From the Principal

Sr Irene McCormack Mass

On 21st May we held a College Mass in honour of Sr Irene McCormack. We thank Fr Michael De Stoop for celebrating the Mass. His sermon was a reflection on the great devotion and trust martyrs have in God and Irene McCormack was one such person.

I too spoke to the girls about Irene McCormack. Sr Irene showed her love for humanity, not just through her words and prayers, but through the acts of kindness, service and courage that she showed to all people she encountered, especially those in need.

As part of her vocation as a Sister of St Joseph, Sr Irene, went to a small village in Peru where sickness and infection were rife, and where it was unsafe to help the poor. There rebel groups raided and killed people who helped the poor. Nevertheless, brave Irene McCormack provided ministry, education and food for the poor.

On 21st May 1991, Sr Irene was alone in the convent when a rebel group, ironically known as the Shining Path, dragged her into the street, made her lay face down and shot her in the back of her head. When we think of executions, we usually conjure up images of men executing people. Sr Irene was executed by a woman.

Sr Irene had a deep unconditional love for God. At a retreat, just prior to her death, she shared with the Sisters of St Joseph that she believed that God loved her too. She said “you know for the first time in my whole life I’ve been able to believe God really loves me”. The sisters felt a great despair over the death of Sr Irene, however, they took solace from this quote which reassured them that Irene was not alone at the time of her death; she was with God. Interestedly, she was only 6 metres from the local church when she was executed.

I challenged the students to be more like Irene McCormack, to love God, believe in his love for them and always show kindness, service and courage.

Arena House Captain

Join us in congratulating Alana Giovinazzo as the new Arena House Captain. Alana received her badge at the College Assembly today and took her oath with other members of the Student Leadership Team. We wish all our House Captains well as they prepare for the upcoming College Athletics Carnival. Good luck and may the best team win!

Bronze & Silver Awards

As part of our Merit System, students strive to achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, by achieving Pink Merits for Academic Performance, Blue Merits for Community Involvement and Commendation Merits.

At the College Assembly this week, Victoria Toma in Year 9 and Lisipeti Elika in Year 8 were awarded a Bronze “Called to Life” badge. Roz Zoori in Year 8 was awarded a Silver “Called to Life” badge. Congratulations girls!

Bronze Award Victoria Toma Year 9
Bronze Award Lisipeti Elika  Year 8
Silver Award Roz Zoori Year 8

Year 7 – 12 Disco

Students from Years 7 to 12 at both Mary MacKillop Catholic College and Patrician Brothers’ College enjoyed a fun evening of dancing and socialising at the MMCC Disco on Friday evening.

A special thank you to our Parent Advisory Group, Mrs Dal Col, mother of Micheala in Year 10, Mrs Citroni, mother of Madeline in Year 11, Mrs O’Grady, mother of Erin in Year 10, Mrs Williams, mother of Abigail in Year 7 and Mrs Yonan, mother of Isabella in Year 7 and teachers Mrs Flanagan, Mrs Lowe, Mr Ulunday, Mrs Toohey, Mrs Ryan, Mrs Arapi-Nunez, Miss Ecarma, Ms Zora, Mr Olegasegram,  Year 12 Student Leaders who assisted with the organisation, supervision and sales on the evening.

From the Assistant Principal

Year 10 Meningococcal Vaccinations – Wednesday 12th June 2019

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.

In 2019 the Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine (Single Dose) will be offered to our Year 10 students.  This vaccination will take place on Wednesday 12th June 2019 at our College.

Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement have already been sent home to parents/carers. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:

• • read all the information provided
  • complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s  they would like their daughter to receive
  • return the completed consent form to Student Services by no later than 9:00am Monday 3rd June 2019
  • ensure that your daughter eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation

A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at as a physical card or a text message sent to the mobile number recorded on the consent form. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination.

Delivery Reminders for Parents and Students

A reminder that deliveries of takeaway food, flowers, cakes or other non-essential items will not be accepted by our Front Office staff at any time.

We are happy to allow parents to drop off forgotten items of uniform, learning equipment or a home packed recess and/or lunch only.

