From the Acting Principal

Welcome back to Term 3 !

Welcome to new staff

We warmly welcome the following staff who have recently joined the MSCW Community:

• Federico Manica who will be covering Mrs Calvi’s position in Term 3 whilst she is on leave
• Annie Nguyen: who will join the Mathematics department.
• Nabiha Bitar: who will join our support staff team in the Canteen on Monday, Thursday and Friday.

These staff provide a brief introduction of themselves in the Newsletter.

Over the break

Cambodia Immersion

During the July holidays, seven students from Year 11 and 12 were accompanied by Mr Ryan Leonard and Mrs Carolyn Criss to Cambodia. The Catholic Mission-led Immersion experience provided an opportunity for our students to discover the grassroots work of the church through accessing the challenges and joys of the local people and gaining a better understanding of the communities culture and faith.

These opportunities are only possible when there is support from our own community. I thank Mr Leonard and Mrs Criss for supporting our students in this opportunity.

CASE Junior Space School 

Also during the July holidays we had twelve students from Years 7-9 who travelled with Ms Brooke Cleggett and the Actura team to the USA on a hands-on adventure, where students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in STEAM experiences. 

College Works

Over the break in addition to the College’s scheduled maintenance program, the following upgrades also took place.

Update and refurbishment of the student toilet amenity blocks.

Coutouvre

The Flat

Stair and Walkways Upgrade

The College’s external stairs, landing’s and pathways were repainted and offer a refreshed overall look to these areas.

Start of the Term

College Musical – Frozen Jnr.

As we are all very much aware, last week we reached performance week of the 2023 College Musical Frozen Jr. What a fantastic week we had! After 9 months of rehearsals, we were very excited and proud to present the show to our College and the broader community. 

My congratulations goes to all students who performed in this show, both from MSCW and Holy Cross, Ryde and St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill. Congratulations also to those who were part of the crew. Without them, the show would not have been possible. 

I extend my gratitude to the support of Dr Ireland and the staff who assisted with supervision and running the refreshments bar at the performance. My thanks goes to our ex-students, Olivia Enright, Ashleigh McCurtayne and Esther Monk who assisted in the choreography. A particular thank you must also go to Mrs Caroline Marsh, Ms Monique Shippen, Ms Christina O’Neill, Ms Robyn Purcell, Mrs Wendy Chappell, Mr Sam Burridge, and additional music staff, for their work in their specialised areas; and finally, to Ms Jo George and Ms Emma Hughes for the many, many hours of our work together not just at the rehearsals but also in our planning meetings over the last twelve months!

World Youth Day – Lisbon 2023

On Friday 21 July, ten of our students across Year 10 and 11 began their faith journey with Ms Jenny Vu to World Youth Day in Lisbon. Our students and staff will personally experience with the rest of the world the universality of the Catholic Church. They will share their experiences with other young people during this faith journey. 

We wish Ms Vu and our students well and safe travels to World Youth Day in Lisbon via Italy: 21 July – 11 August. 

Sydney Catholic Schools Grand Final

On Wednesday our Intermediate Netball Team and Intermediate Soccer Team each played in the grand final of the SCS Championships. Congratulations to both Teams for their fantastic effort, playing with much grit, skill and determination. Our Intermediate Soccer Team were successful winners of their competition. Thanks to Mrs Healey for coaching the Netball and Mr Story for coaching Soccer.

Upcoming 

Year 12 Parents

Our school is using the Perspectives: Graduating Year 12 surveys developed by AISNSW to support our school improvement endeavours. The information gathered will assist in furthering the growth and development of our school community. We will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

This survey has been specifically designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of stakeholders’ perceptions of four important areas: School Environment, Teaching and Learning, Student Wellbeing and Post School. All Year 12 students and parents/ guardians will be invited to participate. 

The surveys will be available from 14th August to 1st September and are conducted online, taking approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The survey link will be distributed via email to all from ‘evidence@aisnsw.edu,au’ on behalf of the school.

Year 12 Trials 

Over the next two weeks, our Year 12 Students will engage in their HSC Trial Exams. This is a very important time for our Year 12 Students. I remind the Year 12 Students to give of their best in the preparation for these exams; to stay well rested, eat well and focused. While there is still plenty of work to be done after returning from exams, these Trial Exams are a good practise for what lies ahead in their HSC Exams.

I ask the College community to keep our Year 12 Students in our thoughts and prayers.

A prayer for Year 12:

Ms Melinda Alvarez, Acting Principal

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #2, #6 & #8