17 Dec 2016

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Archer-Narelle-

Celebrations of a great year

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing to you about the upcoming events for the 25th year of Mary MacKillop Catholic College and now I am sharing the successes of that year as we move towards a well-earned break.

Over the course of the year we have shared many moments of celebration for a College that was started in order to give young women whose families come to us from around the world the chance to be strong and confident citizens of our great country Australia. As another group of Year 12 students launch into the world we celebrate their determination to do their best as good people and also in achieving their goals for further study and work.

BEST EVER HSC RESULTS

Congratulations to our girls who have achieved the best HSC results in the college since it started 25 years ago. All our girls have grown on their achievements over the past six years and especially in 2016 as they pulled together as a team determined to help each other achieve for their futures. Congratulations to the College dux Nancy Cece, who achieved an ATAR of 98.25. Nancy was closely followed by Vivian Pao, who achieved 97.9 and Rebekah Pospischil with 96.3.

The list of congratulations would be too long for this newsletter but a total of 16 of our students achieved ATARs of 89 and above with 23% of all Year 12 students achieving in the 80s and 90s. A total of 33 of our students were mentioned in the Merit lists and the College has doubled our Band Six results since last year. There were many more with solid ATARS that have led to them having many choices for the future.

I am especially proud of our girls who arrived in Australia from Iraq with little or no English only three years ago who have achieved outstanding results; Athena Yousif who received 90.75 and  Riham Subi with an ATAR of 86.6. These and many more young women demonstrated their grit and dedication to doing their best under challenging circumstances.

Many of the students turned up to share lunch with the staff on Thursday to celebrate their results.

year-12-2016-with-narelle

Mary MacKillop Catholic College has been recognized as “punching above our weight” in really growing our students who come from such diverse backgrounds.

top-20-in-the-state

This is what makes MMCC and the young women we work with so special to us.

 

Christmas Wishes

As we move towards the celebration of the birth of Christ we remember all that is good in our world that exists because Jesus sacrificed himself to show the world how to live for the good of all humanity. We pray for those suffering in our own communities and overseas. As I look at the images coming out of Aleppo over recent days, I am saddened by how evil we can be and a small part of my heart dies. Let us remember what Jesus would do and pray and work towards valuing all of humanity in this special time of our liturgical calendar.

I thank all families for making MMCC the great place it is for our girls. I look forward to working with you again in the New Year as we continue to give our girls the chance to be strong good women with the courage and intellect to change the world for the better.

God bless
Mrs Narelle Archer
Principal

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Contributing to the College = Personal Growth

For all of those students who have contributed to our College through sport or extra curricular participation, each of you have not only contributed to the success of our College but also have grown in both mind and spirit as a result.  For us all to be Disciples of Christ, we must continue to take opportunities that are given to us.  At Mary MacKillop Catholic College we believe that all students can be leaders, we provide the opportunities and we encourage your daughters to take these on.

First Day of Term 1 2017 for Years 8 – 12 – Tuesday 31st January 2017

We look forward to the return of all students across Years 8 to 12 on Tuesday 31st January 2017.  CLC teachers will be contacting parents of any student who is absent on this day.

Please note that our new Year 7 for 2017 begin classes on Monday 30th January 2017.

Term 1 2017 Summer Uniform Reminder

As term 4 draws to a close we are writing this letter to firstly congratulate you on the respect your daughters have shown for our College uniform this term.  However it is very important that we continue to remind our students and families of our summer uniform requirements for the 2017.

The summer uniform has the following Expectations:

  • Regulation College white ankle socks are to be worn at all times.
  • College Skirts, which must cover the bottom of the knee-cap (ie covering the whole knee).  We ask parents to ensure that over the holidays this is rectified before coming back on the first day of Term  1 2017.
  • Pink/Blue Blouse.
  • Undershirts are to be neutral in colour and must not be showing otherwise these will have to be removed if they are brought to school.
  •  The College jumper is NOT be to the outer garment when coming to and leaving the College.
  • The College Blazer can be worn in cooler weather and CAN be worn as the outer garment when coming to and leaving the College.