Concerns or Feedback with Bus Services 

We have a positive working relationship with our bus company, Transit Systems.  Any concerns that students and parents have raised with us, we have made sure the company has been made aware of these and have looked for a resolution.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding school bus services, please contact the College on 9725 4322.  We also advise that you contact the company using the details below:

Transit Systems

phone: 02 8118 7102

email: customerserviceNSW@transitsystems.com.au

customer feedback: transportnsw.info/contact-us/feedback

OPAL Card Reminders – Tap on and Tap Off at All Times

Students must ensure they are tapping on and off with their OPAL Cards.  If students do not tap on and off, they run the risk of being fined, having their OPAL card confiscated and most importantly having the bus service cancelled due to lack of numbers.  The NSW Government uses Tap On and Tap Off statistics to determine whether school bus services continue to operate.  Please ensure you discuss this with your daughter.

If you are applying for a new OPAL card, please visit: https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/home#/applyNow

If your daughter has lost her OPAL card, please visit:

https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/home#/reportPass

If you have changed address or want to reapply, please visit:

https://apps.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/home#/updateDetails

Safety Reminders with Mobile Phones

Students are reminded to ensure that they are not using their mobile phone whilst they are walking around the College after school or outside of the College as a pedestrian on footpaths or roads.

Below is advice from: http://www.mobiletips.org.au/pages/Pedestrian-Safety-Tips

While you’re walking, crossing the road or waiting for public transport, don’t let yourself be distracted by your mobile device as it can lead to serious accidents and injury.

Here are some tips that pedestrians should adopt:

• If your are using your mobile while walking, make sure you exercise caution and remain aware of potential hazards. Even when not crossing the road, be aware of other pedestrians and look, listen and think when walking on streets, particularly near car parks, drive ways, train stations and bus stops. 

• Pause your music and pay full attention while crossing the road. It’s important to be able to hear traffic approaching as well as see it.

• Be particularly careful and pause your music/video/texting when getting on and off public transport such as trams, buses and trains. Always stand behind the yellow line while waiting for the tram or train. 

School Traffic Safety Reminders  

Parents/Carers are reminded of the following safe driving expectations within our College by ensuring that:

• the speed limit is 10km/h is adhered to at all times
• students disembark the car from the passenger side only.  No student should be getting out of the car from the driver side onto the driveway.
• drivers are checking for oncoming cars or other hazards beside them before driving away from their drop off spot
• dropping students off, only where there is a footpath to safely disembark and walk into the main building

Parents/Carers  are encouraged to drop of their daughter(s) in Bus Bay B (far bus bay near the exit gate) when the driveway is full.

Compass School Manager APP Security Update

Users (Students, Parents and Teachers) can now set login security (PIN or Biometric) to access the Compass portal via a mobile device (iOS and Android devices). Once setup by the user, when the app is opened or after 15 mins of inactivity, the user will be prompted to re-authenticate using their PIN or biometric sign-in (Fingerprint or Face-ID). Should the user wish to logout of the app, they can simply swipe up to close the app after use which will them prompt a re-authentication when next opened.

Below is a link to a help video for parents and students:

Security Updates to the Compass School Manager App for Parents/Carers and Students

This update presents an opportunity to remind parents/carers and students of the need to configure auto-updates in the iOS App and Google Play stores so as to ensure you have the most recent version of the Compass School Manager App.

College Athletics Carnival – Friday 21st June

We are very excited about our annual College Athletics Carnival, which is being held at Dwyer Oval – Warwick farm.  It provides another opportunity for all students to partake in the friendly rivalry between the College Houses.  A reminder that this day is a compulsory day for attendance.  Please support us by ensuring your daughter attends and partakes in this great community day.

Some important eSafety Reminders – Office of the eSafety Commissioner

Two important articles that I urge parents to read.  Links are below:

Online Safety with Images

The Rise and Resurgence of Internet Challenges

A message from Pope Francis – Preparing for Pentecost

The Liturgical season of Pentecost began on Sunday 9th June. Below is a message from Pope Francis in preparation for the season of Pentecost:

ANZAC Liturgy

On the morning of 25 April, 1915, Australian and New Zealand troops landed under fire at Gallipoli. On 25 April, we pause to remember the fallen, the imprisoned and the victims of war. We pause to remember their courage, bravery, compassion and sacrifice for our country and for peace.

