From the Principal – Ms Pussich

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.
The tempter came and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world
and their splendour; and he said to him,
“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Matthew 4:1-11

Lent

We begin the liturgical season of Lent next week with Ash Wednesday on 22nd February. As a College we will provide our staff and students with the opportunity to receive the ashes. We hope that all members of our MMCC Community will use the season of Lent as a time for conversion, conversion in relation to God through prayer, conversion in relation to oneself through penance and conversion in relation to others through almsgiving.

Note: In Australia, abstinence from meat, and fasting, must be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. All who have completed their eighteenth year and have not yet begun their sixtieth year are bound to fast. All who have completed their fourteenth year are bound to abstain.

Welcome to 2023 at MMCC

Welcome to our Year 7 and other new students and their parents as well as our new staff to the College. Welcome back to everyone else as we begin a new year of learning, growing and working together. We ended 2022 on a high note with celebrating our outstanding HSC results and enjoying our community activities of Aquatopia and Christmas Mass and singalong, and began 2023 on that same high note with our HSC High Achievers’ Assembly and Opening School Mass.

Our Year 7 students and their parents have been taking part in our Making Connections pastoral care program, designed to create an atmosphere of welcome and a sense of belonging. The major features of this program is connecting both Year 7 students and their parents with the Homeroom Teachers, and the Year 7 Camp which will be held next week. Thank you to the Year 7 students and their families for joining us on Wednesday 15th February and to the Homeroom Teachers for their hospitality and presentations.

We welcome our new staff (photos included in this newsletter) who joined our community:

College Leadership (Executive) Team –
- Mr Paul Horvath (Leader of Curriculum)

Teaching Team –
- Miss Natalie Alvaro (HSIE/English)
- Miss Alyssa Alzamora (CAPA/RE)
- Mrs Jency Henry (Science)
- Miss Rhiannan Jansen (PDHPE)
- Miss Marie Karmazian (HSIE/English)
- Mrs Audrey Marsh (Languages)
- Miss Kim Ngo (TAS)
- Mrs Stephanie Philipov (RE/English)
- Mrs Rosa Maria Rodriguez (Languages)
- Mrs Lisa Truong (TAS)
- Miss Jessica Vo (Mathematics)

Learning Support Team
- Ms Reni Anter (LSO)
- Mrs Cathy Elic (LSO)

HSC 2022 Results – MMCC Highest Ranking School in the Local Area

We once again produced outstanding HSC results! The HSC Class of 2022 achieved the highest MMCC rank ever of 134. This rank (SMH/Daily Telegraph 15/12/22) showed MMCC as the highest ranking school in the local area, out-ranking all the local State schools, locals Catholic schools and local independent schools.

The HSC Class of 2022 shone with impressive individual results and amazing school results. Congratulations to our wonderful Year 12 2022 students and to their exceptional teachers. We will shortly share with you our annual HSC Newsletter. Below is a snapshot of our results.

Individual Achievements:

98.90 Highest ATAR – Emily Cao
2 students on the NSW All Rounder List – Emily Cao and Lauren Alzamora
4 students on the NSW Top Achievers List
- Suzi Coates, 1st in the State for Studies of Religion 1
- Emily Cao, 4th in the State for Community and Family Studies
- Amjad Nafea, 4th in the State for Arabic Extension
- Lauren Alzamora, 5th in the State for Mathematics Standard 2
3 First Places in the Archdiocese of Sydney:
- Suzi Coates – Studies of Religion 1
- Emily Cao – Community and Family Studies
- Maryam Alnaqar – EALD English
26 Distinguished Achievers
6 students with an ATAR >95
14 students with an ATAR > 90
55% of students with an ATAR > 70
2 students nominated for practical projects – 1 for ENCORE (Music 1) and 1 for SHAPE (Design & Technology)

School and Course Achievements

MMCC Listed in the Top 150 Schools – Rank 134
Highly Competitive – 78% of Courses Above State Average
62 HSC Marks were a mark of 90 or over (in highest bands Band 6 or E4)
43% of all HSC Marks were in the highest Bands (5, 6 & E4)
Impressive Learning Growth for students with overall school achievement above expected for our courses

High Achievers’ Assembly

On Thursday 2nd February, we welcomed back our HSC 2022 high achievers, those students who are listed above and those who achieved an ATAR above 80. As well as presenting them with the MMCC Heart and certificate, the students shared their HSC insights, study skills and secrets to their success.

