The Liturgical Season of Advent begins this Sunday 28 November. During Advent, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As a family, take time to pray together through this Advent season so that your family will be more prepared to receive Jesus when he comes again.

God of Love,
Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
As we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour.
Amen.

CIEC Closure

With the Australian borders being closed to stop the spread of COVID-19, no refugees have been able to come to Australia. This has impacted our enrolments into the Catholic Intensive English Centre and sadly resulted in its closure at the end of this year. We have had close to 150 students graduate from the CIEC since its opening in April of 2017. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the CIEC, led by their coordinator, Mrs Flavia Arapi-Nunez, and am pleased to report that Sydney Catholic Schools is assisting them with redeployment.

Parent Advisory Group Meeting

The Parent Advisory Group met last Tuesday 9 November via Zoom. Thank you to the parents who attended: Eptessam Mekho (mother of Mariam Elisha, Year 12), Meagan O’Grady (mother of Erin, Year 12 & Hannah, Year 8), Jenny Williams (mother of Abigail, Year 9),  Sana Yonan (mother of Isabella Omar, Year 9) and Mrs Magy Silva-Giuliano (mother of Sara, Year 10). Thank you also to Mrs Harding.

Capture Fairfield Visual Arts & Photography Competition 

Congratulations Lauren Alzamora in Year 11, who was awarded Second Prize in the Secondary Visual Arts section with her ‘Saturday Morning Memories’ digital artwork.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award has been part of the College for many years but has not been offered to students for a long time. In 2022, Mary MacKillop Catholic College is proud to deliver the The Duke Of Edinburgh Award. This opportunity is being offered to Year 8 students in 2021 in preparation for 2022. Please refer to the article in this newsletter for more information.

COVID Update

Some of the local schools have had students with positive results to COVID-19. I thought it would be helpful to provide information about testing and returning to school. The following rules apply to students at MMCC:

If your daughter is a Close Contact:

• and is fully vaccinated, she:
  • must self-isolate for 7 days
  • must get tested straight away (Day 1) and again on Day 6 and send the results
  • can leave self-isolation after 7 days if the test on Day 6 is negative, she feels well and she has had no further contact with a COVID-19 positive person
  • must get tested again on Day 12 and send the result
• and is unvaccinated, she:
  • must self-isolate for 14 days
  • must get tested straight away (Day 1) and again on Day 6 and Day 12, and send the results
  • can leave self-isolation after 14 days if the test on Day 12 is negative, she feels well and she has had no further contact with a COVID-19 positive person

If your daughter is a Casual Contact, she:

• must get tested straight away​ and send the results
• can return to school if she receives a negative result

Please be aware that if a household member such as a parent, sister or brother is a Close or Casual Contact, the same rules apply for your daughter if they cannot fully separate.

Rapid Antigen Home Test (RAHT)

If there is a positive case at MMCC, an alternative method should be available for close contacts to reduce the time away from face to face learning involving Rapid Antigen Home Testing. The method involves using RAHTs distributed by the school which have been provided NSW Government and uploading the results daily. Only this RAHT can be used for a student to return to school on Day 3. The process is more complex and so is an optional alternative. The process is as follows:

• Day 1:   Student must self-isolate and get a COVID Test (PCR)
• Day 2:   Student must self-isolate and parent collects NSW Government supplied RAHTs. Only this  RAHT can be used for a student to return to school on Day 3
• Day 3-9: Student may return to face to face learning at school but must undertake a RAHT everyday and upload their negative results.
• Day 6:   Student must self-isolate and get a COVID Test (PCR)
• Day 12:  Student must self-isolate and get a COVID Test (PCR)

Please contact the College via email info@mmcwakeley.catholic.edu.au or by phone on 97254322 if you have any questions or require any assistance. Also no student should attend school if unwell, even with mild symptoms.