From the Principal – Ms Gilda Pussich

Welcome back for Term 3,

Our College has the honour of being named after a wonderful woman, the first Australian saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Her feast day, 8 August, is an opportunity to reflect on her remarkable qualities. The Sisters of St Joseph have a Novena to Mary MacKillop which helps us to pause and reflect on these qualities:

1. A Woman of Faith – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of faith.
2. A Woman of Conviction – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of conviction.
3. A Woman of Courage – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of courage.
4. A Woman of Action – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of action, for action requires faith in God and trust in his word to accomplish great things for the Kingdom.
5. A Woman of Compassion – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of compassion.
6. A Woman of Prayer – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of prayer.
7. A Woman of Forgiveness – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of forgiveness.
8. A Woman of Vision – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of vision.
9. A Woman of the Poor – Mary, teach me to trust in God that God will provide what is needed for me to be a person of the poor.

https://www.sosj.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nine-Days-of-Prayer-with-Mary-MacKillop.pdf

College Values – Excellence

Our College values are Compassion, Courage, Excellence, Hope, Justice, Love, Respect and Service. At the Year Assemblies in Week 1, I spoke to the students about our value of excellence.

I defined excellence as the quality of being outstanding. Excellence simply put means to strive to be the best you can be and to do the best you can do. There are many ways to demonstrate excellence, for example, our Semester 1 award recipients modelled excellence in learning, our students who achieved “Consistently” on many of their reports modelled excellence in application and attitude, and our students who live out our College Values daily model excellence in the way they treat others and hold themselves.

I stressed to all students that the beginning of new term, especially Term 3, allows everyone an opportunity for a fresh start. Term 3 is not just a new term, it’s also a new semester. Semester 1 reports are completed, Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews have been held and Semester 1 is over. It’s a time to set new goals, create a new mindset and strive for excellence.

I challenged all students to strive for excellence in learning and to achieve awards in Semester 2. To do this they need to value learning time by attending school everyday, being punctual to school and class, coming prepared, cooperating with their teachers, collaborating with their peers and working hard both at school and in home study.

HSC Trial Examinations

Year 12 students began their exams on Monday 1 August. The exams will run until Monday 15 August. As a community we keep them in our prayers and will do our best to provide them with an environment optimal for their exams.

It was great to see so many students take up the opportunity to attend holiday masterclasses run by their teachers, to patronise the library for study with the extended hours of operation during Weeks 1 and 2 of this term and to utilise the SCS Masterclasses. Thank you to the following teachers Mrs Harding, Mrs Toohey, Miss Krasic, Mrs Flanagan, Mrs Lowe, Mr Zammit, Mr Carosi, Mr Andrejev, Mr Moore, Ms Fernandes, Mrs Cox, Mrs Wastie, Ms Gagliano, Ms L’Aiguille,  Miss Al-Gharib, Mr Shewan, Mrs Gomes, Ms Ecarma, Mr O’Brien, Mr Khem, Mrs Hornas, Mrs Ryan, Miss O’Regan, Mrs Arairo, Miss Mokdassi and Mr Reutens.

JJAMM Week

Week 5, 15-19 August is JJAMM Week. During the week we reflect on the lives, words and actions of St Joseph, Julian (Tenison-Woods) And St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. JJAMM Week is always a highlight of the school year and one we have missed during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. It is wonderful to be able to once again celebrate this week with our staff and students.

Uniform Shop Moving

We are moving the Uniform Shop offsite so that parents have greater access to the shop. Currently the Uniform Shop is only open every Wednesday and Thursday from 8am until 9.30am. By moving our Uniform Shop to the Cowan and Lewis retail outlet at 156 Main Street, Blacktown, parents will have access 5 1/2 days per week.

Normal trading hours for Blacktown retail outlet are as follows:

• Monday to Friday from 8am – 4.30pm
• Saturday from 9am – 12pm

For the convenience of parents, orders can be done online with free delivery to the school on Wednesdays and Fridays. Alternatively orders can be picked up at the Blacktown retail shop or delivered to homes via Australia Post with a $15 delivery fee. Exchanges or refunds simply require parents to fill in an online form and leave the goods at the College Office. The exchange would then be delivered to school for collection. We hope to still sell a few items, such as the grey stockings, through the College Office.