If any student is NOT in the correct summer uniform on the first day of Term 1 2017, she will be sent home to have the problem rectified.  Please ensure you refer to the College Dress Code in the College Diary.

 

A reminder regarding specific uniform regulations that all students must follow throughout the whole year:

What is allowed
What is NOT allowed
One (1) watch
Bracelets or rings
One Gold or silver necklace with a Christian symbol
(not seen under the blouse)
Anklets, chokers, leather bracelets, tribal or
other types of necklaces
One pair of earrings in different earlobes only
Multiple Earrings (will be confiscated).
Other piercings such as nose, tongue, screw-in earrings.
(will be sent home)
One (1) natural looking hair colour tied back,
with a pink/light blue/maroon ribbon/headband
Dyed, coloured, multi-coloured, bleached, streaked hair.
(will be sent home)
Knee Length Skirt
(bottom of the knee-cap, must cover the WHOLE knee)
Skirts above the knee
(must be taken down or purchase a larger size)
Black, leather, low heeled and lace up shoes on a
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday
Coloured Nails (will be asked to remove them)
Acrylic/Shellac Nails (will be sent home)
Sports Jacket on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday
(jacket will be confiscated until the following Wednesday afternoon)

Swimming Carnival – Wednesday 1st February 2017

Please note our College Swimming Carnival is at Prairiewood Leisure Centre and will be held on Wednesday 1st February 2017.  This is a normal school day and as such, attendance is compulsory.  Parents of any absent students will be contacted on this day.

As with the last two years, ALL students will be travelling by bus to and from the venue.  Parents are reminded that students cannot be dropped off at the venue.  If being picked up early a note must be pre-delivered to the College before the 01/02/2017 and given to your daughter’s CLC teacher(s).

Student Mobile Phone Policy Amendment Effective January 2017

A copy of the amended 2017 Student Mobile Phone Policy was distributed to your daughters on the final day of school.  Please read the very important amended sections in red. A copy will also be sent via Skoolbag.

I take this opportunity to wish all Mary MacKillop Catholic College families a Holy and safe Christmas break and a prosperous and healthy start to the 2017 new year.

I leave you this week with my final inspirational quote for 2016 that we can all reflect on during this season of Advent:

pope-francis

 

May we continue in our partnership of “Forming young women called to life to make a difference in the world.”

Mr Pablo Grana

Assistant Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Senior Retreat

Year 11 students took part in the 3 day retreat program at Namaroo Conference Centre, looking for ways to “Seek God” in all parts of their life. Students explored scripture readings showing how God is always present in their lives. Students were also challenged to be God to others and show that God is living through them, by living out The Beatitudes in their lives. Through daily prayer, the Rosary, Adoration and the Eucharistic, students were given an opportunity to experience God, ever present for those who seek the Lord.

 

Reflection Days

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 have taken part in reflection days during Term 4 as part of the faith formation program offered at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. These days help student to reflect on their own faith, their relationship with God and others, looking at ways they can live out God’s call to life in him.

 

Year 7 Reflection Day

Year 7 concentrated on Community & connections. Reflecting on deepening their relationship & connections with others and God.

 

Year 8 Reflection Day

Year 8 focused on making a difference in our world, looking at the responsibilities of each student as a member of a Josephite community to follow in the footsteps of Mary MacKillop, and bring change to our world.

 

Year 9 Reflection Day

Year 9 looked at community, hospitality, inclusion and diversity, reflecting on their responsibility as Catholics to show hospitality within our community, acknowledging the importance of diversity and inclusion within our community.

Year 10 Reflection Day

Year 10 allowed students to review further their recent studies on social justice and appreciate the gift of life given by God. The day also encouraged students to take action, working to overcoming adversity and justice, making a difference in the world.

Melbourne Cup – Giddy Up Day

Led by the Well-Being Portfolio, students took part in the MMCC Giddy Up Day, held on Melbourne Cup Day wearing hats and fascinators. Students also took part in the MMCC Cup, galloping horses around the central courtyard enjoying the sun and having fun as a community.

