From the Principal – Ms Pussich

International Women’s Day

8 March 2022

On 8 March we honour women all over the world, sisters in our one human family.

We particularly honour those courageous women, who have to overcome the challenges of living in extreme poverty. For these women, we are thankful for their care for our common, admire their dedication to the common good and learn from their commitment to the progress of their whole community. We are enriched by their passion and generous sharing of their cultures. We honour their open hearts and feel so privileged to hear their stories. We pray for women who spread joy and nurture hope throughout struggles. We support their determination as they strive to attain new skills and expertise, and honour the extraordinary roles they have in their communities.

We stand with all women as they open new horizons for the next generation and celebrate women as mothers, sisters, wives, friends, leaders, champions, advocates and world changers. 

Gracious God, we pray for ourselves and all women around the world.
Strengthen us to stand in solidarity with our sisters experiencing poverty and injustice.
Open our hearts to listen and serve.
Give us the courage to hope and work for a better future for all women.
Awaken us, that we may fully realise our interconnectedness to our one global human family.
Guide us with your spirit, to welcome, champion, practically and joyfully love each other.
Amen.
(adapted from Caritas Australia)

Parent Advisory Group

Our Term 1 Parent Advisory Group (PAG) will be held via Zoom this Tuesday 15 March commencing at 6.00pm. We invite back our previous members and invite new members. There is no obligation to attend every term. To accept our invitation to attend, please contact Pina Varano, Principal’s Assistant via email at info@mmcwakeley.catholic.edu.au or by phone on 9725 4322 who will send you the Zoom code.

CSDA Public Speaking Competition

It was wonderful to have our students exhibit their oratory gifts as members of our Public Speaking team. Depending on their year level, students spoke for between 4 and 8 minutes on one of the following topics:

• That was then, this is now
• We have seen better days
• Small things
• It’s time we call it for what it is
• First in – best dressed

Our team:

Seniors: Harshada Jawalkar (Year 11); Tina Huynh (Year 11)
Juniors: Elenia Saleem (Year 9); Onella Al-Simaani (Year 8); Monique Cartwright (Year 8); Razan Kabula (Year 8)

Congratulations to Monique Cartwright who made it to the Zone Finals. An excerpt of her speech is included in this newsletter.

HSC Tips from Our HSC Class of 2021

Last newsletter we enjoyed the HSC tips from Diane Tran (ATAR 99.10). This week Tracie Duong (ATAR 98.05) shares her tips. I thank them for sharing these with us and hope that the students learn from them.

MMCC Enrolling Now 2023 and 2024 

Enrolments are filling up fast for both the 2023 and 2024 school years. If you have daughters in Year 5 or Year 6, or have family members or friends keen to enrol their daughters, please follow the new Sydney Catholic Schools online process which is included in this newsletter.

Our Open Day will be held on Tuesday 22 March, 4.00pm – 7.30pm. Open Day will include student-led tours of the College, subject room interactive and static displays, and at 5.00pm, a short presentation by students, a parent and the Principal. Please let family and friends know the details of our Open Day:

For enrolment or Open Day information, please contact Mrs Rosemary Gerardis, Enrolment Officer – email: rosemary.gerardis@syd.catholic.edu.au OR phone: 9725 4322

College Open Day 2022

Join us for our Open Day

Tuesday 22 March 4.00pm – 7.30pm

Our Principal, Ms Gilda Pussich will be delivering her address as well as guest speakers at 5.00pm

Student-Led Guided Tours of our facilities

No pre-registration is required

All Welcome!

2021 HSC Tips – Tracie Duong 98.05 ATAR

On top of the already stressful circumstances of a Year 12 student undertaking the Higher School Certificate, the unprecedented times caused by the pandemic have made an exceptionally difficult year for our cohort. Despite this, the support I received from my teachers and  online resources have allowed me to excel more than I could ever imagine.

For me, the HSC was a test of what I knew and more importantly, how I applied it. A lot of questions required an extensive understanding of the concepts learnt in class and my teachers really liked to throw curveball questions (I’m looking at you, Mrs Hornas!). Thus, I found that the best way to study for exams was to practice, practice, practice.