Throughout January there are extended trading hours:

• Monday to Friday from 8am – 5pm
• Saturday from 9am – 3pm
• Sunday from 10am – 1pm

The move will happen during the September school holidays. We hope that the change will be beneficial to families.

Enrolling Now

We have limited places in Years 7-11 for 2023. Please let any prospective students know to contact the College to secure a place. We are also enrolling for 2024.

COVID-19 

Please note the following important points:

• Any student who tests positive to COVID-19 must isolate for 7 days and provide documentation which includes the start and end dates of isolation. 
• Any student who has COVID-19 symptoms should get tested and remain at home until she is well. 
• Only a positive PCR Test (not a RAT) will be accepted for Year 12 students who miss HSC Trial Examinations.
• Only a positive PCR Test (not a RAT) will be accepted for Year 11 students who miss end of year examinations in September.
• The latest advice states that students who are a household contact of someone who has COVID-19 and do not have any symptoms, can go to school and no longer need to isolate at home for 7 days. 
• Students are encouraged to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and follow safe hygiene practices.
• The College will maintain extra high touch and bathroom cleaning, and minimise large group gatherings by reducing assembly sizes and utilising Zoom.

College Semester 1 Awards for Years 7-10 – Ms Pussich

On Wednesday 20 July, we held four special assemblies to recognise students who achieved awards in Semester 1. The following students are the recipients of the College Semester 1 Awards for Years 7-10:

Principal’s Awards for Academic Excellence

Congratulations to the students who achieved a Principal’s Award for Academic Excellence:

• Margret Zheng (Year 8)
• Cassie Chen (Year 9)
• Nardeen Rafoka (Year 9)
• Melanie Ngin (Year 10)

Academic Commendation Awards

Congratulations to the students who achieved an Academic Commendation Award:

• Year 7 – Lana George, Johanna Johnson, Farah Naqqar and Rosemarry Tong
• Year 8 – Amanda Dawoud, Alanah Kwok, Odelia Salim, Emmie Truong and Min Tseng
• Year 9 – Fadya Al-Kes Hirmiz, Jacinta Bui, Stephanie Escobar, Angelina Isaac, Maayan Matti, Angelina Pham and Sophie Tran
• Year 10 – Natasha Del Rio, Samar Ghareeb, Sarah Kamy, Tanya Lauger, Sarah Meijing Lee, Selina Lim, Fuatino Luamanuvae, Maria Moshi, Abigail Ngo, Vivian Nguyen, Veronica Sako, Chloe Ung and Melanie Wu

Class Effort and Application Awards

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

• Year 7 – Natalee Aja, Angelena Alhanoon, Jecica Alsendi, Kalia Barton, Stephanie Cappelletti, Samantha Chan, Charmaine Muchina, Rama Dawood, Jennifer Escobar, Rachel Farmanian, Melak Galka, Lana George, Orshina Gorgees, Gia Han Hoang, Mariam Haroon, Miral Homo, Gabriella Hosking, Stephanie Kakoz, Vanessa Kakoz, Emma Le, Juliet Liku, Sama Maqdasi Hanna, Mary Moshi, Sama Nafea, Sarah Naisan, Farah Naqqar, Ivy Nguyen, Ornella Nisan, Cecilia Sabri, Savrin Yadko, Karan Shivani, Vanessa Slewa and Rosemarry Tong

• Year 8 – Lara Alarab, Hiba Alkateb, Marleen Alsmaanee, Onella Al-Simaani, Annalyse Aziz, Nancy Baghdady, Mirna Basaka, Monique Cartwright, Deana Corvelo Mariz, Anastsia Dawood, Amanda Dawoud, Maria Esho, Mahaba Galka, Trish HaTran, Razan Kabula, Emily Kewarkez, Olevya Khanoo, Nour Korkis, Alanah Kwok, Sandra Mati, Delya Mayoma, Meriana Mekhael, Mariana Nemrood, Angelica Nitti, Teresa Nguyen, Savanna Petrusevski, Almudena Ruiz-Davila, Kareen Shabo, Cerise Silva, Sandra Vo and Helen Zoori.