Year 10 Introduction to Senior Studies

As an introduction to HSC Studies of Religion and Catholic Studies students from Year 10 visited a number of sacred sites around Sydney to obtain a greater understanding of the traditions they will be studying in senior years. Students intending to study 2 unit SOR visited the Buddhist Temple, Bonnyrigg and the Great Synagogue; two religious traditions they will study in Year 11 & 12. Catholic Studies students visited St Mary’s Cathedral and the Great Synagogue, providing insight into Catholic life and the Jewish life of Jesus. Students intending to study 1 unit SOR visited the Great Synagogue and the St Andrew’s Anglican Church, looking at one religious tradition and another variant of Christianity to be studied in SOR.

Henderson & Goolagong Christmas Fundraiser

The Henderson and Goolagong Houses held a successful Christmas fundraiser, raising $400 for each of their house charities, Mary MacKillop Foundation and St Anthony Family Day Care. Students wore the house colours of Henderson & Goolagong, red and green respectively for a Christmas themed mufti day and iceblocks were sold at recess and lunch for further funds to support the charities. Thank you to all who took part, to the Henderson & Goolagong staff & students, and the Student Leadership Team.

st-anthonys-care    mary-mackillop-foundation

 

Student Leadership Team 2017 – Training Day

As part of the Student Leadership Team Training day the student leaders celebrate the Eucharist with Fr Mac, who gave them a blessing as they embark on being leaders of the MMCC community in 2017. The leaders look forward to uniting the College community, work with others and being a catalyst for change in our community.

student-leadership

Christmas Hamper Donations

The College community has once again made significant contributions to the annual Christmas Hamper Appeal with over 60 hampers being donated to help families in need in our local area. All hampers have been donated to St Vincent De Paul, Cabramatta for distributions by volunteers from Sacred Heart Parish. Our contributions have gone a long way to assist families and bring the love of Christ to those in need, making a difference in the lives of others.

christmas-list christmas-hamper

Mrs Annette Flanagan, Coordinator of Learning – Religious Education

 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The last weeks of the school term for 2016 have seen both our staff, students and parents involved in a number of community events.

The Coordinators of Learning – Year, had two planning days to review our Pastoral Care Program and to prepare for next year. We hope to give our students as many skills as possible and as much information as we can to be engaged, informed and resilient students, striving to do their very best at school.

In preparation for next year, there has been a change in homerooms and leadership structures for staff and students.  Our Year Nine students have been offered the opportunity to be “big sisters” in their new CLC groups. After submitting their application and presenting a speech to their new CLC group, the 24 student leaders attended three sessions of training last Friday. They looked at their new role description and College expectations that will necessitate them to work collaboratively with their CLC teacher in planning and running literacy activities.

Ms Boustani and I were impressed with the level of interest and maturity shown by the students. By the end of the third session they had brainstormed many ideas and decided on a variety of activities to use during CLC time next year.

The group heard from Erin Zappia, our College Vice Captain, about how the Senior Leaders formulated their vision and mission statements for 2017. She also took the students through the workshop on Growth Mindset, which is so important for all students, but especially for those in a leadership position.

This brings me to the speech made by Captain Ian Carter on Awards Night as he was presenting the Long Tan leadership awards to Casey Martin from Year 10 and Mena Yousif, our Year 12 student.

Captain Carter’s words sent a poignant message and resonated strongly with the audience. With his permission, I would like to share an excerpt from his speech:

“In today’s modern society where hypocrisy, misinformation, unjustified outrageous offence and pseudo-celebrities are commonplace, it is no surprise that genuine leadership is hard to find. Falsities and platitudes fill every waking moment on social media giving the illusion of depth of character, intelligence and integrity for these so-called ‘influences’. However, I will guarantee you that true leadership can not be found behind a #Hash-tag or measured with ‘Likes’ and “Re-tweets’. It seems that poor leaders are abundant in the wider world. You only have to look at so-called ‘Social Justice Warriors’ to see that simply being loud and somewhere near a just cause does not make you a positive influence. Thankfully we can still use these toxic examples as lessons in what not to do. You see, true leadership comes from respectful personal interaction, the sacrificing of one’s own time and meaningful community service. Long Tan awards reward students who have demonstrated core values of leadership and mateship. The recipients are selected for going above and beyond in their school life to promote community values whilst displaying respect and mateship.”

