From the Principal

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, when we celebrated the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. You may still have your palm that was part of your Parish liturgy. An artistic team in my Parish had these ready for our liturgy.

Today, Holy Thursday, we began with our Holy Week liturgy in Year Groups. By creative use of drama and music this opportunity allowed our students to experience the journey of Jesus with the cross to his death. In our Parishes tonight, families have the opportunity to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and Jesus’ life of service through the washing of the feet. Then begins the Easter Triduum, the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. These days are the culmination of the entire liturgical year and are the most significant days in our Christian tradition. The Easter Triduum reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil where through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection we are reminded again of his unconditional love for us. In your parishes you will light the new Pascal Candle and renew your baptismal promises.

From the Assistant Principal

COMPASS Student Card

It is a College expectation that all students have their COMPASS student ID card with them everyday. The card is used in particular for students to tap in and out of the College for late arrival or early departure. I ask for the support of parents in ensuring that your daughter/s have this with them everyday. If students have misplaced or lost their student ID card it is a requirement that the card is replaced. Please see below for how to order a new card online.

MSCW Parent Engagement 

Our MSCW Parent Engagement Model strives to build quality relationships across the College community.

Aims:

• A model of partnership with parent and families to increase parental engagement, belonging and communication;
• An avenue for parents to be involved in the College community with parents of their daughter’s year group;
• Helping out and working with other parents in a service or social event;
• Providing a parental perspective to assist the Principal in decision making;
• Organising and running events that support the values and strategic directions of the College;

2024 Events

• Year 9 Parent Engagement group will host the Mother’s Day Mass and supper on Wednesday 8 May
• Year 10 Parent Engagement group will host the Father’s Day Mass and Breakfast (Term 3)
• Year 11 Parent Engagement group will host the Year 12 Graduation supper (Term 3)

Please email the College info@mscw.catholic.edu.au if you would like more information regarding involvement in your daughter/s parent engagement/s group.

2024 Sydney Catholic Schools Community Survey

You will soon receive a notification on either your Compass Mobile App, or Internet browser when you next log into Compass directing you to complete an insights cycle for an SCS Community Survey in Compass.

When you see the notification (pictured above) as a banner. Click on the blue link to open the cycle, select your responses and ‘save’! – you will receive a ‘Thank you’ when completed. 

Participation in these surveys is voluntary, and may take approximately 5 minutes.

Distributed each term throughout the year, these surveys capture parent feedback in relation to topics such as; mission, classroom learning, wellbeing and partnerships, allowing participants to give their thoughts and feedback.

To navigate back to the Insights module without a ‘banner’, you will find the module by clicking on the ‘more’ option at the bottom of your mobile screen, and selecting the ‘Insights’ tile or adding Insights, to your favourites list.

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

From the Religious Education Coordinator

In our Church ……

THE CELEBRATION OF EASTER

This week the Church celebrates Holy Week.  In this newsletter we explore the development of this central festival in the Catholic Church.

The celebration of Easter

By the second century the weekly assembly came to be complemented by an annual celebration of the paschal mystery.  At first this Christian Pasch was celebrated in accordance with the Jewish calendar for Passover, on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, which could be any day of the week.  After much controversy it was decreed by the Council of Nicaea in 325 that the commemoration of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection should be held on Sunday rather than a weekday. 

The annual feast of Easter quickly carried over into a week of celebration which further developed into a season of fifty days.  Throughout this time the church rejoiced in the one great mystery of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.  It reveled in the new life of the Spirit.  But the integrity of this unified season was lost when the Ascension of the Lord began to be celebrated on the fortieth day, leaving ten days to be spent waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The development of the Triduum

The Easter celebration itself took the form of a night-time vigil, preceded by days of strict fasting.  Once it was transferred to Sunday, the service began to focus more exclusively on the resurrection of the Lord.  Accordingly, the preceding days of fast developed an identity of their own.  Good Friday came to centre on Jesus’ death, Holy Saturday on his burial.  The once unified remembrance of the paschal mystery broke up into a series of separate observances.  Later developments led to the Vigil being celebrated on Holy Saturday morning, with the addition of Holy Thursday creating a new Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

The evolution of these rites was aided and abetted by widespread imitation of the liturgies of 4th century Jerusalem.  The Holy City had become a popular pilgrimage site.  Devout Christians who visited during Holy Week experienced a series of liturgical events at sites associated with Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  On return home they introduced some of these rituals to their local churches.  A number of them, such as the veneration of the cross, survive to this day.

All this enables the whole Christian community to be immersed in the whole saving mystery of Jesus Christ: his ministry, suffering, death and resurrection, glorification and sending of the Holy Spirit.  In this mystery the church becomes “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,” called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light in order to proclaim God’s mighty works (1 Pt 2:9). Taken from: https://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/the-sacraments/lent

In our Community…. 

STAFF SPIRITUALITY DAY

On Monday the Marist Sisters’ College staff gathered together at The Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in La Perouse. An organisation that is a service of the Archdiocese of Sydney provides an interface between all Indigenous people and the Catholic Church. 

