From the Principal – Ms Pussich

With the birth of Jesus nearing, the Gospel of Luke 1:39-45 tells us how Mary, the Mother of God, selflessly took time to visit her cousin, Elizabeth:

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

With Gratitude

Thank you parents, staff and students for a wonderful year. Your kindness, support and resilience as we rode the ups and downs of the year are very much appreciated. I hope, despite the rising COVID case numbers, that you like Mary, get to visit family and spend a beautiful Christmas with those dearest to you.

A special thank you to our teaching and support staff.for the care they show to our students and for their dedication and hard work. Also thank you to the College Leadership Team for another great year: Mrs Harding, Mrs Lowe, Mrs Flanagan, Mr Thomas, Mrs Genovese, Miss Israel, Mr Moore and Mr Andrejev.

Staff Farewells

We farewell and thank members of both our teaching and support staff who are leaving this year: Mrs Webster, Mrs Arapi, Mr Thomas, Mrs Garreffa, Ms Genovese, Mrs Arapi-Nunez, Mr Samuel, Miss Brown, Mr Harski, Mr Nguyen, Mr Zia, Mr Sciberras, Mrs Cochrane, Mrs Downes, Ms Diokno, Miss Toma, Mrs Singh and Mrs Harb. 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:

End of Year

We ended the year with a number of significant events:

• Year 12 completed the year with their HSC Examinations, Graduation Assembly, Graduation Awards and Evening Ceremony, and Formal at Oatlands House. Congratulations to Year 12 on the completion of their schooling. We hope that their HSC results and ATARs will reflect their commitment, and wish them a happy and successful future.
• Congratulations to our Year 9 students who were elected Year 10 Homeroom Leaders for 2022.
• With the restrictions to visitors being onsite, on Wednesday 8 December we ran five small awards ceremonies, one per year group for Years 7 to 11 rather than an Awards Evening Ceremony for the entire college. We congratulate our students who received awards in front of their peers for First Place (Year 10 and 11 only), Academic Excellence, Special Awards, and for Academic Achievement and Academic Application in each subject. A list of awardees is included in this newsletter.

Thank you to the many staff who made these events possible, especially Mrs Harding, Mrs Lowe, Mrs Flanagan, Mr Andrejev, Mrs Messina, Miss Martino, Mrs Varano and Mrs Labbozzetta.

Joyous Christmas

Best wishes to all members of our community for a joyous Christmas and a wonderful new year. I wish the best for all members of our community who are leaving us this year and look forward to seeing most of you again in 2022.

From The Assistant Principal – Mrs Harding

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to an end of the 2021 academic year, I would like to congratulate all our students and their families on a great year albeit, under difficult circumstances at times. As a school, we celebrated the end of the academic year with Year Group Award Presentations on Wednesday 8 December. This Presentation Assembly enabled us to formally recognise students for academic achievement and application to their studies this year. I would like to congratulate the Award recipients, as a College community we are extremely proud of our students’ efforts and accomplishments in a challenging 2021. 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.

On Tuesday 7 December, I attended my first MMCC Year 12 formal. This was a joyful event and the enthusiasm was palpable as you entered the venue. It was a fitting end of year celebration for our Year 12 students. I wish every student in Year 12 all the very best as they leave Mary MacKillop. You have been integral to the fabric of MMCC and I hope that, in the future you will look back on your time at the College with happiness, remember your friends and be proud of being a MacKillop woman.

School Shoes

Many parents will be purchasing new school shoes for their daughter prior to the start of 2022. 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 2022

Planning is well underway for many activities and events for 2022. 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.

The following are the term dates for 2022:

Thank you to our wonderful students and families for their support throughout 2021. I would like to wish all families a Blessed and faith filled Christmas.

Mrs Christine Harding

Upcoming Events

Enrolling Now Year 7 2023 and Limited Places for 2022

From the Leader of Religious Education – Mrs Flanagan

THIRD SUNDAY of ADVENT – YEAR C – 12th December 2021

What, then, must we do?

Luke 3:10-18

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.

REFLECTION by Dianne Bergant CSA

We are at the midpoint of Advent. Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. The principal theme of the day is joy. According to Paul, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22). Such joy is a religious sentiment, not emotional happiness. Along with gratitude, it is the heart’s response to God’s goodness. Zion is told to shout for joy because it has been saved by God from its enemies and because God is in the midst of the people. The psalm response proclaims the same message; the reading from Philippians announces that the Lord is near. This is cause for joy.

Advent is a time for joy, not primarily because we are anticipating the anniversary of the birth of Christ, but because God is already in our midst (Immanuel). The readings for this Sunday assure us that God is with us, not as a judge but as a Saviour. We rejoice over the saving acts of God that make us confident of God’s care and unafraid of whatever may cross our paths. We rejoice in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Advent joy is like the delight that fills a woman who has just given birth, even if it occurred in the throes of birth pangs. Advent joy springs from the realisation that the presence of God in our midst can so transform our lives that the promises of peace and security will be fulfilled. Advent joy is the way we live in the tension between already and not yet.