Thank you to Captain Carter for his wise words. Congratulations to Casey and Mena on the Long Tan award, our two very worthy recipients.

I would like to extend my gratitude to all our community service providers, Psychlinx counsellors and organizers of workshops and training sessions and wish our staff, students and parents a restful holiday and a joyous Christmas. See you in the new year with more exciting programs and workshops.

Natalie Gesson
Leader of Learning, Community Engagement

STUDENTS VISIT ROSARY VILLAGE

In Term 4 students from Year 9 and Year 10 participated in Community Service for Sport, where we have worked hard making hand made Christmas cards and practicing Christmas carols.

On Thursday the 8th of December we were given the opportunity to visit Rosary Village Nursing Home in Yennora to showcase our Christmas spirit by performing carols and handing out Christmas cards to the residents. The girls from the Knitting Club also assisted by making 40 blankets which were given to the high dependancy residents.

This was an enjoyable experience for all the students who were able to spread the love of God and encourage the joy of Christmas. We were also very excited to visit Father Mac who is a resident of Rosary Village. We presented him with a blanket to signify how thankful we are to have him be a part of our College community. All our hearts were warmed by the generosity and enthusiasm shown by the residents and staff of Rosary Village as well as the joy we brought to the elderly.

We are all thankful for this rewarding experience which taught us that even the smallest act of kindness can go a long way to make a change in someone’s life. On behalf of all the girls in Community Service we would like to especially thank Ms Messina and Ms Lee for making this wonderful day possible. We also thank Mrs Matti and Mrs Canal who led the Knitting Club in making the blankets. We hope to return again to further spread God’s love.

Elissa All and Kate Youssef Year 10

INDIGENOUS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM (ISEP) NURA GILI at UNSW

Who would have thought Science and Engineering would be fun? I certainly didn’t. On the 7 to 9th of December I was given the opportunity to attend the Indigenous Science and Engineering Program, run in partnership by Nura Gili at UNSW. I must say it was an experience I will never forget and surely will learn more from. The ISEP Program is a program based on Science and Engineering. The program allows you to experience and investigate the technologies and advanced research available today. We are a world of change and to be part of something so huge has opened my eyes to greater goals and aspirations.

Whilst on the program, I discovered that there was an emphasis on women in Engineering, although the program focuses on indigenous students, I encourage the students of Mary MacKillop Catholic College to take that next step and be the change this world needs. During my time on campus I had attended workshops, networked with other indigenous student across NSW, participated in designing and creating a bionic hand, solar powered car and electronic dice. A highlight in this experience was design and make creation, we were given materials and little instructions and were expected to construct on our ideas. This seemed difficult at first but working collaboratively with those around me, the tasks had proven to not be difficult at all.

In closing, I would like to encourage you, as strong, Mary MacKillop Woman, to step out of your comfort zones and embrace science, and be the change in our society. Make that difference. Take these opportunities as experiences and embrace the world around you.

Adriana Ferkula-Cohen, Year 8

WORKPLACE AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded Workplace Awards in Term 4 in recognition of Outstanding Performance during Work Placement.
Jouliana Alnawaqkil jouliana-2
Wendy Nguyen wendy-2
Emily Tran emily-tran-2

Mrs Maria Pedavoli, Leader of Learning – VET 

EULER MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS

During Term 4 students from the Newman Year 7, 8 and 9 classes were invited to be involved in the Euler Mathematics Challenge.  This involved the students solving a set of challenging problems over several weeks with the guidance of their teachers.
These students were outstanding in their efforts and are to be commended for the solutions they presented.
Examples of one the types of challenge questions include:
*Arrange the numbers from 1 to 15 so that any adjacent pair of numbers sum to a perfect square;
*Find all positive integers less than 50,000 that have precisely eleven divisors;
*Can the sum of the first n consecutive positive integers be equal to the square of a prime number?
Congratulations on attempting the Challenge to the following students:
Year 7 Cecilia Le, Tracie Duong, Larissa Fernandes
Year 8 Merna Matti, Marya Nafea. Jenny Leave, Jessica Hoang
Year 9  Dzung Sarah Pham, Catherine Ang, Maria Al-Faris, Kiana Cherie
Mrs Trinder, Mr Rainert & Mr Di Mauro, Mathematics Teachers

PAPAL HONOURS FR MAC

His Holiness Pope Francis has granted special honours to Father Mac marking his 60th anniversary of Ordination. Fr Patrick Thomas McAuliffe has been awarded the Croce pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, recognising the long lasting devotion which he has shown to his sacred vocation.