• Year 9 – Maram Al-Basheqe, Malak Algodi, Fadya Al-Kes Hirmiz, Dayana Al-Kharat, Maryam Azeez, Maryam Baji, Ronda Butrus, Cassie Chen, Fernanda Dawood, Sophia Dinh, Catelyn Dong, Ashley Duong, Sarah Elia, Angelina Esho, Rozalita Esttaifan, Mary Georges, Riyanna Hanna, Marielena Hawell, Emily Lu, Hailda Maryam, Hannah Maugeri, Ashley Mona, Adau Mawien, Sylvia Nguyen, Maryam Orham, Nardeen Rafoka, Dima Sabeeh, Mariam Saed, Elenia Saleem, Sarah Setrak, Christine Slaiwa, Nhu Trinh, Izabell Vo, Sandra Wahbe and Emily Yahko

• Year 10 – Haya Abduljaleel, Divanda Ajow, Mirna Alsmaanee, Terez Arabo, Roneta Butrus, Rifa Elia, Rebeca Ghanem, Samar Ghareeb, Tessanie Hammond, Angela Ishak, Natali Kasstoun, Maryam Khanoo, Tanya Lauger, Tailoloto Leatuafi Mose, Joleena Lejero, Maria Moshi, Santa Nafea, Abigail Ngo, Ngoc Nguyen, Sophie Nguyen, Yasmine Nguyen, Vivian Nguyen, Mariam Polis, Danella Qsanoo, Nuria Ruiz Davila, Veronica Sako, Tara Sana, Yara Sana, Susan Shikho, Lana Tran, Ava Vo, Mary Youel and Melanie Wu

Semester 1 Involvement in Mary MacKillop College Life Awards – Ms Pussich

At our College Semester 1 Awards for Years 7-10 and our Year 11 and 12 Assembly, we recognised our students for their involvement in college life.

Congratulations to the following students:

Year 7

• Sandra Arabo – Debating Award & Public Speaking Award
• Samantha Chan – Representative Sport Award
• Maniyah Faitua – Debating Award & Public Speaking Award
• Lana George – Representative Sport Award
• Alissa Kakoz – IMC Award 
• Mary Moshi – Debating Award
• Charmaine Muchina – Athletics Carnival Age Champion
• Tiffany Quach – Debating Award
• Miranda Tran – Representative Sport Award
• Elina Yousif – Debating Award

Year 8

• Onella Al-Simaani – Debating & Public Speaking Award
• Monique Cartwright -Debating & Public Speaking Award
• Marie Faleafa – Athletics Carnival Age Champion
• Razan Kabula – Debating & Public Speaking Award
• Sandra Mati – IMC Award
• Angelica Nitti – Representative Sport Award
• Almudena Ruiz-Davila – Representative Sport Award
• Jean Thornton-Finn Representative Sport Award

Year 9

• Sara Asi  – IMC Award & Debating Award
• Sophia Dinh – Representative Sport Award
• Alana Dunmore – Debating Award
• Mololaoluwa Lagoke – Athletics Carnival Age Champion
• Hannah Maugeri – Debating Award
• Adau Mawien – Debating Award
• Jizelle Nanai – Representative Sport Award
• Elenia Saleem – Debating Award & Representative Sport Award & Public Speaking Award 

Year 10

• Karmen Attallah – IMC Award
• Rita Audisho – Debating Award
• Natasha Del Rio – Athletics Carnival Age Champion and Best and Fairest Representative Basketball
• Olivia Fuller – Debating Award
• Rachel Jacob – Debating Award
• Abigail Ngo – Debating Award
• Brenda Ngo – Debating Award
• Isabella Omar – Public Speaking Award
• Asteer Saleem – Representative Sport Award
• Lana Soares – Representative Sport Award
• Abigail Williams – Representative Sport Award
• Chloe Ung – Debating Award

