From the Principal – Ms Pussich

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-5,9-14

As Catholics, we celebrate the joy of Christmas. Christmas is a time for hope with the birth of Jesus, the Word made flesh. It is a time for peace, a time for love and a time for family. My hope is that our students appreciate the season and spend some special time with their families.

End of Year

We ended the year with a number of significant events:

• Year 12 completed the year with their Formal at Dockside in Cockle Bay and a HSC lunch on Thursday 15 December. Congratulations to Year 12 on the completion of their schooling and their HSC results and ATARs. We thank them for their community spirit, commitment to the College and dedication to their studies. We wish them a joyful and successful future.
• With the a renewed focus on celebrating success, on Wednesday 7 December we held our Awards Evening which focused on achievement over the entire year and we held Awards Assemblies which focused on achievement for Semester 2. We congratulate our students who received awards for First Place (Year 11 only), Principal’s Honour Roll, Academic Excellence, Special Awards, and for Academic Achievement and Academic Application in each subject. A list of awardees is included in this newsletter.
• Year 7 to 10 students enjoyed a great day out at Aquatopia and marked the end of the year with a Christmas Mass focused on the coming of Christ, gratitude for the year and generosity for those less fortunate. Thank you to the parents that sent items for the Vinnies Christmas Hampers. The girls that attended on the last day enjoyed a Christmas singalong with the highlight being our staff performing Mariah Carey’s, All I Want For Christmas is You.

Thank you to the many staff who made these events possible, especially Mrs Harding, Mrs Flanagan, Mrs Lowe, Mr Andrejev, Mrs Toohey, Miss Krasic, Mr Carosi, Mr Zammit, Mr Moore, Mrs Labbozzetta, Miss Phetrasi, Miss Coluccio, Mrs Gerardis and Mrs Varano.

HSC 2022

Congratulations to our Class of 2022 who received their HSC results on Thursday 15 December. We are very proud of the students for their outstanding performance both throughout their school life and in their HSC Examinations.

Here are some of the highlights for our 2022 HSC Results:

You might enjoy this article on our HSC performance printed by the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday 17 December – Schools that punch above their weight in HSC results

Year 7-10 Principal’s Academic Honour Roll

It was my privilege to introduce a new, highly prestigious award for students in Years 7 to 10. The award places the student on the Principal’s Honour Roll and is bestowed on the highest performing students in Years 7 to 10.

The following students received their award on Wednesday 7 December:

SCS Champions

Congratulations to our Junior Volleyball team and their coach, Mr Khem, who firstly were the winners of SCS Conference 4 and then beat the other conference winners to be outright champions. Our students received their trophy and gold medals immediately following the finals on Tuesday 6 December.

Junior Volleyball Team with Mr Khem

Congratulations also to our Intermediate Volleyball team and their coach, Mrs Jeffrey, who were the winners of SCS Conference 4. They competed hard at the SCS Championships but unfortunately were beaten by the SCS Conference 3 winners.

Our students received bronze medals immediately following the finals on Tuesday 6 December.

Intermediate Volleyball Team with Mrs Jeffrey

Homerooms 2023

In 2023, we will change our homerooms from vertical in Years 7-10 and horizontal in Years 11 and 12 to fully vertical, that is, all homerooms will have students from Years 7 to 12. Students will remain in their House, however, their Homeroom will change.

The decision to change the structure was made in consultation with staff, parents and students. The main reason for moving in this direction is to build a sense of community and belonging that students felt was lost due to the disconnection that occurred when Year 7-10 students were separated from Year 11 and 12 students.

Staff Farewells

We farewell and thank members of both our teaching and support staff who are leaving this year:

• Our Teachers: Mrs Lowe, Mr Rooney, Mrs Pedavoli, Mr Hennessy, Mrs Cox, Miss O’Regan, Ms L’Aiguille, Mr Viana, Mrs Governatori,  Mrs Floyd, Mr Kumar, Miss Valdivia
• Our ILS Teachers – Mrs Mezher, Mr Rainert, Miss Tran
• Our Support Staff: Mrs Carbone, Miss Berqodian, Mrs Dzierzak, Miss Chirenian, Miss Keo, Miss Sleiman, Miss Truong, Miss Tran

Some will be taking up positions closer to home, others have secured permanent contracts and others are pursuing careers outside of the field of education. We wish them well.