We will share some of these in our newsletters. This newsletter features Emily Cao, our College Dux for 2022. It was wonderful to hear about the range of universities and courses that these students are pursuing. We wish them well as they go forward as the wonderful MacKillop Women that they have become.

SCS Sports Award

Congratulations to Mrs Pauline Jeffrey, the recipient of the inaugural SCS Sports Award, in recognition of her sporting achievements and commitment during 2022. The Conference 4 Opening School Sport Ceremony was held at Good Samaritan Catholic College on Tuesday 14th February.

Our Sports Coordinator, Mr Chris Shelston and our House Captains, Mariam Gudady, Emily Bathis, Tina Nguyen, Alyssa Ferreri, Annie Truong and Gladys Dos Santos, accompanied me to the ceremony. Mrs Jeffrey was a most deserving recipient of the award and it was our privilege to join her. Her husband was also able to attend making the event even more special for Mrs Jeffrey.

THRIVE

Our focus at MMCC is to build on our thriving learning culture. Our learning framework focuses on the six principles of Collaboration, Enthusiasm, Creativity, Inclusivity, Engagement and Empowerment.

This year we have introduced a special course for Year 8 and 9 students to enhance their literacy skills, so that they can be better readers and writers. We hope these skills will better equip our students for senior study, tertiary study and their future careers.

Enrolling Now Year 7 2025

Enrolments are now open for Year 7 2025, and due to our outstanding 2021 and 2022 HSC Results, places are filling fast. If you are intending to enrol your younger daughter into our school, we encourage you to apply online as soon as possible so that she does not miss out. If you require assistance in completing the online enrolment, call us at the College on 9725 4322 and we will arrange an onsite visit.

We hope you will join us for our Open Day on Tuesday 21st March from 4.00pm – 7.00pm. Please also let your family and friends know about our Open Day and that we are enrolling.

All Sydney Catholic Schools enrolments for Year 7 2025, including Mary MacKillop Catholic College Wakeley, can be accessed at https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now.

All Sydney Catholic Schools Open Days are listed at –
https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/visit-a-school and there are FAQs available to assist you in completing your online application at – https://sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/faq

Thank you for your ongoing support and best wishes for a healthy, happy and successful year.

Gilda Pussich

New Staff 2023

Welcome to our new staff for 2023

Mr Paul Horvath

Leader of Curriculum

English/Religious Education Teacher

Mrs Jency Henry

Science Teacher

Mrs Audrey Marsh

French/EALD Teacher

Miss Marie Karmazian

HSIE/English Teacher

Miss Jessica Vo

Maths Teacher

Ms Stephanie Philipov

Religious Education/English Teacher

Miss Natalie Alvaro

HSIE/English Teacher

Miss Alyssa Alzamora

CAPA/Religious Education Teacher

Ms Rosa Maria Rodriguez

Spanish Teacher

Miss Kim Phuong Ngo

TAS Teacher

Mrs Reni Anter

Learning Support Officer

Mrs Cathy Elic

Learning Support Officer

Mrs Lisa Truong

TAS Teacher

MMCC Open Day

Year 12 2022 High Achiever’s Assembly

From the Assistant Principal – Mrs Harding

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all students and families to a year of learning at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. I would especially like to welcome our new families and students to the MMCC community.

Welcome to our New Year 7 Students

A big Mary MacKillop Catholic College Welcome to our new Year 7 students who had the special opportunity to spend their first day on their own before the rest of the school came back to start the year. Our College community is very happy to welcome you and we hope the next six years are full of life long learning.