Year 11

• Elaina Estigarribia – Debating Award
• Mikaela Farrugia – Best and Fairest Soccer
• Alexia Fragiadakis – Best and Fairest Basketball
• Esther Ndoro – Debating Award
• Amy Nguyen – Debating Award
• Cassandra Nguyen – Athletics Carnival Age Champion
• Grace Turski – Debating Award

Year 12

• Emily Cao – Debating Award
• Karolina Fasavalu – Athletics Carnival Age Champion and Best and Fairest Netball and Touch Football
• Ella Velickovic – Debating Award

Enrolling Now – Year 7 2024

Please ensure you do not miss the opportunity

 to secure your daughters enrolment for

Year 7 2024

Enrolment Applications are available from Reception

Please contact our Enrolment Officer, Mrs Rosemary Gerardis by email rosemary.gerardis@syd.catholic.edu.au or phone 9725 4322 for further information.

From the Assistant Principal – Mrs Christine Harding

Welcome back to Term 3. Students have returned looking rested and refreshed and all staff are looking forward to a term of learning. Making your way through secondary school can be difficult for many teenagers and at times parents may question how to navigate these years.

The information below is taken from Michael Grose (founder) of Parenting Ideas, one of Australia’s leading Parenting magazines.

1. Communicate with school

Communication with the school is important in aiding a successful school year for your teenager. Familiarise yourself with the names of your child’s subject teachers, year level coordinator and pastoral care/homeroom teacher. Be sure to communicate early any information that your have regarding your teen’s needs. It is important that parents let us know of any issues before they become big problems.

2. Organisation tools to support success

We like to believe our teenager will naturally develop strong organisational skills and be a self-motivated young person. However this is not often the case. As parents we often need to model organisation tools and strategies. Ensure your child uses her school diary on a daily basis to record homework, assessment tasks. Take a look at it regularly and ask questions if there are weeks of blank pages.

3. Create and support a homework plan

Many teenagers find homework an inconvenience. However, if homework is set for your teenager it is better to set them up for success rather than ignore the issue. Ensure your daughter has a well-lit space where they can complete homework each night, ensuring they also have the tools they need. Ensure their social media devices are somewhere else and keep healthy snacks at the ready. Encourage your teenager to get into the habit of creating a ‘to do’ list to keep them focused on two or three tasks in a session.

4. Encourage your teen to find their spark

The school year is long and can be exhausting at times, and it is not the be-all and end-all. Encourage your teenager to find their spark by being involved in extra curricular activities that bring them joy. Examples are sports, music, dance, art or anything else they have a passion for. Having an interest outside of school that encourages socialising and developing friendships is also great for resilience.

5. Prepare for a successful day ahead

Preparing for a successful day starts with getting plenty of sleep. This is becoming increasing difficult as an unprecedented number of teenagers are reporting sleep issues as a concern. Most teenagers require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, but many report getting less than 5. Young people often lack the self-control to avoid engaging online when they should be sleeping. One strategy for improving this situation, which may require you to develop your ‘digital spine’, is removing internet-enabled devices from the bedroom. Insist devices are placed in a central charging area in the home, away from bedrooms, at a nominated time each evening.

6. Make time to chat about school

Finally, keep the lines of communication open with your teenager about their school experiences. While you may be met with an awkward grunt when you ask about their day at school, don’t give up on asking. Often a teenager will chat more in the car or in a café. Keep reminding your child that you are always available to listen – listening being the crucial point here. Many adolescents don’t want you to fix their concerns but they may need you to just listen. Talk about the positive experiences you had during your own high school years and reassure your teen that it will go by quicker than they can imagine.

Winter Uniform Reminder

We commend our many students who wear their uniforms correctly with pride every day. I would like to take this opportunity to remind our community of the College’s expectations in relation to the uniform.