A huge thank you to staff who we also farewell and who have been instrumental in shaping our College during many wonderful years of service:

Extending Mathematics Expertise and Excellence

The Mathematics teachers at Mary MacKillop have been engaged in the Extending Mathematics Expertise and Excellence (EME&E) Program for 2 years. The program is designed to effect change to teaching and learning in the Mathematics classroom. Congratulations to three of our teachers, Mr Moore (Instructional Specialist), Mr O’Brien (Coordinator of Learning – Mathematics) and Mrs Orlando (Mathematics Teacher / Coordinator of Learning – Year) who have been recognised as Highly Accomplished in the EME&E Program.  

In addition, Mr Moore and Mr O’Brien were invited to speak at the UNSW Mathematics Conference about what our Mathematics teachers have been doing. Dr Christine Mae (SCS Specialist: Mathematics and Numeracy K-12) acknowledged their work and their presentation, “Congratulations on the practice and knowledge that you have developed in Mathematics teaching in your schools and for the powerful ways in which you were able to communicate what you do to a wider audience at the UNSW Mathematics conference. It is exciting to see leaders of Mathematics in SCS presenting ideas and examples of practice that can inspire others and shift beliefs and actions in mathematics classrooms through high expectations for all students”.

Meg Languages

In 2023, we will trial a new platform for delivering languages in Year 8 called Meg Languages. Meg Languages (meglanguages.com) offers Mandarin and Spanish language programs for all year levels from primary to secondary school. Our Year 7 students were surveyed and Spanish was overwhelmingly their preference.

Students will learn their compulsory Stage 4 language in an online live and interactive form from a bilingual native Spanish speaking teacher. The Spanish teacher will lead the lessons with the support of a Mary MacKillop teacher. We hope this model will give students exposure to a wider range of languages.

Thank you

Thank you to our parents/carers, teacher and students for a successful year at Mary MacKillop. Without your trust, commitment and kindness we could not have such an amazing school. Best wishes to all members of our community for a joyous Christmas and a wonderful new year. I wish the best for all those who are leaving us this year and look forward to seeing most of you again in 2023.

Gilda Pussich
Principal

Mary MacKillop Catholic College, in keeping with the spirit and rich vision of the Sisters of St Joseph,
acknowledges the living culture of the Cabrogal-Gandangarran people,
the traditional custodians of this land on which this college stands.
Respect is also paid to the Elders both present and past of the Darug nation.

From the Assistant Principal – Mrs Harding

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to an end of the 2022 academic year, I would like to congratulate all students and their families on a remarkable year.  As a school, we celebrated another year of outstanding HSC results, we saw out the end of the academic year with our Award Evening and Award Assemblies with all Year groups, where we formally recognised students for academic achievement and application to their studies. I would like to congratulate the Award recipients, as a College community we are extremely proud of our students’ efforts and accomplishments this year.

Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to formally recognise the hard work, dedication and effort that our staff have consistently demonstrated to our students throughout the year.

We celebrated the end of the school year with our College Picnic Day at Aquatopia, the Year 12 formal, a Christmas Mass, for the first time a Christmas sing a long and finally, to top off the year, the announcement of our impressive 2022 HSC results.

This proved a fitting conclusion to the 2022 academic year – a year of hard work and high achievements.

Please find below some reminders for 2023:

School Shoes

Many parents will be purchasing new school shoes for their daughter prior to the start of 2023.

A reminder that College school shoes are required to be hard, black, leather lace up.

Ballet or soft leather shoes do not comply with WHS requirements.