With the technological advancements of the 21st Century, there was an infinite amount of resources that I could access online, and thus I would spend the latter half of the year working on exposing myself to a large variety of questions. From textbooks to first year university workbooks, and past HSC papers to even VCE papers, I tried to attempt an immense amount of questions under exam conditions to the point that it became second nature.

Another of my support mechanisms were my teachers. In my experience, teachers would arrive at class with a distinct lesson goal, allowing students to fully understand syllabus dot points in order for them to approach exam questions with confidence – even during online learning. Outside of lessons, however, their assistance was worth its weight in gold. In times of confusion, not only would they attempt to explain concepts in a way that would tailor to my learning patterns, but their personalised feedback has always given me lightbulb moments – no matter how daunting it may be. Noting this, I recommend students to have good relationships with their teachers, approach lessons with a positive mindset, knowing that from this point onwards, the only direction is up. I could never have done so well without the emotional and academic support of my teachers, who have been there for me in all my highs and lows. 

Ultimately, what has supported me the most during my studies was the positive and encouraging mindset that the school has retained throughout the whole of 2021, despite all the struggles. From the teachers setting up study groups to my peers holding regular 2.00am stress sessions, these are the things that I look fondly back at.

Thank you to all the staff and good luck students at MMCC!

Tracie Duong, Year 12 2021

From the Assistant Principal – Mrs Harding

Dear Parents and Carers,

Students have settled well into the 2022 academic year and I sincerely thank families for supporting the College in regards to student organisation and uniform.

Does Attendance Really Matter?

10 Minutes late a day? Surely that won’t affect my child……

Now if you think that is a lot of missed school time, look at what a day can make –

1 or 2 days a week doesn’t seem much but…..

If you want your daughter to be successful at school, then YES attendance does matter.

Reminders for the start of the school year:

Diaries

• Parents are asked to sign diaries each week. This helps ensure that any messages and homework can be noted by parents.

Transport

• Student safety is a principle concern for all members of the College community. To this end I would ask that parents and care givers pay particular thoughtfulness to pedestrian safety when dropping off and picking up students in the College precincts. Hamilton Avenue becomes very congested both during morning and afternoon drop offs and we encourage parents to park a little way from the school and students will walk to their car.
• All families who have children using Public Transport, ensure their daughters adhere to the NSW Government mandate that all children over the age of 12 must wear a mask on any type of Public Transport, including school chartered buses. This is also required if when catching on a bus for Thursday sport and excursions.

NSW Health Vaccination

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program. All vaccinations will occur at school. Please find below the dates, year groups and offering of vaccines to our students:

Catholic Life @ MMCC – Mrs Flanagan

Year 7 Bible Presentation

All Year 7 students receive a copy of the “Catholic Youth Bible” as they begin their Religious Studies at MMCC. Recently Miss Ayoub presented 7M with their Bibles. As part of a Prayer Liturgy, students and the Bibles were blessed.

May the students utilise their Bibles to help them to know God, the Christian teachings and how to live a life like Jesus, so they may increase their faith and devotion

Project Compassion 2022

The theme of Project Compassion 2022 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.

This year’s theme comes from the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. More specifically, when the flood waters subsided, a rainbow appeared in the sky and the dove returned with an olive branch indicating a new beginning. God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations’ (Genesis 9:12).

Lent 2022

During this time of prayer, almsgiving and fasting, students will be able to engage in the following opportunities:

Prayer

• Rosary – Tuesday Morning at 8:30am in the Chapel
• Mass – Wednesday Morning at 8:00am in the Chapel
• Stations of the Cross – Friday Morning at 8:30am in the Chapel
• Faith Formation with the MMCC Youth Group – Lunchtime with Ms L’Aiguille, our Youth Ministry Coordinator, Deacon Ben and Youth Coordinator from Our Lady of the Rosary, Fairfield

Almsgiving

• During Lent, students are encouraged to make regular donations towards Project Compassion. Every donation, small or large, helps “Future Generations”

Fasting

• During Lent, students are challenged to go without one consumable item per week, as part of fasting and donate the cost of this item to Project Compassion, e.g a chocolate bar, can of drink, packet of chips, etc.
• By fasting from one consumable item per week and donating the money, this will be a major contribution by the whole community to help “Future Generations”.