The winter uniform expectations are:

• All students must wear the College Blazer to and from school. The blazer is the outer garment.
• Any clothing worn under the College shirt must not be seen.  All undergarments should be neutral in colour.
• The College Jumper is not part of the Sports Uniform.
• Due to WHS requirements, hair needs to be tied up.
• College skirt is to be worn at the knee (not rolled at the waist).

Compass

Are you on Compass? Does the College have your correct email address? If you require any assistance with Compass, please contact Mrs Grace Labbozzetta at the College on 9725 4322.

If your daughter is absent, an explanation needs to be added by the parent onto the compass portal.

Thank you for your continued support. If you require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact the College.

Mrs Christine Harding

Around the Grounds

Upcoming Events

Catholic Life @ MMCC – Mrs Flanagan

SCS HSC Judaism Study Day

Year 12 Studies of Religion (SOR) students attend the SCS HSC Judaism Study Day during the July school holidays at the Sydney Jewish Museum. The day organised by Sydney Catholic Schools was designed to support SOR students in their studies of the unit on Judaism for the HSC. Students heard from guest speakers on Bioethics, Marriage and Moses Maimonides. Students also toured the museum and were addressed by Holocaust Survivors. Thank you to Ms Floyd for accompanying the students.

Environment Week 2022

As part of Environment week Student leaders took part in the 2022 Earth Care Conference run by the Sisters of St Joseph and hosted by Mount St Benedict Colege. Students listened to Nicole Lewis from B & B Highway https://www.ps.org.au/bb-highway-about, addressing the importance of biodiversity, pollinators, Citizen Science and planning environmental projects.

JJAMM Week 2022

JJAMM Week, Week 5, term 3 is celebrated at MMCC each year  focusing on the Josephite charism and the legacy of Mary MacKillop. JJAMM is an acronym for St Joseph, Julian Tenison-Woods and Mary MacKillop. The program for the week is:

 Monday – St Joseph Day

Refugees & Asylum Seekers awareness activities

Tuesday – Julian Tenison-Woods Day

Environment, sustainability, plant sale and recycling initiatives.

Wednesday – A Community Day

Mufti Day and “School of Origin” Touch Football game on the Oval at lunchtime

Thursday – Mary Day – “See a need and do something about it”

“See a need and do something about it” and Bake Sale

Friday – Mary MacKillop Day

Mass, lunch & music on the oval, Talent Quest

Refugee Week 2022

Refugee Week was celebrated at MMCC with daily prayers and the sharing of Refugee Stories

As part of Refugee Week Mina Zeebaree and Kardina Batti shared the following reflections.

50% Chance

By Kardina Batti

Everything on earth has a 50% chance of survival, and this statement applies to all of us. At any moment, every human can have a heart attack and die. This is a 50% chance. A person crosses the street, there is 50% to be run over by a car and die, and there is 50% to cross the street in peace and live. It can also be a human being. A person on the roof of a building, who has a 50% chance of falling from the building or not falling and continuing to live normally. That is why it is said that anything in this life is possible.

In all countries of the world that live in peace and have laws and governments, all their work is to preserve human life at a high rate, not only this, but also in good health, a great life and a secured future. The chance that you will die actively is a small percentage in these countries. Because it is the duty of the state to bear the responsibility for the lives of a large number of people, which is to preserve equal opportunities for all those under their responsibility. But in Iraq, the chances of survival are 20% at best, and the chance that you might die at any moment is the highest. Why? Because the officials simply do not take responsibility seriously, and they have been easygoing on our lives and our future, and even use our blood for the purposes of sectarian trade, and prepare our bodies to take them to higher positions. This is because they are lazy, apathetic and unable to take responsibility.

What happened in The Tayaran Square, Baghdad, Iraq, on 21.01.2021, makes us stand helpless in the face of this calamity that was organised by ISIS, which we should have won over and got rid off. Who will bear the blood of the innocents? Who will bear the blood of the brothers Amer and Ali? Who was working hard for their family to live? And who will carry the blood of the child who was selling tea? And basically why is there a little boy selling tea on the street during school time? Isn’t he supposed to be at school learning and playing with his friends? Who will bear the blood of all these martyrs? Who bears the failure to protect people, are everyone who claims and trades in the issue of security and everyone who accepts themselves to be responsible for people’s lives, and everyone who is filthy spreads on his back bearing great responsibility and they are the biggest helpless cowards.