 Term Dates 2023

Planning is well underway for many activities and events for 2023. I would like to remind families that if you are considering taking extended leave next year it is best that this is confined to holiday periods as much as possible. Also, if you are considering taking leave that an application for leave form must be completed and signed by the College Principal. These forms are to be completed well in advance and are available from the Student Services.

The following are the term dates for 2023:

Return to School 2023

• Monday 30 January – Year 7 (8.50am – 12.00pm)
• Tuesday 31 January – Years 8-12 (8.50am – 3.00pm)

Thank you to our wonderful students and families for their support throughout 2022. I wish all families a blessed, faith filled Christmas and relaxing break and I hope you enjoy spending the holiday period with your wonderful daughters.

Mrs Christine Harding

Special Award Recipients

Citizenship and Community Service Awards

Australian Defence Force  Long Tan Youth  Leadership and Teamwork Awards  

Year 12 award presented to Niza De Arujo

Year 10 award presented to Asteer Saleem 

Dai Le Believe and Achieve Award

Haya Abduljaleel

Dai Le Community Champion Award

Daniella Franso

The City of Fairfield Mayor’s Community Spirit Award

Chantelle Alam

Ampol Best All Rounder Award

Tina Vu

St Vincent de Paul Awards for Community Service

Josette Grima

Sarina Berqodian

Police ETHICAL Awards

Lynn Awad

Helma Hirmiz

Commitment to Studies Awards

Guy Zangari Encouragement Award

Alyssa Ferreri

Reuben F Scarf Award for Commitment

Natalia Petreska

Hugh McDermott Outstanding Improvement Award

Emily Cao

CEF Social Justice & Excellence in Learning Award

Bushra Alsamani

Religious Life Awards 

Archbishop’s Award

Bushra Alsamani

Fr Patrick McAuliffe Award

Marla Gyliana

Vocational  Education  Awards 

South-West Connect Certificate of Achievement for Outstanding Work Ethic

Shana Toma

South West Connect Work Placement Award

Mary Yousif

South West Connect VET Student of the Year

Rose Zoori

Sport 

Olympic Change Maker Award

Karoline Fasavalu

Academic Awards 

Fairfield RSL Scholarship and Further Education Award

Suzi Coates

Tracy Vu 

Nhu Tam Teresa Nguyen 

Ella Velickovic

ANSTO Awards 

Suzi Coates

Emily Cao

Australian Defence Force Long Tan STEM Motivation Award

Year 10 award presented to Helma Hirmiz

Year 12 award presented to Janeleena Inthavong

Gold Award 

Natalia Sheebo

2021 DUX

 2021 DUX of Mary MacKillop Catholic College – Shirley Nguyen

ATAR  of 99.35

Year 11 End of Course Awards

Congratulations to the following Year 11 students who achieved Course Awards on Wednesday 7 December evening:

College Semester 2 Awards for Years 7-10

On Thursday 8 December and Friday 9 December, we held Stage 4 and 5 assemblies to recognise students who achieved awards in Semester 2.

The following students are the recipients of the College Semester 2 Awards for Years 7-10:

Academic Commendation Awards

Congratulations to the students who achieved an Academic Commendation Award:

Year 7

Lana George

Orshina Gorgees

Gabriella Hosking

Johanna Johnson

Adriana Maia

Mary Tran

Year 8

Noor Kaki

Sandra Mati

Delya Mayoma

Cerise Silva

Mary Tawadros

Min Tseng

Margaret Zheng

Year 9

Dayana Al- Kharat

Jacinta Bui

Cassie Chen

Bianca Coates

Sophia Dinh

Marielena Hawell

Angelina Isaac

Hailda Maryam

Adua Mawien

Lavinya Namrood

Angelina Pham

Elenia Saleem

Year 10

Mirna Alsmaanee

Natasha Del Rio

Samar Ghareeb

Sarah Meijing Lee

Abigail Ngo

Vivian Nguyen

Veronica Sako

Asteer Saleem

Lana Tran

Ivy Vo

Melanie Wu

Class Effort and Application Awards

Congratulations to the students who achieved a Class Effort and Application Award:

Year 7

Kalia Barton

Jenelle Benyamin

Samantha Chan

Adriana Eschler

Jennifer Escobar

Dareen Eskharya

Rachel Farmanian

Britla Gorgees

Liandra Gorgees

Gia Han

Miral Homo

Moleena Homo

Alissa Kakoz

Shivani Karan

Valnteen Koro

Juliet Liku

Patrica Ly

Lana Nani

Emily Ngo Nguyen

Queeny Nguyen

Yasmin Shiba

Amlita Yoka

Elina Yousif

Year 8

Ledia Al Saoor

Onella Al Samaani

Marleen Alsamaanee

Chrestin Arabo

Stephanie Badean

Nancy Bagdahdy

Mirna Baki

Monique Cartwright

Jessica Dawood

Marie Faleafa

Mahaba Galka

Fiona Heng

Sarah Ishak

Razan Kabula

Manulla Kalo

Emily Kewarkez

Olevya Khanoo

Reeta Marcos

Mariana Nemrood

Christina Ngo

Angelica Nitti

Alumdena Ruiz Davila

Sandra Sako

Odelia Salim

Nevel Sefo

Malii Seufale

Kareen Shabo

Year 9

Fadya Al-Kes Hirmiz

Cassie Chen

Fernanda Dawood

Marteena Diqma

Sarah Ella

Angelina Esho

Aleisha Florio

Mary Georges

\Anja Gorijan

Claudia Hanna

Wardia Khano

Cindy La

Cinzia Mangano

Hannah Maugeri

Jizelle Nanai

Sylvia Nguyen

Maryam Orham

Maria Sameer

Nhu Trinh

Chloe Williams

Lareen Zahrah

Marina Zeebaree

Year 10

Haya Abduljaleel

Lana Albeer

Sandra Almkhel

Maryam Apaola

Terez Arabo

Roneta Butrus

Natalie El- Khoury

Tessanie Hammond

Angela Ishak

Angelina Jajo

Assalah Jibrael

Maria Moshi

Santa Nafea

Sienna Nour

Isabella Omar

Danella Qsanoo

Yara Sana

Susan Shikho

Ashley Shlimon

Ava Vo

Mariam Warda

Michelle Youkhanna

Semester 2 Involvement in Mary MacKillop College Life Awards

At our College Semester 2 Day Awards assembly and Evening Awards, we recognised our students for their involvement in college life.

Congratulations to the following students:

Year 7

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Sandra Arabo

Lilian Edrikh 

Tihana Ferkula-Cohen 

Rose Lebolo-Carey 

Trina Le 

Aluel Mawien 

Tiffany Quach 

Cecilia Sabri 

Library Awards Highest Borrower 

Merna Al Taradji 

Year 8

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Lamees Koba  

Jenny Mac 

Christina Ngo 

Year 9

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Chantel Berbis 

Emily Lu 

Library Awards

Dayana Al- Kharat

Year 10

Library Awards

Tara Sana 

Assistance with Year 11 Yearly and Year 12 HSC Trials and Examinations 2022

Natalie El-Khoury

Olivia Fuller

Rebeca Ghanem

Angela Ly

Melanie Ngin

Abigail Ngo

Yasmine Nguyen

Nuria Ruiz Davila

Mirna Tawadros

Jessica Truong

Chloe Ung

Coming Events @ MMCC

Advent Reflections 2022

1st Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent sees the commencement of the new liturgical year. This new liturgical cycle is referred to as Year A and features the gospel of Matthew. (Year B features the gospel of Mark and Year C, that we have just completed, features the gospel of Luke.) Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which literally means ‘coming’; it is also reflected in the Greek word Parousia, which is used to describe the second coming of Jesus. So Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation of the coming of Christ into the world that is celebrated in the Nativity at Christmas. The gospel passage chosen for today’s reading richly expresses that anticipation and need for preparation.