Fr Pat was Ordained by his Eminence Norman Thomas Cardinal Gilroy on 21st July 1956 after studies at St Columba’s College Springwood and St Patrick’s College, Manly.

He was first appointed Assistant Priest at the Parish of Surry Hills and was later Assistant at Eastwood, Pagewood, Lane Cove and Kingsgrove.

His most outstanding appointment was as Parish Priest at the Church of Sacred Heart, Cabramatta where he served for a total of 41 years and played a major role in shepherding the development of the faith among people in what became rapidly growing and ethnically diverse part of Western Sydney.

Many parishioners expressed their disappointment at seeing him retire to lesser duties at a nearby retirement village last January.

They recalled his role in developing their Parish Catholic School and his work with his Assistant Priests and Catechists to expand faith education to six state primary schools, along with his commitments to Patrician Brothers’ Boys High School at Fairfield and Rosary (now Mary MacKillop Catholic College) for girls at Wakeley.

Fr Pat has said he always appreciated the spirit of faith that many new arrivals – those of Italian, Polish and Vietnamese origin – had brought with them to his developing Parish.

Congratulations Fr Mac on this well deserved award.fr-mac-and-girls

 

COMING EVENTS

13 December

Last Day for all students

14 December

Parent Teacher Student Interviews 12.30pm-3.15pm

15 December

Parent Teacher Student Interviews 9.00am-11.45am

27 January 2017

Staff Return for 2017

30 January 2017

Year 7 start for 2017

31 January 2017

Years 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 return for 2017

 1 February 2017

Swimming Carnival

MASS TIMES

St Benedict’s Parish 

Smithfield:

Saturday Vigil 6.00pm;

8.00 am (Italian); 10.30 am; 6.00pm

Fairfield West:

Saturday Vigil 5pm (Vietnamese); 7 pm (Spanish); 7.30am & 9.00am; 11am (Spanish); 6pm (Arabic)

Smithfield 9.15 am. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday;  6pm Wednesday 

Fairfield West Monday – Friday 7am Saturday 8am

Fr Jarek Zan, Fr Richard Green, Fr Josue Moran

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Fairfield

Vigil: 6:00pm Sat   

Sunday 7.30am (Polish) 9.00am 10.30am 4.30pm (Vietnamese) 6pm

Fr Michael de Stoop, Fr Francisco Regala

Sacred Heart Parish Cabramatta

Saturday Vigil English: 6pm Vietnamese: 7.30pm

Sunday English 8.30am, 10am & 6pm Vietnamese 6.30am, 4pm, 7.15pm Polish11.30am

Monday – Friday 7.00am, Wednesday 7.30pm Saturday 9.00am Vietnamese – Tuesday & Thursday 7pm

Fr Liem Duong, Fr Nen Dang

Sacred Heart Parish Villawood

Monday 7.00am  Tuesday 8.00am Thursday & Friday 8.00am Wednesday 7.00pm Saturday 8.00am

Saturday Vigil 6.00pm Sunday 9:00am

Fr Jerry Prindiville

St Thomas the Apostle Cathedral Bossley Park

Monday-Friday:  8.30am Saturday Vigil: 5.30pm Sunday: First Mass 8.30am  

Solemn Mass 10.30am English Mass: 5.30pm

Assumption of Virgin Mary Fairfield

Monday-Friday: 5.30pm Saturday Vigil:    5.30pm Sunday: Solemn Mass 9.00am Arabic Mass: 5.30pm

St. Joseph Chaldean & Assyrian Catholic Church Mount Druitt

Saturday English Mass: 5.30pm Sunday Mass: 9.00am