In the morning we gathered in the Reconciliation Church to celebrate mass with Father Kevin Dance. Throughout the offertory procession, staff offered the goods they collected to donate to the community pantry. The second session involved painting river rocks from the local area using cultural symbols and colours.  The staff were able to deepen their understanding and knowledge by engaging in a walk on country experience guided by the Gujaga Foundation. We were able to gain a strong sense of cultural identity of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community. 

A huge thank you to Lisa Buxton, Kelly Wyld and Janice Ban from The Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Rob and Shane from The Gujaga foundation and Father Kevin Dance for celebrating mass with our Marist Sisters’ College staff.

In our Curriculum…..

YEAR 7 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

This week we highlight the great work Year 7 are doing in their Religious Education Classes.

Our Year 7 students have been exploring the unit What it means to be Catholic. They have been identifying key beliefs, values and practices of the Catholic Tradition and explore how these influence the life of Catholic communities. Year 7 students have been examining the organisational structure of the Catholic Church and identifying significant people and events within it.

Thank you Year 7 for your efforts! Thank you to our teaching team for their continued commitment and dedicated to Year 7:

• Ms Irena Jajcevic
• Ms Leoni Hopkins
• Mr Federico Manica
• Ms Jenny Vu
• Ms Rosario Poli
• Ms Rebecca Bombaci

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2

From the Leader of Learning

Last week we welcomed back Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services (www.enhanced-learning.net) as our guest speaker for an insightful session with Year 11 students. Year 12 will have a Study Skills Session next Wednesday during Community Time with Dr Salter.

The event provided a unique opportunity for Year 11 to reflect on the academic progress students have made and skills they have developed, in order to explore new strategies for maximising academic potential as they approach the culmination of their high school years.

Dr Salter’s expertise offered valuable insights into how to study effectively at home and deal with distractions, manage time efficiently, plan for assessments, make brain-friendly study notes regularly, and use various active study techniques to suit individual learning preferences.

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr Prue Salter for sharing her expertise once again. We encourage our entire College community to leverage the valuable insights available on the study skills website: www.studyskillshandbook.com.au.

Just enter the username: MSCW, and use the password: 93success.

There are lots of useful handouts available on the Things to Print page when you log in. For additional study skills tips from Dr Salter, families can explore a dedicated resource at http://studyskillstoptipsparents.com/.  

We also encourage parents to explore the session’s slides and handouts with students, fostering further discussions about areas that may benefit from positive changes. Let’s continue to support our students to achieve their full academic potential and work towards the next chapter of their lives.

Perroton News

Perroton has had a great start to 2024, on Wednesday 1 February we welcomed new Tutors, Ms Kritikos and Ms Basha to our Perroton community, as P1 and P5 tutors. We are also very excited to welcome our new Year 7 students to Perroton and it’s been great to see them stepping up and getting involved.

House Mass 

On Wednesday 28 February, Perroton House came together to celebrate our annual House Family Mass and Supper. The event brought together the entire Perroton community of students, families and staff to celebrate the commencement of another exciting school year.

We extend a huge thank you to Father Brian Wilson from Holy Name of Mary Hunters Hill for leading the Mass and to all that got involved. In his Homily, Father spoke on the qualities of our House Patron Marie-Francoise Perroton and what it means to have courage, setting the tone for the year ahead. 

For 2024 the Perroton House mission is ‘PCP’: to have pride, to show courage and to participate. This was exhibited by our wonderful Perroton Choir who kindly chose to share their gifts at Perroton Mass. As the year continues we urge the students of Perroton House to continue sharing their gifts and talents and thank them for all they have done already in the year.

At the conclusion of the Mass, the community gathered on La Valla Terrace to share in a supper provided by our hospitality students. The supper served as a way for students, staff and families to strengthen pre-existing connections and to form new ones developing our sense of belonging. 

We are extremely grateful to have such a loving community in Perroton House and would like to thank all who were able to join us at the College. May we all be inspired to show courage in our lives as we continue on our Marist journeys following the example of Marie-Francoise Perroton.

Caritas Project Compassion  

This year, Caritas Project Compassion has a theme of “For all future generations”, featuring stories from the Philippines, Samoa and Malawi. To contribute to this charity, Perroton House held a Krispy Kreme Day on 28 March. The total raised was approximately $380.00 and we are proudly contributing that to help individuals in need.

Keep up the great effort Perroton – PCP! 

Ziani Viola, Tiare Tramarin & Gabrielle Foster, Perroton Captains

Gifted and Talented Report

What’s happening in Newman?

Students are well and truly settled into their new look classes and have started submitting their assessment tasks. I have been able to visit various classes this term and chat to students about their new class, their learning and their wellbeing.

