if distractions are challenging to manage.

Together, we cultivate skills for academic and life success.

Dianne McGowan

Year 8 Camp

On the 10th and 11th of August, 79 year 8 students travelled to Coffs Coast Adventure Centre for school camp. All the students displayed positive behaviour during the camp and gave it their all. They participated in 6 activities: a Commando Mud Course, Z-Ball, Minute to Win It, Survivor, the Giant Zipline and the Giant Swing.

All students participated really well over the two days conveying strong leadership qualities, assistance with activities, and accepting the huge challenge of stepping outside of their comfort zones to have a really great time. Everyone enjoyed being able to play games like basketball and footy in between activities as well.

A big thank you to the year 8 year coordinator, Nardia Hill, for organising a great camp and to all the other teachers who joined us, we all had so much fun! 

Paisley Padayachee

Year 8

Year 10 Reflection Day

On Wednesday 9th August, Year 10 had their Reflection Day. The guest speaker was Mr Michael Fitzpatrick and he was inspirational! He helped the cohort to reflect on their journey so far over the last three-and-a-half years at McAuley and challenged us to work out how to become even more awesome as we move into the senior years. Who knew there was so much singing talent in Year 10?! I would like to thank the students for their attention, engagement, sincerity and bravery on the day.  

A big thank you to our guest speaker, Mr Michael Fitpatrick, Mr Montford for his organisation of the day, Mrs Katrina West for ordering the food (biscuits, fruit and lunch), the participating RE teachers for their support, and Mr Tom Howard and his Catholic Faith in Action class who prepared the BBQ lunch for us, served us the food and cleaned and packed up all the gear afterwards. 

Ms Sarah Nicholls

Year 10 Coordinator

Debating 2023

Last Tuesday 8th August, our MCC debating teams accompanied by their fearless leaders, Ms Maria Rouse and Ms Leanne Kelly, travelled to Port Macquarie to compete in the North Coast Catholic Schools Debating Competition. 

Year 10 were valiant in defeat, while years 7, 8 and 9 were undefeated, naming them the competition champions! They won all 3 of their debates including one prepared debate and two impromptu. 

The teams will travel to Sydney in Term 4 to compete in the State Finals!

Congratulations to our debating teams! They are:

Year 7: Maya Conaghan, Madora Barton, Willow Rowney, Amiah Carroll

Year 8: Paisley Padayachee, Kane Patricks, Ahliah Hartley, Judy Irwin

Year 9: Emily Newman, Aayliah Scarlett Roach, Poppy Ross

Year 10: James Beard, Amali Rainbow, Alizandra McPherson, Tim Van Der Vlist

Year 12 Hospitality

On Wednesday 16th August, our year 12 Hospitality class went on an excursion to Botero Roastery & Cafe, Maclean.

Students had a terrific time at Botero, further extending their knowledge of coffee flavours, and how it is roasted and blended, and then enjoyed a delicious breakfast from their kitchen.

Country Universities Centre (CUC) Visit to MCC

Melanie Jay is the CUC Clarence Valley Centre Manager. Mel has visited the College in the past weeks speaking to our Year 11 and 12 students about using the CUC.  

The Country Universities Centre is a not-for-profit organisation, established with the aim of making higher education more accessible for regional and remote communities in NSW. A CUC has been established in Grafton to support students, providing them with access to campus-level technology, facilities, tutors and a network of fellow students. Mel is there to guide and support students with their tertiary decisions and challenges.

Any student, studying at any Australian University, studying any course can use the facilities free of charge. CUC's vision is to improve equity in higher educational opportunities for rural and remote students.

The Country Universities Centre Clarence Valley is located at 146 Pound St, Grafton directly beside the Clarence Regional Library. It is accessible from 6am to midnight with the use of secure swipe cards given to students upon free registration.

Female Tradie Day Workshop

A Female Tradie Workshop was held at MCC Friday 18th August. The Workshop provided a hands-on taster session to encourage, educate and inspire Year 8 – 10 female high school students to consider construction as an elective, and/or a career in the building trades. 

The Workshop was fully funded by the Regional Industry Education Partnerships. It was delivered by Female Tradies and included:

• Personal & work site safety (PPE and addressing site safety)
• The common toolbox hand tools and how to use them safely and correctly.
• Different types of screws and fixings and their use
• Drawing up a project and making a list of materials
• Introduction to power tools including drill and impact driver, circular saw, jigsaw,
• Putting the skills to work and building a woodworking project.