On Tuesday, 30 April at Mary MacKillop Catholic College, their legacy was upheld school wide though a liturgy organised by Ms Ayoub’s Year 9 Elective History class. The ANZAC tradition was researched in order to plan and deliver a liturgy to MMCC that would uphold the spirit of the ANZACs. Consisting of the requiem, prayers and bible readings, diary extracts, the laying of the wreath, ode of remembrance, and the Last Post and Rouse, the liturgy was celebrated together as a school community with reverence and respect for the victims of war.

Introducing the happenings of that fated day, the requiem touched on the history of the ANZACs and the war in which they fought in, honouring those who had passed away as a result of the violence of war, and remembering all who had been affected all across the world.

In order to honour the ANZACs both past and present, prayers and bible readings were chosen by those involved in planning, in order to have their own blessings and prayers conveyed to the fallen soldiers.

The diary extract of Sergeant H.D.Bryan is prominent in Mary MacKillop’s ANZAC liturgies. It tells of the Christmas Truce, when ANZAC and German soldiers ceased fighting to uphold Christmas Day together, and serves as a reminder to our school community that even in the midst of war, mercy and humanity still exists.

The laying of the wreath is an integral part of many remembrance services, as well as highlighting the functional and commemorative roles of war memorials. The laying of wreath allows individuals and others to pay their respects and pay tribute to individuals and groups.

In most ceremonies of remembrance there is a reading of an appropriate poem, and one such traditional recitation on ANZAC day is the Ode of Remembrance. Recited in ceremonies since 1919, it’s final line repeats our promise with every recital: we will remember them.

Finally, the Last Post and Rouse are two of the most memorable and significant calls in commemorating the ANZACs, played to signal the end and new beginning of a day in the military, and sounds of mourning and of life.

These paired with the minute of silence, concluded the liturgy and paid final respects to the ANZACs for ANZAC day. With the conclusion of Mary MacKillop Catholic College’s ANZAC liturgy, we as a school continue to keep the fallen and victims of the war in our prayers, and continue to uphold the legacy of the ANZACs.

Lest we forget

Lauren Alzamora and Daniela Vera, Year 9 Elective History.

Year 9 Excursion to the Australian National Maritime Museum

We woke very early, excited to see what the Australian National Maritime Museum had to offer. Two trains and a tram later, we finally arrived at the Maritime Museum in the Darling Harbour. Upon arrival, we were instantly thrilled as we took a glance of the navy ships and submarines. After being introduced to our guide, we proceeded to a classroom filled with archaeological artifacts and replicas. Here, our guide gave us an interesting introduction to the world of archaeology, specifically about marine archaeology. We partook in many engaging activities including examining objects carefully, looking at where they were found and trying to work out what each one was. We were given an insight into the job of an archaeologist.

After the classroom, we began our Museum tour. We first saw an anchor of the Sirius which was the flagship of the First Fleet that landed in Sydney Cove. During our museum tour, we saw an array of interesting artefacts including an elephants tusk that the Dutch traded and a replica of the cannon machine gun that Captain Cook threw off the side of the ship. Despite the cannon being a replica, there was a real slab of slate from the time of the discovery which we were actually able to touch. In a sense we ‘touched history’. 

Following a quick break, we entered and explored a navy ship, The Vampire. We were so excited to see what the ship held and we weren’t disappointed. Along the way, we learnt many facts about the ship and the events that took place at the time of the ship and even got to sit on the captain’s chair.

Our journey to the Maritime Museum was extremely informative and enjoyable. We gained an immense insight into the world of marine archaeology and we wish to go again.

Marla and Lynn, Year 9 History Elective

Year 9 Camp

On 23 and 24 May, Year 9 participated in their team building camp at YMCA Yarramundi. The girls participated in activities such as: Giant Swing, High Ropes, Cave Maze, Flying Fox (zip line) and team challenges.

The girls had a wonderful time building friendships and taking on challenges. Some of the girls found the strength to overcome their fears in the true spirit of “She Can, She Will”.

The students would like to say thank you to, Mrs Twarkowski, Miss O’Regan, Mr Tomich, Mr McLean, Mr Nguyen, Mrs Andrews, Mrs Obradors, Miss Newton, Mr Reutens, Miss Jennings and Ms Kennedy (Assistant Year 9 Coordinator).

I would like to thank Year 9 for their great participation and behaviour at the camp.

Mrs Lyne Toohey, Coordinator of Learning – Year 9

Art Competition for Refugee Week

Our second artwork was c ompleted by Damyana Moma. It is depicted as:

Coming Events

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