On the first day our new Year 7 students had an opportunity to meet with Ms Pussich and I who went through an induction session that covered topics such as:

Catholic Life
Respect
Learning Culture
Bullying
Kindness
College Diary
Classroom behaviour
Acceptable use of ICT Devices
Attendance
Uniform and Grooming
Being Inclusive

Important Reminders to Begin the Year

Our College community began the year on 31 January with the afternoon in lessons and the morning on administration, ensuring students were presented with very important aspects of MMCC expectations before they started their classes for 2023. The presentations were centred around:

Learning Culture: All students were reminded of their rights and responsibilities of being a member of the Mary MacKillop Catholic College Learning Community.
Attendance: Ensuring all students are clear on the expectations of attendance for academic success.
Diary: Clear understanding of the importance of the diary being the central form of communication and organisation between school and home.
Uniform: Clear guidelines regarding grooming, jewellery and expectations for their school and sports uniform.

A huge thank you to the Homeroom Teachers who have worked very closely with your daughters in ensuring they began the year well informed and ready for learning.

Compass App

Compass is our Student Information System where parents can communicate and receive communication from the College. Compass can be accessed on your mobile phone or computer. It is essential that every parent has access and keeps their password private. Please do not give your daughter your password.

Please access Compass regularly to update absences for your daughter, access reports and receive messages from the school. Here are some helpful links below:

The app store: gl/9FHGg6
Google play: gl/iSmC64
Browser: https://mmcwakeley-nsw.compass.education/

Mobile Phone Policy Reminder

The purpose of the Mobile Phone Policy is to ensure the safety of students, promote appropriate and safe use of mobile phones within College grounds, and encourage interaction and communication without distractions.

Below are the key elements of the policy:

All mobile phones are to be out of sight, switched off or on silent as soon as the student enters the College front doors of a morning.
Mobile phones are to remain out of sight until your daughter departs the front doors of the College.
If a mobile phone is sighted on school grounds from the moment the student walks into the College front doors, for any reason, they will have it confiscated immediately by staff.
Refusal to give a confiscated phone to a teacher will automatically result in a Thursday Afternoon RAP detention.
Continued abuse of this policy may result in further consequences.
The school accepts no responsibility for replacing mobile phones that are lost, stolen or damaged whilst on school premises.
If students need to contact their parents/carers they can go to Student Services and request to use a phone.
If parents/carers need to contact their daughters they can call the College reception on 9725-4322 and a message will be passed on to their daughter.

We appreciate the support of parents in having their daughter’s adhere to this policy and ask that you please do not text or call your daughter throughout the day.

Lockers

The College has purchased new lockers for each student.

Due to WHS requirements we require all school bags to be kept in the students locker at all times.

Students may go to their lockers before and after school, and during recess and lunch.

We are awaiting our delivery of some small College tote bags which we will issue free of charge to our students. We currently have a small number in stock that students can collect. These bags are large enough to carry a laptop, some stationery, a water bottle and one or two other things, yet small enough that they can be placed on desks during lessons.

Be Sun Safe

The College has purchased sunscreen stations for the students.

These are located next to the PDHPE change rooms and College hall.

It is important for the girls to be sun smart and apply a generous amount of sunscreen to clean, dry skin when sitting in the sun during recess and lunch. Students are also encouraged to wear a hat during recess, lunch and Thursday Sport.

College Dress Code

The students began the year in a tremendous way when it comes to their uniform. We thank parents for their support in ensuring that your daughters started the year excellently dressed and groomed, respecting the College’s high expectations. To continue our commitment to high standards in presentation, a reminder of the dress code related to jumpers:

The College Jumper is not part of the Summer Uniform and must be worn during Terms 1 and 4. If the weather is cool, students wear the College Blazer

I thank you for your continued support of our College uniform and grooming policies.