Students left equipped with hands-on experience, the knowledge and understanding of opportunities in trades as well as an understanding of the next steps if they want to pursue a trade as a career. We thank the Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) for inviting our students to participate in this great initiative.

Reminders for Students

Year 7 & 8 McAuley College Drama students, in partnership with NORPA (Lismore), invites the community to join them for their contemporary theatre performance project "THROUGH OUR EYES". Performances will be held at the school at 7pm on Thursday 24th & Friday 25th August 2023.

This project has been created by the Year 7 & 8 students and is an intuitive exploration of the future… our thoughts, fears, dreams, wishes, expectations, imaginings. It incorporates spoken word, movement and physical theatre techniques to create an experience that is honest, thoughtful and heartfelt

Students have been training and creating with Noa Rotem, a director, performer and choreographer based in the Northern Rivers. Noa has worked and trained extensively in Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, France, the Philippines and New York City both as a freelance artist and with companies such as Little Dove Theatre Art, The Human Theatre, The Danger Ensemble, and Anne Bogart’s SITI Company (NYC).

Tickets are available NOW via CompassTix. Click the link below to purchase:

Book Week commences Saturday 19th August, and while everyone is preparing for the annual dress-up event next Friday 25th August, the students are pitting their knowledge against each other for their daily homeroom challenge trivia quiz.

The daily quiz is just the start of the many activities planned for the students. The students can also earn points for their homeroom by having a guess at the “Book in the Jar” and taking part in the QR Code Scavenger Hunt.

There is an escape room challenge where students can make teams to see if they can figure out the clues to “Beat the Box”.

Students can also flex their creative muscles by competing in the Writing Competition and the Drawing Challenge. Prizes are available for participants.

The week will culminate in the Dress Up day with this year’s theme being “Inspiring Character” to go with the Book week theme of “Read, Grow, Inspire”. You can have a chat with your child about who has been an inspiring character in their life and why? Sam Kerr might be a favourite at the moment after her amazing World Cup performance, but she is just a starting point for the many people in our lives, real and fictional, who have inspired us to be better people. The staff and students will have a chance to honour their heroes (protagonists and antagonists) in the Friday dress-up as well as getting involved in the multitude of book activities hosted by the library throughout the week.

And I had a thought that it might be time to put your whole family on the Millionaire Literary Hotseat and see who has the best book trivia at your house. Take the following challenge with your family and drop me an email to let me know who is the champion at your house.

Challenge:

1. Which Dickens character says “Please, Sir, I want some more”?
2. What type of environment was Where the Crawdad Sings set in?
3. Who wrote The Shining, It and Christine?
4. What was the name of the Harvard professor of Religious Iconology, Symbology and Art History who became embroiled in the murder of the Louvre curator, Jacques Saunière?
5. What famous book starts with the line: “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”?
6. Who lives at 221b Baker Street (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)?
7. What sort of creatures are Snugglepot and Cuddlepie?
8. What are the names of the four children who go into Wonka’s Factory along with Charlie Bucket?
9. Which district does Katniss Everdeen grow up in?
10. What is the name of the student who dies during detention in One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus?

Linda Gleeson

Librarian

DIO Touch Football Gala Day

Our College Under 15's girls & boys, and opens boys & girls touch football teams travelled to Ballina to compete in the Dio Touch Football Gala Day on Friday 18th August.

All teams played amazingly well throughout the day, with hard work never in short supply resulting in our teams achieving fantastic placements overall.

Open girls placed 4th; Under 15's girls equal 3rd; both Open boys and Under 15's boys placed 1st naming them Dio North Coast Touch Football Champions.

Congratulations to all teams for their incredible achievements and for representing McAuley proudly. A huge thank you to Mr Jim Hand, Mr Craig Nipperess, and Ms Eliza Corcoran for their support and organisation both on the day and during team training sessions. 

On behalf of the team and teachers, a special thank you to the four wonderful referees who volunteered their time to officiate the day for them.

Grafton Memorial of Vietnam Veterans Day 

At Assembly last Thursday, Mrs McGowan spoke about the Vietnam War and the battle of Long Tan. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962 and increased to 7672 over the next decade. By the end of the war, 60 000 troops served. Out of 60, 000 that served, 523 died, and around 2,400 were wounded.