It may seem a little confusing that we begin our year-long exploration of the gospel of Matthew by taking a reading from chapter 24. However, the need for readiness and alertness that Jesus speaks about in relation to the coming of the Kingdom is equally suitable for a modern audience when preparing to celebrate once again the coming of Jesus into the world. Jesus is the best expression of the Kingdom that we have yet experienced and so rather than seeing the choice of this passage as a confusion, we should recognise the alignment that exists between the anticipation of the Kingdom and the anticipation of the Nativity.

The two great feasts of Christianity – the Nativity and Easter – are each preceded by a period of preparation: Advent and Lent. The emphasis of these seasons is on the mental and spiritual preparation to fully enter into one of the great mysteries of faith. In the Nativity, we celebrate God become human; God present in the world in a physical way. Advent is a time to remember the many and varied ways that God continues to be present in the world.

2nd Sunday of Advent

When John the Baptist performed baptism it was for the forgiveness of sin. The baptism he gave was a mark of the desire to enter into a new life of right action. It was not a baptism of initiation into community that is the case today. John had two key words that he is recorded as preaching: repent and prepare. His call for repentance was a call to turn away from sin; a call to have a change of heart; a call to turn one’s life around and make a fresh start. His call for preparation is in the long line of prophets that includes the great prophet Isaiah from whom we take today’s first reading. All of the prophets urged the people towards hope in the future. Isaiah and others spoke specifically of a person – a Messiah – who would bring that hope to reality. But the tradition demanded a readiness for the Messiah and that was the call to preparation that John the Baptist echoed at the beginning of the public life of Jesus.

John’s taunting of the Pharisees and Sadducees is an indication of this need for preparation and readiness. He accuses them of being too confident of their own rightness. He demands proof from them of their honest repentance: ‘but if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit’. Rather, he suspects that they think that salvation is assured for them by virtue of being a Jew; a son of Abraham. He warns them that an axe hangs poised to cut down any part of the Jewish tradition that is failing to produce good fruit. This is a theme that is picked up later by Jesus himself; you can’t be complacent about your own position, you have to welcome the new truth revealed by Jesus and give yourself wholeheartedly to God.

3rd Sunday of Advent

Why would John the Baptist send messengers to question Jesus? We recall from last week’s gospel passage that John had a somewhat ‘fire and brimstone’ perception of what Jesus would be like. Perhaps as he sat in his prison cell John began to wonder whether Jesus was indeed the Messiah that John believed him to be. Perhaps the question was not for himself but rather for his disciples that he sent to Jesus. Given the answer that Jesus provided them, perhaps John’s intention was for the disciples to recognise that Jesus was in fact the one that John had proclaimed and that the disciples should switch their allegiance to Jesus. John probably guessed that he would not be leaving that prison alive and may have been leading his disciples to the next step in their discipleship by having them go and scrutinise Jesus. 

The indirect answer that Jesus provides to the query would have not sounded like such a roundabout response as it does to us. The picture Jesus describes of the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers cleansed, and the deaf hearing would have been very familiar to those who were listening and the first audience of this gospel. These were signs of the coming of the Messiah that had been foretold by the prophets. In his answer, Jesus effectively says, ‘Well, all the things that are supposed to happen when the Messiah comes are happening now with me. There’s your answer!’ The reading continues to build on the Advent themes of anticipation, preparedness and hope. As we draw closer to the celebration of the Nativity, in this reading is confirmation that our hope is not misplaced. Today’s readings emphasise the joy that lies in the anticipation and expectation of what is coming.

4th Sunday of Advent

We will see throughout the coming liturgical year that the gospel of Matthew places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of the Law and upon its proper application. Indeed, the gospel writer casts Jesus in the role of the ‘new Moses’ – Moses was the great Law-giver of the Old Testament and Jesus is portrayed in this gospel as bringing a new Law to the people of Israel. In this gospel, the proper application of the Law is as important as the Law itself. In today’s passage, Joseph provides an example of the proper application of the Law. His betrothed wife was pregnant; she would have been subject to the Law against adultery and probably would have been stoned to death. Under the Law, Joseph was obliged to divorce her, and yet he determines that he will do so quietly and protect Mary from too much shame and possibly save her life. Joseph did not intend to ignore the Law, but he sought to carry it out in such a way as to bring the least shame and the least hurt to all involved. 

