On 21 May was Irene McCormack (SoSJ) Day, the day in 1991 when Sr Irene was martyred by rebels for caring for the people of Peru. We invite you to remember and pray for all those who are fighting for the rights of others in the world.

God of hope, God of peace, continue to gift me each day with hope,
courage, insight and resilience to bring peace to my world.

Encourage and strengthen those who each day work in programmes of peace-making and peace-building.
Gift them with deep peace and strengthen their resolve. 

Give courage to those who each day work for the reduction of trafficking.
Gift them with deep peace and strengthen their resolve.  

Support those who work to bring about change in environmentally unsafe practices.
Gift them with deep peace and strengthen their resolve.

Bless those who work to bring about peace without exploiting children.
Gift them with deep peace and strengthen their resolve. 

We ask this in prayer with Irene McCormack and all who have gone before us. 

Amen 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Pray for us.

St Joseph. Pray for us   

Welcome Back Everyone!

We welcomed back the last of our year groups this week. It is wonderful to have all the girls back. School isn’t the same without them. Mr Grana and I met with each year group as they returned and relayed the following messages:

• The importance of reconnecting – reconnecting with learning, peers, teachers, school and daily routines.
• Every day counts – ensure work learnt during remote lessons is completed, teachers will assist them to do so and work hard every day. Their HSC began on the first day of Year 7 and continues until the last HSC examination.
• Focus on your learning.
• There is no room at MMCC for “professional distractors” – “Professional distractors” are those students who are prepared for learning, don’t engage in learning, don’t do their homework and don’t cooperate with their teachers. They are students who disrespect the rights of others by disturbing the learning of others.
• The importance of being organised – use the College Diary to plan homework, assessment and revision. Homework guide: 1-1.5 hours per evening for Years 7 and 8; 2 hours per evening for Years 9 and 10; 3-4 hours per evening for Years 11 and 12.
• Maintain where possible in social / physical distancing – avoid kissing, hugging or sitting close to peers at school or on buses; avoid hovering over teachers; use the markers on the ground at the canteen
• Continue healthy hygiene practices – regularly wash hands with soap and water; use school sanitising stations and encouraged to provide their own; cough/sneeze into elbows or tissues (and dispose them); water station are operational but bubblers are not.
• Extra cleaning in school – school has engaged a day cleaner for high touch surfaces as well as additional evening cleaning; high touch surfaces includes railings, door handles, desktops and bathrooms.
• Visitors and contractors to the school have been minimised.
• Large group gatherings have been cancelled or postponed such as assemblies, liturgies, excursions and incursions.
• Thursday Sport has been modified to avoid contact sport, sharing of sport equipment, use of external providers and venues. Currently there is no inter-school sport.
• Prevent the spread of coronavirus – if you are sick, even mildly sick with some cough or flu symptoms, stay at home.

Teachers were surveyed on how effectively each year group returned to face to face learning and the data was shared with students. Specifically we considered were students engaged, were they committed to catching up on any learning missed while remote, were they settled and well-behaved. For the majority of our students, the results were extremely reassuring.

National Reconciliation Week 27 May  – 3 June

COVID-19

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences (Interviews)

We will be holding Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences (Interviews) for Year 12 on Thursday 11 June from 1.30 – 8.30pm. These interviews will be conducted via Zoom. All students will be dismissed at 12.20pm. Supervision is available until 3.00pm if required.

We will be holding Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences (Interviews) for Years -7-11 on Monday 20 July and Tuesday 21 July. Currently these interviews are expected to be conducted face to face at the College. There will be no onsite learning for Years 7-12 students for the first two days of Term 3. Reports will be issued late Term 2.

Parent Advisory Group

Our Parent Advisory Group meeting will be held on Monday 1 June commencing at 6pm. Please note that this will be conducted remotely using Zoom and so attendees will require the Zoom code, accessible via Pina Varano, Principal’s PA. We look forward to reconnecting with our regularly members and warmly invite other parents to join our group.