College Photo Day – Monday 20th February

The College Photo Day is coming up on the 20th February and I take this opportunity to remind parents to ensure that your daughters adhere to our daily uniform and grooming expectations. We ask that you take note of the following specific reminders:

Makeup of any kind is not allowed (including eyeliner, eye-shadow, mascara, foundation)
Necklaces – only Christian cross, inside their blouse may be worn
A watch may be worn, however, students are reminded that wearing a digital watch is not permitted during exams
Other than a simple pair of studs or sleepers (Gold or Silver), one per ear in the lower lobe. There is to be no other jewellery present
Hair tied back for all hair below shoulder length (i.e. a ponytail or similar. NOT to the side, no bows/flowers or clips). No incorrect hair styles, including balayage, ombre or other banned hairstyles or cuts.
No eyelash extensions
No tattoos including henna
Simple elastics in College colours
Blouse pockets must be empty
Year 12 students must bring their blazers with them for the Year 12 group photo.
Year 11 and 12 leaders and Year 10 Homeroom leaders must bring their blazers with them for the leadership photos.

If your daughter is not following the above regulations (which are the daily expectations of any student), then we will not allow her photo to be taken.

We look forward to working with you and your daughter this year.

Mrs Christine Harding

Coming Events

20 February	College Photo Day
21 February	Shrove Tuesday
22 February	Ash Wednesday
22 – 24 February	Year 7 Camp
28 February	Photo Day Catch Up Day
6 March	Parent Advisory Group Meeting 6.00pm
8 March	International Women’s Day
10 March	Swimming Carnival – Prairiewood Leisure Centre
17 March	St Patrick’s Day
15 – 20 March	Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN Testing
19 March	St Joseph’s Day
21 March	MMCC Open Day 4.00pm – 7.00pm
21 March	Harmony Day
23 March	World Maths Day
28 March	HAST – Year 6 Newman Test
4 April	Year 9 History Elective – Australian Maritime Museum Excursion
5 April	Last Day for Students – Term 1
6 April	Staff Development Day
7 April	Good Friday
9 April	Easter Sunday
24 April	Staff Development Day
25 April	ANZAC Day
26 April	Students return for Term 2

Emily Cao – College Dux Speech

Emily Cao

Top Achiever

4th in the State

Community and Family Studies

1st in Archdiocese

Community and Family Studies

All Round Achiever

Achieved a mark of 90 or more in 10 units

2022 College Dux

ATAR – 98.90

Success is not defined by the amount of awards you receive or even your ATAR, but by your ability to do your best to achieve the goal you’ve set – whether this be a VET certificate, an apprenticeship, an ATAR or an early offer. However, keep your options open and have backups if you get better or worse than expected. And as cliche as it sounds, the ATAR does not define you, what is important is that you work hard to be the best you can.

Personally what helped with my studies was maintaining a positive balance between academic, personal and social commitments. Although hard work is important, working smarter is better than working harder. Instead of working through those tedious SOR worksheets or thick CAFS booklets, I would share it with my mates to get the work done faster and with greater depth, allowing me more time for practice questions, flash cards and more detailed study notes.

Know that your energy and time is limited, so distribute it evenly and learn to prioritise so you don’t burn out. Stay consistent and don’t fixate on 1 subject at the expense of others. And trust me when I say time management is important, don’t leave an extended response unfinished because you wrote 3 pages for a 6 marker.

Do what makes you happiest, whether this be Music or Extension 2 Maths. You’ll more likely be motivated to study for things you enjoy and thus, do better in that subject.

It is important to also take care of your wellbeing by ensuring you go out with friends, take breaks, invest in hobbies and ask for help when you are struggling. Also, health is wealth, so it is equally important to take care of your physical wellbeing during the HSC by having enough sleep, eating well and partaking in physical activity which in turn, maximises your productivity.

Get involved in extracurriculars such as sports, carnivals or debating. I personally enjoyed debating, as it provided a healthy break from studying and helped me develop lifelong skills such as communication.