Lent at home

Families are also invited to engage in prayer, fasting and almsgiving at home. Please take advantage of the following resources and programs that can be used to deepen one’s faith during this time:

• The Purpose of lent
• How to live Lent this year
• Lent in 3 minutes
• Entering the Desert of Lent
• Lenten Companion – Mercy and Healing Await: COME BACK TO ME Lenten Companion 2022
• Lent, fasting & Alms giving

Rosary – Tuesday Morning

Thank you to Ms L’Aiguille (YMC), all staff and students who take part in Rosary every Tuesday morning in the Chapel. We encourage students to take part, especially during this time of Lent.

Project Compassion Stories

Project Compassion 2022 shares the stories of resilient and inspiring individuals whose lives and futures have been impacted by the ongoing support of their partners and by your generosity. This includes the story of young Anatercia from Mozambique who, despite facing poverty and food insecurity, can now access school supplies and attend her classes. And Shaniella from Solomon Islands who, thanks to the work and support of Caritas Australia Solomon Islands, has received support in her hospitality studies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During Homeroom each morning students will have the opportunity to make donations.

These generous donations are a pebble that allows Caritas Australia to create the ripples that will improve the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, supporting them to flourish and create opportunities for future generations to live to their full potential and thrive.

FIRST WEEK OF LENT – Anatercia, Mozambique

Anatercia is a 12-year-old girl living in a small village in southern Mozambique. After her father passed away and her mother became incapacitated due to chronic health issues, life became a daily struggle.

She moved in with her elderly grandparents, and began to take on more and more adult responsibilities. She did most of the household chores and had to travel for hours every day to collect clean water. Water scarcity also meant that harvests were poor and there was never enough to eat.

With your support, Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas Regional Chokwe, was able to help Anatercia’s family to irrigate their farm to improve their food security, while also improving water access for households in the village. Her grandmother participated in sustainable farming training, while Anatercia received essential school supplies and access to psychosocial supports through a local health committee.

Now, Anatercia can easily access clean drinking water, community members are able to grow healthy crops all year round, and there is enough nutritious food to eat. Anatercia feels better supported by her community, has more time to study and do her homework, and hopes to fulfil her dream of becoming a nurse.

SECOND WEEK OF LENT – Biru, India

Biru is a member of the Ho community, an ethnic minority group in India. After contracting polio as a child, he lost mobility in one of his legs, which affected his independence, education and employment prospects.

Biru taught himself how to repair bicycles by watching other people, but he never dreamed of using those skills to start his own business. With your generous support, Biru was able to access an entrepreneurship and livelihoods training program, run by Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas India. He gained the support and skills he needed to establish his own bicycle repair business. Participating in the program also helped Biru to apply for government disability and housing schemes.

Now, Biru is financially independent and can forge a path out of poverty for his four young daughters. He is a respected and essential member of his community, working as a bicycle and motorcycle mechanic to keep his neighbours, friends and families safe on the road. His resilience and determination to overcome the odds has inspired others in his community who are living with a disability to become independent and self-reliant.

“Now members of my community have started listening to my opinion. I am getting appreciation and recognition,” Biru says.

THIRD WEEK OF LENT – Janice, Wagilak woman, indigenous Australian

A Wagilak woman, Janice is a traditional dancer who tells her family’s stories through movements handed down over generations.

“With many elders gone, we must transfer knowledge, to keep a connection to culture and nurture future leaders,” Janice says. “Me and my family, we keep the culture going, we need to keep our culture strong.”

Like many remote communities, Janice’s faces a range of challenges – low employment and education, financial hardship, poorer health and lower life expectancy.

With your help, Caritas Australia supports Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation, which operates a centre for traditional and contemporary Aboriginal arts and culture, providing employment and generating income for local communities.

Elders run workshops and share their knowledge with the younger generation, and with visitors. Local guides run bush cultural tours and architect-designed tourist accommodation is available for visitors.

