Dear Mary MacKillop Catholic College community

As usual at this time of year, there has been much happening at MMCC. The Year 12 students have finished their HSC exams and we are all eagerly awaiting the results of this hard working year group. In my next newsletter I will share those successes and I know you will congratulate our MMCC Year 12 girls for their achievements as well as the maturity with which they presented for their final exams.

Year 7 Orientation Day

And of course, as one year group leaves us we warmly welcome another. The Year 7 students for 2017 visited for their orientation day on Tuesday the 29^th of November and it was a delight to see so many excited and energized girls who joined in confidently with activities and stoically endured some diagnostic testing which will enable us to personalize the learning for them when they arrive next year. In discussion with their Coordinator of Learning; Year, Mrs Karen Henry, they appear to be a dedicated and friendly group. I look forward to working with them over the next few years.

A High School Student for a Day

Over the previous week we have also been energized by visits from the Year 4 and Year 5 girls from our feeder school for a day of experiencing being a high school students.On November the 7^th girls from Sacred Heart Villawood, Sacred Heart, Cabramatta and Mary Immaculate, Mt Pritchard joined us to enthusiastically participate in workshops with our teachers an students with the intriguing names such as “Express Yourself”, “Master Chef”, “Mathletics”, “Creative Designs”, “Writing Up a Storm”, “Dancing with the Stars”, “Argue the Toss” and soccer, netball and basketball clinics. After the excitement of this experience we enjoyed the company of over 300 young girls from St Gertrude’s, Smithfield, OLR, Fairfield and Our Lady of Mt Carmel , Mt Pritchard for a repeat performance.

Both times I met with some interested, yet calmly excited, girls at the beginning of the day who by the end of the day were cheering and very motivated when I told them they would be visiting again next year. (Particularly the Year 4 students who were told they would get to visit two more times.)I look forward to working with these young women in the future if they choose the path of an empowering and challenging girls’ education at MMCC.

As we enter this time of Advent I can feel the hope expressed in our community as we prepare to celebrate a special time with family and with Christ.

God Bless

Mrs Narelle Archer

Principal