This is not a fictional story, but a true story that took place in Iraq, where thousands of innocent people who wanted a peaceful life for themselves and their families died, eating on their dining table and clothes in their closets. This is only one of the reasons why people migrate from drowning to other countries, looking for love and peace, and it does not mean that there is no peace and love in Iraq, but there are reasons that intersect this love and peace. We Iraqis find in most countries of the world what we do not limit in our country after 2003, which is peace.

How I came to Australia

By Mina Zeebaree

My name is Mina and I was born in Iraq and, I will be telling you my story.

In 2014 Isis came to our town and we had to leave Iraq to stay alive. So many people we know didn’t make it and they died. We had to look for a new place to stay, so we went to Erbil. There were so many people with us, some we knew and some we didn’t. We all left our homes to escape death. It was so hard for me and my family because we didn’t know if we would survive the next day or not.

I didn’t go to school for three years and we were living in a school with many families. Each classroom had three families. We had to divide the classroom into sections and we all had to use one toilet. So many nights I had to sleep hungry because there was not enough food for everyone.

In 2016 we went to Jordan and Caritas, the Catholic Organisation, was there to help us. Caritas helped us a lot. They provided school for me and my sister, and they provided food.

We stayed in Jordan for 3 months and then we went back to Iraq because it was so hard for us to cope with all the problems and the way we were treated. We stayed in Iraq until 2017.

In 2017 we had to go back to Jordan and then my baby brother was born. Caritas once again helped us a lot when my brother was born and we even went back to school.

In 2018 International Organisation for Migration helped us to come to Australia. When we came to Australia in 2018 we found it so hard because we didn’t know how to speak English and we didn’t know anything. Afterwards I went to school and learnt how to speak English.

I thank all the people that helped me and my family during the hard time in my life and I thank Caritas for all the help.

Deacon Ben’s Ordination

Upcoming JJAMM Events – Mrs Flanagan

One, Two Tree House – Year 10 Design and Technology Update – Mrs Ryan

Year 10 Design and Technology students recently explored the wonders of architectural design and the skill of model making by designing, creating and evaluating a model tree house. The objective was to design a treehouse that is suitable for people to escape the norm of everyday life but still be comfortable, maybe even luxurious.

Tree houses practically extend the use of the home, they can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, and observation. The appeal of tree houses is that you don’t see them every day and the projects produced by the students are some that may never be seen again. The Year 10 students were amazing in their ability to diversify and produce tree houses that were simply seeking something different from everyone else. The students’ innovative designs demonstrated an amazing array of ideas and were certainly inspirational environments that met a wide variety of needs ranging from a teenagers hang out; parent retreat; vacation accommodation and even a place to have a pampering spa.

Year 10 Design and Technology students are to be congratulated on the spirit in which they undertook this project and the collaborative practices that encouraged each of them to produce something amazing.

Year 8 Technology Update – Mrs Davis

Year 8 Technology class had their first ever practical lesson and were very excited to make scones and banana smoothies.

If you would like to make the scones we have included the recipe below:

Year 11 Hospitality Update – Mrs Davis

Year 11 Hospitality students are currently learning to prepare and present a variety of sandwiches.

IMC Library Update – Mrs Devine

Our library is a wonderful learning hub which includes many multi-purpose areas that can accommodate a range of different activities.  Here are just a couple of the ways we use this wonderful space…

Twilight Study Sessions

To assist our Year 12 students in preparing for their Trial HSC examinations, our dedicated staff have been running study sessions in the IMC each afternoon from 3.30pm – 6.30pm. These sessions are extremely valuable as they provide the students with a quiet space to study, access to the library’s resources, and with staff on hand, students are able to get assistance and feedback as they revise.