The role of Joseph is often overlooked. There is no mention of him during the public ministry of Jesus. In fact the latest mention in any of the gospels is the account of Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12. After that, Joseph disappears and we can only assume that he has passed away by the time Jesus takes up his ministry. Yet Joseph is truly a man of great faith. By rights he should have divorced Mary and walked away. But he trusts in the word of the God that is addressed to him in a dream and from that point on he goes to great lengths to protect and care for his family.

By Greg Sunter, Liturgy Help

Advent Prayer Path

This year’s Advent resource offered by the Archdiocese of Sydney is perfect for anyone who wants to invite fellow parishioners, friends or neighbours to pray and reflect with them over this powerful season in the Church’s year.

The Sydney Centre for Evangelisation will again offer simple online training sessions on how to lead an Advent group using Stay Awake! Prepare for the Coming of Christ.

A 45-minute session will run on Tuesday 8 November at 10am and be repeated on Thursday 10 November at 2pm, and Wednesday 16 November at 11am and 7.30pm (details below).

Contributors include Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and Bishop Daniel Meagher, Parish Evangelisation and Formation Coordinator Tania Rimac, Sr Mary Julian Ekman RSM, Director of the PM Glynn Institute Dr Michael Casey, and St Jerome Punchbowl assistant priest Fr Benjamin Saliba.

Following a similar format to last year’s successful companion, it includes reflections on the Gospels for the four Sundays of Advent and Christmas Day, a guide for an examination of conscience, ideas for celebrating Christmas in parishes, and other resources for meditation.

“It’s our hope that individuals and communities in Sydney will take the opportunity to pray together in this season of expectation, and this companion is an offering to support that prayer,” said Daniel Ang, the Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.

“We’ve been blessed to have wise spiritual guides who have offered reflections for our parishes, homes and families, to help us approach the grace of Jesus Christ this Christmas with a new heart”.

“Unlike the Season of Lent – where the Church prescribes our means of preparation with prayer, fasting and almsgiving – we are encouraged during Advent to discover our own path of conversion,” she said.

Stay Awake! Prepare for the Coming of Christ is available online at gomakedisciples.com.au/resources and in hard copy form at parishes.

https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/new-resource-offers-an-advent-prayer-path/ 

2023 Plant Sale Preparations

After the success of the 2022 Plant Sale, preparations have started for the 2023 plant sale. To assist we are looking for donations of Pots, Mugs, Glasses, Cane Baskets, Vases, Cups, etc to be used for potting plants and to prepare plants for the 2023 plant sale.

If you have any of these items and wish to donate to the school, please ask you daughter to drop these off to Mrs Flanagan, via Student Services. 

Archbishop Leadership Forum

On 25th November, the College Captain, Portfolio Captain and 2 other representatives from the Year 12 leadership team attended the Archbishop’s Leadership forum at St Mary’s Cathedral in the city. This event is hosted by the Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, in order to bring together the voices of young leaders from Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Sydney.

The day began with a keynote address from Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP. Individual topics pertaining to Christian Leadership within a school environment were discussed in groups alongside leaders from PBCF. An opportunity arose in which we asked his Grace how to deal with adversities we face in our everyday lives, and how this can be applied to leadership. The advice and understanding he provided regarding the importance of keeping faith in Christ despite certain challenges we may face, truly influenced us to strive for the best within our leadership and keep a positive outlook, so that we can inspire others just as God inspired us.

The forum ended with a ‘Blessing for Student Leaders within a Celebration of the Word’ in St Mary’s Cathedral where each school was presented with a candle as a reminder of ‘Christ’s guiding light’ which was taken back to our school community. We were then blessed by His Grace as a collective community and united together as one voice in prayer.

Overall, it was an influential and insightful opportunity for our student leaders to express the voice of our community and come back with a widened perspective on the importance of Faith in true leadership, and how we are able to teach others just as God taught us.