High school is also the haven to try new things and to make mistakes without major consequences. Before your final exams, teach mates and get as much feedback as possible from both your teachers and friends. For English, my weak spot, I’d call a friend and we’d write under timed conditions and mark each other’s work, which forced me to do practice essays instead of scrolling through tiktok.

Also, listen to your teachers as they have your best interests at heart and don’t give up. As Avicii once stated, “where there’s a will there’s a way”, and thus, your ability to persevere through setbacks would be an asset not only in the HSC but in life.

Year 7’s First Day @ MMCC

Western Sydney Wanderers came to MMCC

On Thursday 9th February, Year 8 students had the great pleasure to be coached by some Western Sydney Wanderers’ players in Reserve Grades.

Year 8 students hit the ball running and enjoyed learning new ball skills that are needed to play this great game of Football or Soccer. Our sincere thanks for the whole crew of Western Sydney Wanderers as they ignited a great passion in Year 8.

Ms Gomez said “we have never seen Year 8 have such a great time and engaged the whole 2 hours ! -super work!”. Thanks goes to Mr Sheltson who connected us with this great community club and their players for accepting this challenge at MMCC during our Sport time.

Watch this space – future world cup soccer players from MMCC in the making

Ms Messina

IMC Library Update

It has been wonderful to welcome all of our staff and students back to the IMC as we commence another exciting year of learning. In particular, it has been lovely getting to know our new Year 7 students as they begin their high school journey at MMCC.

Wide Reading Classes Resume

Years 7 and 10 students have commenced their fortnightly Wide Reading Lessons in the Library while Years 8 and 9 are now undertaking timetabled Literacy Classes.

Wide Reading lessons are designed to complement the learning within their English programs and provide them with an opportunity to further develop their literacy skills. Students also have the opportunity to read widely and borrow texts from our collection of fiction and nonfiction texts.

Year 7 students were introduced to the library with a fun scavenger hunt and received their traditional library gift – an MMCC Bookmark.

Technology Bootcamp

All of our Year 7 students participated in a technology session in the IMC with the IT department and Library Staff. This session was provided to ensure students had connectivity with their devices and to introduce them to the management systems that we use as MMCC such as Compass, Google Drive, Google Classroom and Box of Books.

Box of Books

This is the platform that we use at MMCC to store the digital versions of textbooks used across our subject areas.

All students have access to their virtual bookshelf through the Box of Books link on Compass Favourites. Please see the Library Staff if assistance is needed.

Lunar New Year

Many authors, stories and characters from across Asia are the focus of our Lunar New Year celebration in the IMC.

The display provides students with the opportunity to explore a range of engaging and exciting genres.

New Projector and Screen

Over the holiday period many wonderful new upgrades were made to the College and we were fortunate enough to receive a brand new projector and screen as well as a Smartboard in the library. These will provide staff and students with a much more engaging learning experience.

Study Skills Handbook – Achieving Your Goals

Parents Bridge Meeting

Arabic speaking parents are invited to attend weekly meetings on Monday mornings from 11am – 12pm.

The meetings will start on Monday 20 February.

Every week there will be different subjects discussed
e.g. school camps, subject selection, homework, NAPLAN, assignments and school rules.

Please contact Mrs Vivian Matti, Arabic Liaison Officer on 9725 4322 for more information

Year 7 & Year 10 Online Consent for School Vaccinations

Dear Parents/Carers of Year 7 and 10 students,

The following is information from NSW Health regarding upcoming school vaccinations.

If your daughter is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you can now provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations. The vaccination dates for Mary MacKillop Catholic College are:

Friday 26 May 2023 ~ Year 7 Dose 1
Friday 4 August 2023 ~ Year 10
Friday 1 December 2023 ~ Year 7 Dose 2

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

How to provide consent:

To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit this site here.
Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your daughter. You will need to:

- Enter your child’s personal details
- Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
- Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
- Provide consent

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper- based consent form directly from your child’s school.

The benefits of providing consent online:

easily update your child’s details
receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given
faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination or call the Liverpool Public Health Unit on 9794 0855.