Advent Reflections

• The True Meaning of Advent
• Advent Week 1: A Prayer for Hope
• Advent Week 2: Love
• Advent Week 3: Joy
• Advent Week 4: Peace
• Bishop Barron on The Spirituality of Advent

Sydney Archdiocesan

• Catholic Weekly – https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/
• Weekly Homilies – https://www.sydneycatholic.org/homilies/
• Sydney Catholic Youth – https://www.sydneycatholicyouth.org/
• The Lights of Christmas – https://lightsofchristmas.com.au/

Christmas Hampers

Thank you to all students and their families for supporting the annual Christmas hampers. All hampers were donated to St Vincent De Paul Cabramatta, run through Sacred heart, Cabramatta. Your donations assist SVDP to continue their important work in caring for those in need in our local community.

Christmas Song Playlist

• Matt Maher
• Rend Collective
• Chris Tomlin
• Lauren Daigle
• Casting Crowns
• I Am They
• Pentatonix

World Youth Day – Lisbon

“Mary rose and left in haste” – (Lk 1, 39)

August 1 – 6, 2023

Yr 10 2022 Homeroom Leaders

Congratulations to the following Year 10 2022 Homeroom Leaders

Year 10 Information Software Technology First Place

Mr Hennessy, IT Teacher

Year 12 Graduation

Award Recipients

Congratulations to Year 12 on their Graduation and to those students who received awards.

Year 12 Formal

On Tuesday 7 December, our Year 12 students went to Oatlands House for their Formal to celebrate the end of their schooling. They were a credit to both their families and their school.

Year 11 Award Presentation

Year 11 Awards Presentation

On Wednesday 8 December students attended their year group’s Award Presentation. Congratulations to our Year 11 award recipients:

Please click on link to view the award ceremony: Year 11 Award Ceremony

Awards Recipients

Please click on link to view the award ceremony:

Year 10 Award Presentation

Year 10 Awards Presentation

On Wednesday 8 December students attended their year group’s Award Presentation. Congratulations to our Year 10 award recipients:

Please click on link to view the award ceremony: Year 10 Award Ceremony

Year 9 Award Presentation

Year 9 Awards Presentation

On Wednesday 8 December students attended their year group’s Award Presentation. Congratulations to our Year 9 award recipients:

Please click on link to view the award ceremony: Year 9 Awards Ceremony

Year 8 Award Presentation

Year 8 Awards Presentation

On Wednesday 8 December students attended their year group’s Award Presentation. Congratulations to our Year 8 award recipients:

Please click on link to view the award ceremony: Year 8 Award Ceremony

Year 7 Award Presentation

Year 7 Awards Presentation

On Wednesday 8 December students attended their year group’s Award Presentation. Congratulations to our Year 7 award recipients:

Please click on link to view the award ceremony: Year 7 2021 Award Ceremony

Farewell from Mrs Arapi-Nunez CIEC

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents, staff and CIEC students who were part of a great and unforgettable experience since April 2017. When I was employed by SCS to establish and lead the Catholic Intensive English Centre (CIEC) at Mary MacKillop Catholic College and the first year also lead the CIEC at Patrician Brothers College, I never thought I would learn as much as I did not only from the staff in my faculty but also from the CIEC students and their families. Furthermore, I would like to thank external partners such as STARTTS, CORE, the NSW Fairfield Police Youth Workers and Southern District Soccer Program which supported and collaborated with the CIEC staff, parents and students in order for our learners to integrate into the community.

Ms Arapi-Nunez, CIEC Coordinator

From the Principal: MMCC Catholic Intensive English Centre Closure

As mentioned in the last newsletter, because of the border closures we sadly have to close our CIEC. I take this opportunity to thank the current staff and wish those who are taking on new positions a wonderful future. I am sure that the 145 plus  students who have graduated from the CIEC also thank them. Leaving from the CIEC are Mrs Flavia Arapi-Nunez (Coordinator), Mrs Natalia Svetlov and Mrs Josephine Youkhana,

Gilda Pussich

2021 COVID Intensive Learning Support (ILS) Program

Following the disruptions caused by the pandemic least year, the NSW Government established the 2021 COVID Intensive Learning Support Program (‘ILS Program’). The ILS Program provides extra support for students whose learning was most impacted during the pandemic. MMCC was provided with funding for this, which we have used to deliver targeted and intensive small-group tuition. Mrs Crosariol was appointed to lead the program at MMCC and to employ teachers and ex-students to deliver the tuition.

Thank you to Mrs Crosariol and her team for their exceptional work even during the lockdown. We are fortunate to have received some additional funding for 2022. Thank you to the members of the team who finish up this year: Charli Tran, Anthea Nguyen and Lora Ters.

Gilda Pussich

Christmas in the IMC

It’s hard to believe the festive season is upon us once more, but after such a tumultuous year, it is time to celebrate!

The library staff certainly embraced the spirit of Christmas and the displays and decorations helped to create a joyful atmosphere.

English classes had fun with a Secret Santa reading activity in their wide reading lessons.

Holiday Reading

It was wonderful to see so many students borrowing books for the holidays. The benefits of reading are enormous and it is so important to maintain reading practice over the summer break.

What better way to make sure you keep up your reading practice than with a Holiday Reading Adventure! Don’t worry if you forgot to borrow books, you can always use our digital library – SORA!

Study Skills Handbook