“This is a safe place, a place we come with family and get away from problems. We, here in the art centre, work as a family,” Janice says. Janice believes that Djilpin Arts’ work is essential to create opportunities for young people to stay on-country, to share intergenerational knowledge between elders and the younger generation – to promote healing, and to keep culture alive.

Science News – Mrs Hornas

Science at MMCC this term has involved a whole range of activities ranging from modelling the states of matter to making motors.

Year 11 Biology students are investigating cells and their internal structures so they have used the microscopes to calculate the size of cells and identify organelles. Year 12 Biology students are learning to analyse data relating to genetics. Year 11 Chemistry and Physics students are refining their skills that they learnt in Junior school such as analysing motion and writing chemical formula.

In Year 12 Chemistry, students are learning about the solubility of substances. While in Year 12 Physics, they have spent some time in class this week doing a depth study relating to DC motors. Our girls need to make a model motor and explain the forces that cause it to spin.

In Year 10, the girls are learning the skills required in Physics by doing a variety of experiments, collecting the data using traditional methods such as tape measures and stopwatches and using digital technologies such as apps and video analysis.

Teachers are also asking students to develop their skills using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to create graphs and tables to represent the data collected.

Year 9 students are learning about diseases and the body’s coordination systems. Chemistry in the Kitchen is what Year 8 students are studying, with them identifying elements and learning about the properties of metals and non metals.

Year 7 students are still finding their way around the laboratory with a focus on the chemical nature of the three main states of matter.

Vocational Education Training (VET)

Students completing Stage 6 Vocational Education Training (VET) courses at the College are experiencing first hand, the real world of work in their specialised field.

VET assessment in the workplace is important and students have the opportunity to work in a kitchen, retail store or office, thanks to Mrs Fassoulas (VET Coordinator) and SouthWest Connect (Employment Services).

Ms Gagliano & Ms Messina

IMC Update – Mrs Devine

Assessment Tasks

Now that we have reached the halfway point in the term, our students’ thoughts invariably shift to the preparation and completion of their assessment tasks.

Assessment periods can be a stressful time for students, as they navigate complex topics to create a range of written and visual tasks. However,  there are steps that students can take which will help to ensure they are organised and thoroughly prepared to complete their tasks on time.

SEEK Homework Club

Now that the restrictions have been relaxed and cohorts are once again permitted to mix, SEEK  Homework Club has made its return for 2022.  Mr McLean and his team are on hand every Monday and Tuesday until 4.30pm in the IMC to assist students as they work on homework or assessment tasks.

If students wish to attend SEEK, they are to collect a permission slip from the IMC and return it signed to Mr McLean.

Readers’ Club

Many students have been awaiting the return of Readers’ Club and we are pleased to announce it has resumed this term and will run every Friday in the Reading Room. This group is coordinated by Miss Krahe who has scheduled some fantastic reading activities for our avid readers. If you would like to join the group, just come to the IMC. You could also register your interest via the Readers’ Club Google Classroom.

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2022

The Premier’s Reading Challenge will run once again this year at MMCC. All Newman classes (7-10) will have the opportunity to participate in the challenge. The aim is to encourage a love of reading and to enable students to experience quality literature. More information on the rules and expectations will be shared in upcoming Wide Reading Lessons.

New Books

We are very excited to share some of the new books that are on offer this month.

Growing Up In Flames By Zach Jones

A gripping, contemporary and thoroughly Australian YA novel.

A story of family, small town prejudices, mental illness and discovering your origins is told from the perspective of two teenagers.

Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance

Radha is a world class Kathak dancer, but when she walks out of a competition in London, she loses her self confidence and the ability to believe in herself. She moves to New Jersey to study at the Academy of Arts and this is where she meets Jai, who is the leader of the Bollywood Beats dance team.

He is struggling with his own issues.

Can they overcome their fears to follow their dreams?

The Young Women’s Leadership Seminar at NSW Parliament

On Wednesday 9 March, The NSW Parliament House held an event for International Women’s Day called ‘The Young Women’s Leadership Seminar’ in which we attended. The event included the main guest speaker, Dr Xanthe Mallet, a Scottish forensic anthropologist, criminologist and television presenter who specialises in human craniofacial biometrics & hand identification, and behaviour patterns. 