Creation Zone – Makerspace

Our Creation Zone is expanding into a Makerspace! We have further developed this zone in the IMC to accommodate a range of practical activities that students can enjoy at recess and lunchtime. Many students have already taken advantage of the opportunity to take a break from their busy day to work on something creative and boost their wellbeing at the same time!

In addition to our jigsaw puzzles, we have added origami and mindful colouring. We will endeavour to add more activities throughout the term and welcome any suggestions.

What’s on in the IMC in Term 3?

Winter Reading Challenge

Our fantastic Winter Reading Challenge continues this term for students in Core classes Years 7 – 10. Students have the opportunity to add to their reading tallies in order to reach or even exceed the reading goals they nominated at the start of the challenge in Term 2.

Students are encouraged to use the time given in their English Wide Reading lessons to read a range of different genres and text types to develop their reading skills.

A reward of a delicious pizza lunch is on offer in Term 4 for the most motivated readers.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge continues this term for Newman classes (Years 7-10) and many students have been hard at work adding to their reading logs.

The challenge is to read 20 of the titles on the PRC Reading List. A number of students have already completed their challenge.

Congratulations to:

Year 7                                   Year 8

Cecilia S                              Alanah K

Lilian E

Rachel F

New Displays

Hogwarts comes to the IMC…

Here is a sneak preview of the new welcome display we are currently creating for the entrance to the IMC.

Readers’ Club

Our fabulous Readers’ Club continues every Friday lunchtime in the Reading Room. Miss Krahe has organised a range of activities for those avid readers who love to chat about all things book related.

Here is what is on offer this term:

New Books

We have some great new titles delivered to the IMC. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer:

Cop & Robber by Tristan Bancks

Popular author Tristan Bancks returns with another action thriller. When your Mum is a cop and your Dad is a robber in need of money, what’s a boy to do? A great story about how doing the right thing is not always easy.

The Snow Laundry by Mette Jakobsen

Set in a dystopian world where homeless children have been fed and clothed in exchange for a vote for the new government – only to find themselves forced into work. This fast-paced thriller has the drama of Divergent and the intensity of The Handmaid’s Tale. You will be captivated from beginning to end.

MMCC Chess Club

House Points Update

World Youth Day 2023: Lisbon Portugal

 Friday July 21 – Friday August 11, 2023

World Youth Day 2023 will take place in Lisbon Portugal next year from Friday 21st July to Friday 11th August (Term 3)

Sydney Catholic Schools are providing the opportunity for student pilgrims from Years 9 and 10 (2022) to attend the international WYD festival next year in Lisbon, Portugal.

What is World Youth Day (WYD)?

WYD is an open invitation for young people to go on a pilgrimage with like-minded youth to celebrate their faith in a week of organised events with the Pope.

Pilgrims will have the opportunity to hear talks given by Bishops from around the world providing a sense of universality throughout the week. Key highlights of the festival include the shared experiences of Opening Mass, Pope’s Arrival, Stations of the Cross, opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration, concerts, overnight Vigil, and Final Mass.

This is an exciting opportunity that awaits student pilgrims, supported by teachers, and staff from Sydney Catholic Schools.

Pilgrimage options to WYD

There will be 3 options to choose from for the pilgrimage:

• Holy Land – visiting the significant sites in Jesus’ life, journey, and ministry from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.
• Italy – taking in sites of major historical cities, including Rome, Florence, Siena, Milan and other towns throughout the country.
• Direct option to Lisbon via Avila (Spain)

Please find attached an overview of the pilgrimage options attached with an indicative cost for each option.

Students in Sydney Catholic Schools who wish to attend WYD 2023: Lisbon, Portugal are asked to complete the Expression of Interest form and pay a $500 deposit towards their pilgrimage.

If you would like your daughter to attend the event please complete the attached EOI form

Should you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Mrs Haber at the College on 9725 4322 or via email at marie.laiguille@syd.catholic.edu.au

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Joelle Haber L’Aiguille, Youth Ministry Coordinator

Mrs Annette Flanagan, Leader of Religious Education

Study Skills Handbook – Mrs Devine

Rest in Peace Sr Marge Candrick 1937-2022

TAFE Course – Using Technology