Natalia Sheebo, College Captain and Mary Anoya, Portfolio Captain

Digital Thumbprints Incursion

We recently had a guest speaker from the Digital Thumbprints from Optus come to speak to Year 7 about cyberbullying. We spoke about what not to upload on the internet and that comments can be hurtful and could affect someone’s mental health. The guest speaker gave us advice on reporting bad behaviour on the app itself and how to talk to a trusted adult, police officer or the E-safety commissioner.

There are some websites that could help you in situations like Kids Helpline. Kids Helpline is a service for young children to call anytime for any reason.  Whenever you are in a situation where you would want to report something that happened online make sure you always gather information.

Thank you to the guest speaker who came and explained to us the dangers of cyberbullying and exposing photos of ourselves and others.

Stephanie Kakoz, Year 7

KIDS HELPLINE  1800 55 1800

E- SAFTEY COMMISSIONER

E- SAFTEY.GOV.AU/REPORT

UNSW Mathematics Conference

Mr Anthony Moore, College Instructional Specialist and Mr Scott O’Brien, Leader of Learning Mathematics presented at the inaugural UNSW Mathematics Conference.

An amazing opportunity for two of our highly accomplished staff to showcase the evidenced-based practices being undertaken by our Mathematics teachers.

Their powerful presentation, supported by Angela D’Angelo, SCS Master Teacher, captured the creativity, critical thinking and collaboration occurring in our mathematics classrooms at Mary MacKillop Catholic College.

IMC Library Update

Christmas in the IMC

In celebration of the festive season, the library team has created joyous displays that not only showcase the fun of Christmas but also remind our students to stock up on books for their holiday reading.

 Winter Reading Challenge 

A record number of students in Years 7-10 met or exceeded their reading goals for the 2022 Winter Reading Challenge. The wonderful effort made by these students to further their literacy skills by consistently reading a wide range of texts was rewarded with a delicious pizza lunch in the IMC. 

Well done girls and we look forward to even more students completing the challenge in 2023! 

Readers’ Club

Our wonderful Readers’ Club has Christmas wrapped up!

Continuing the fun of ‘Blind Date with a Book’ from Valentine’s Day, students have wrapped up a number of the library’s novels as Christmas presents and placed them under our Christmas tree. The card attached to each gift provides clues to the novel’s genre and students are encouraged to take a gift and borrow it for their holiday reading.

This is a wonderful initiative and encourages reading over the holiday break.

Donations and Freebies

As the end of the year approaches, many of us find ourselves in clean up mode in preparation for the year ahead and discover books we no longer need. We have been doing a cleanup of our own and have created a ‘freebie’ trolley of books that students are welcome to take home. Many students have taken the opportunity to stock up on books for their own bookshelves.

If you find that you have books (fiction and non-fiction) at home that are in good condition and are no longer needed, feel free to bring them to the IMC.

We gratefully accept donations and extend a very big thank you to those who have donated books to the library this year. Your generosity is truly appreciated. 

SORA

Throughout the year, the students of MMCC have been consistent users of this fantastic online reading platform and are consistently placed in the top users of SORA for high schools in the Sydney Diocese.  As students are embarking on their Christmas break, it is a good time to remember the benefits of using  SORA.

1. It is a library that is open 24 hours, 7 days a week
2. It has fiction, non-fiction, audiobooks and magazines on offer for all ages and reading abilities
3. It will download immediately to your device and be returned automatically after 21 days
4. You don’t need to carry around lots of books, especially if you are travelling this Christmas.

Access to SORA is through the IMC Library on Compass or at https://soraapp.com/library/cenetau (using CENET details to sign in). See how to access video. Our school is ACEN (Australian Catholic Education Network) as we share thousands of eBooks, audiobooks and magazines with other dioceses. 

Some of the many Christmas titles on offer from SORA

Study Skills Handbook

Christmas at the Cathedral

Sacred Heart Parish Cabramatta Christmas Masses