The inspiring speaker, Dr Xanthe Mallet, spoke about her life in which she faced many obstacles, however, she never gave up.  Through her inspirational journey she presented young female students with leadership advice on being able to thrive as a young woman in contemporary society. Alongside Dr Mallet were two Members of New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Robyn Preston and Trish Doyle, who also shed light on being successful in a male dominated workplace.

It was a very inspiring and enjoyable experience that we will always be thankful for. 

Natalia Sheebo and Kardenia Batti, Year 11 

Year 8 Public Speaking Zone Finalist

On 25th February and 5th March, I had the pleasure of representing the MMCC community in the CDSA Public Speaking Competition and the Zone Finals of the competition. There were a variety of topics to select from and I chose the topic I am most passionate about which is “Small things”. The main idea of my speech was that “small things make the big things possible for us” and “The small things are bigger than we think”. 

Here is a small sample of my speech: 

We always pinpoint down the biggest details that happened in the big event in our lives. Big things always seem so important and effective. But life isn’t really about the main big event and occurrences in one’s life. Yes, we want big opportunities and we so eagerly chase the big things that we tend to forget about the small things that lead up to the big event.

We tend to overlook the small things in our lives for those are the things that make the big things happen for us. Those are the things that make us who we are and develop the world. 

Small things are a better test of character than the bigger things in our lives. Small things come every day, but big things do not. As humans, it is very easy for us to be swept away into the grand scheme of things and forget to look for the small things. The world revolves around small things and we pay little attention to them for they are the things that make the big things and accomplishments possible for us. The small things that we do are the things that one day when we are gone people will remember us by. The small things are the things that sustain us and make us who we are and our accomplishments and experiences a reality. We must pay close attention to the smallest details of the biggest events in our lives for the smallest details are bigger than we think. 

Small is the new big. Small actions make big discoveries. Small words make up our thoughts and form our opinions of the world and people. Small things grow and become more efficient over time. The little things that we overlook and ignore become some of the biggest events and discoveries in our life.  

A  small cell creates the new blessing of a new life. The pacific ocean is made up of so many small drops of water. A small single atom makes an entire element. These are all small things that are essential to life on Earth and life would be nothing without these small things.

In life, the small things are the things that make us who we are and form the biggest events and discoveries. We would not have the knowledge that we have today or have experienced and accomplished half things we have today without the small things that have helped us along the way. Take notice of the small things in your life for one day you will look back and realise that they were the most important actions and make accomplishments possible for you and make you to be who you are.

I hope that my speech on “Small things” enlightens you on the importance of the “small things” in your life and you start paying close attention to the small things and small blessings that happen every day.

Thank you to the MMCC community for all your support and my wonderful teachers for making this fantastic opportunity possible, especially one of my Year 7 teachers for encouraging and suggesting that I do debating and public speaking.

Monique Cartwright, Year 8

SCS Swimming Carnival – Miss Martino

On Wednesday 9th March, 11 students competed in the SCS Conference 4 Swimming Championship held at Sydney Aquatics Centre. MMCC placed 5th overall on the night and two students qualified for the next stage of competition.

We congratulate:

• Gabrielle Parsons who qualified for U12s 50m Freestyle and Butterfly.
• Karoline Fasavalu who qualified for 17s and over 50m Freestyle

Congratulations to the following students for attending their event and representing MMCC proudly.

• Kalia Barton
• Ashley Duong
• Karoline Kasavalu
• Olivia Fuller
• Rose Lebolo-Carey
• Brooke Misa
• Evelyn Nguyen
• Gabrielle Parsons
• Almudena Ruiz Davila
• Larencia Toma
• Liesl Weinert

Miss Martino (Sports Coordinator)

Thank you to Miss Martino for organising our MMCC Swim Team and for attending the evening along with Miss Phetrasi and Mr Carosi.

Ms Pussich

SCS Online Enrolment Information

Year 7 2024 Enrolments are now open

SCS Online Enrolment Information

For more information, please visit our website https://www.mmcwakeley.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/enrol-now

Sydney Catholic Youth – Made for More 2022 Launch

Driving Offences in School Zones