On the 18th of August Australians remember Vietnam Veterans Day due to the Battle of Long Tan in which D Coy 6RAR was involved. 18 Died, and 24 were wounded 

Grafton Returned Services held a service late on Friday afternoon to commemorate the anniversary of the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam and the cessation of Nation service in Australia. The school was represented by Sahara Powell and Sean Sowell.

On Thursday 17th August during the morning's Pastoral Care lesson, students learnt about and discussed this year’s theme, “Growing Connections”,  for our National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. This theme supports research findings that strong school community connections and social skills are protective factors in the prevention of bullying and help enable positive, help-seeking behaviours in students.

The students were tasked with filling out two thank you cards and presenting them throughout the day to people they considered part of their support team at our College, considering both peers and teachers. People who received a card were then able to present this at the following day's Volunteer BBQ lunch for a free sausage sandwich.

The BBQ was a huge success among students and we extend a massive thank you to our volunteer students from various years that helped run and cook the BBQ with our Pastoral Care Team and teachers.

Recently, the Student Leadership Team has been a little disrupted due to the current Year 12 leaders undergoing their HSC trials, initiating their final sprint towards graduation. Because of this, the most recent SLT meetings have consisted mainly of the Year 11 and Year 10 student leaders, with a few experienced Year 12’s managing to tag along even amidst the heavy workload. Regardless, the team is still working hard to deliver on behalf of all students of MCC!

Now that the term is in full swing, many events throughout the school are in action, such as Retreats and Camps for Year 11 and 8. Year 11 travelled to Lennox Head in week 3 for a fun-filled trip to build bonds - growing closer with each other while creating stronger connections with their faith (with a particular focus on servant leadership). A highlight of the trip was the “testimonies” of the teachers, where each provided insight into their respective journeys regarding leadership and self-actualisation. As the student leadership process has begun for the positions of 2024 Year 12 leaders, the retreat has been a source of preparation and inspiration for those taking the leap into captaincy next year.

Finishing touches and prep for McAuley Fest are being conducted with new Year 11 members to take the reins from the diligent Year 12’s for next year. Special thanks to Ms Nicholls for arranging sound and wrangling the Year 11’s together for the final steps of planning. The new date for McAuley Fest is Thursday 7th of September - the night before McAuley Day - so be prepared for a night filled with music and art by students and teachers alike!

As this is a busy time at the college, there are many activities worth keeping an eye on. McAuley Fest, McAuley Day and all the various camps/retreats have kept our schedules packed with things to do and look forward to. Don’t forget to attend these events and show your MCC spirit - with more details to be released very soon.

Click the link below to purchase tickets:

Dates to note:

August:

21st - 25th: Yr 11 Work Placement Week 2

21st: Yr 12 2024 Leadership Interviews

         Yr 12 Special Awards Close

         Yr 8 HSIE Medieval Presentation

24th - 25th: Yr 7 & 8 Drama Performances

25th: Year 10 RYDA

29th: Parent Forum

30th: Yr 12 Business Studies HSC Study Day @ SCU Lismore

31st: Yr 12 Leadership Speeches & Voting

September:

5th:  NRCC AFL Under 14s

7th:  NRCC AFL Under 16s

        McAuley Fest

8th:  McAuley Day

11th - 18th:  Yr 11 Exams

13th - 15th: Yr 12 Students VS Staff Games

15th:  Yr 12 Last day of lessons

18th:  Yr 12 Community Service Day

          Yr 12 Grad Rehearsal - Period 1

19th:  Yr 12 Mystery Day

          Yr 12 Parent Breakfast

20th:  Yr 12 Graduation Ceremony

21st:   IGNITE 2023 - Brisbane

22nd:  Last day of term

As mentioned in our previous Newsletters over the last few weeks - the College now offers lunch orders online through the Flexischools app. Please see the attached flyer to get started.

Please note COVID-19 is still present in our community. 

Please be reminded that students and staff CANNOT attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. 

Students who are unwell

If a student is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test. 

If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.

If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is not feeling unwell and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school under the following conditions:

• the school office is informed of the positive test result, AND
• the student (over 12 years old) wears a mask for a period of 7 days in all indoor settings.