In Year 7 Science they have been introduced to working in the lab and looking at measurement- how to measure using different instruments, how to measure accurately- all important skills in collecting data in science. Year 8 Science is looking at ecosystems and adaptations following their zoo excursion, and using AI to generate aliens for their assessment task. Year 9 are tackling the rigours of Maths, with 30 students undertaking the Accelerated Maths course. This means students are completing Year 9 and 10 Maths this year and will start the Year 11 Preliminary course next year in Year 10, then completing the HSC Maths exam a year early- what an achievement! Year 10 English students are grappling with the text “To Kill a Mockingbird” and learning how to annotate and look for meaning between the lines, as well as understanding context.

Students are tracked beyond Year 10 once they have left the Newman program. I track all data and the wellbeing of former Newman students across Stage 6 to ensure they are working to their potential. Over the past 2 weeks I have met with former Year 10 Newman students who are now in Year 11 to discuss their transition to Stage 6 and the demands of being a senior student. Girls created a PMI outlining the positives such as new and interesting subjects, the building of relationships with teachers, new opportunities for socialisation as well as the minus- increased workload. Some interesting points made were mixing with students they had never mixed with in junior years. The feedback will be given to Year 11 students.

Below are various photos of our Newman girls in action.

Mrs Colreavy’s Conundrum

Don’t forget Mrs Colreavy’s conundrum!

Question:

What is the common link between the following:

Email: rachael.colreavy@syd.catholic.edu.au with your answer. Correct answers will win a prize.

Pi Day Festivities

Last week, our Mathematics Department hosted a double celebration of mathematical excellence and female achievement during our Pi Day festivities on 8 March, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

The highlight of our event was the eagerly anticipated Pi Reciting competition, where we witnessed some outstanding displays of memory and mathematical prowess. Contestants from all year levels participated, reciting the digits of Pi with precision and passion. 

We commend all participants for their efforts, and it is with great pleasure that we announce the top performers:

🥇 First Place: Emily Barrett – Reciting an impressive 166 digits of Pi!

🥈 Second Place: Isabella Van Der Weide – Demonstrating remarkable skill with 134 digits of Pi!

🥉 Third Place: Katalina Sterne – Exhibiting proficiency with 67 digits of Pi!

We also wish to recognise the participation of Charlotte Crippen, Seana Miao, Liana Tahmasian, and Elisia Wong in the event.

Pi Day is more than just a celebration of a mathematical constant; it’s a reminder of the beauty and universality of mathematics in our lives. It was fitting to coincide this celebration with International Women’s Day, as it allowed us to recognise the important role that women have played and continue to play in the field of mathematics.

From historical figures like Ada Lovelace to modern-day mathematicians, women have made significant contributions to the advancement of mathematics. Their achievements serve as an inspiration to all of us and highlight the importance of diversity and inclusivity in our community.

As we reflect on this special day, let’s continue to support and encourage diversity in mathematics and beyond. Thank you to everyone who participated in making our Pi Day and International Women’s Day celebration a memorable one.

TexStyle 2024 – Congratulations

Sunday 17 March was the official opening and presentation of awards for the TexStyle Exhibition. This exhibition acknowledges students’ work from the 2023 HSC Textiles and Design course and showcases excellence and exemplary work by Textile students.

Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich had two students selected for the Exhibition – Alyssa Pirrello and Charlotte Parisi.

Charlotte was also presented with a special award from the Knitters Guild NSW – Excellence Award – Second prize and her work will also go on to be exhibited in other exhibitions.

The work will remain on display at Gallery 76 (76 Queen St Concord West) until 28 April.

Sports News

MSCW Swimming Carnival 

It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and level of participation by all the students, with several records being broken.

Congratulations to the following students who broke records on the day.

The atmosphere was awesome with the MSCW Spirit a highlight of the day.

Best “House Spirit” as judged by Ms Angela Bowland (Leader of Wellbeing) throughout the day was awarded to:

1. Perroton
2. Jaricot
3. Chanel 

Congratulations to Marcellin House with the most participation points.

1st Place – Marcellin

2nd Place – Colin

3rd Place – Chanel

Chavoin House who put in an outstanding performance to finish first in 3.42.67 in the House Relay.

Chavoin was represented by:

Congratulations to the 2024 Swimming Champions and Runner-up in each Age Group.

Chloe Joh – U12s Champion	Emma Whitty – U13s Champion	Olivia Treadwell – U14s Champion
Emma Ward – U14s Champion	Maya Ostapenko – U15s Champion	Angela Lakic – U16s Champion
Amy Linssen – U17s+ Champion

Overall House Champions 

Congratulations to Chavoin House who are the 2024 Swimming Champions.

1st Place – Chavoin

2nd Place – Colin

3rd Place – Marcellin

A huge appreciation goes out to the entire MSCW staff whose dedication and hard work were instrumental in making the carnival a resounding success. Special congratulations are also due to all the students for their exemplary behaviour and unwavering demonstration of Marist Spirit throughout the day!

Sydney Catholic Schools Swimming Championship

MSCW Sydney Swimming Team 2024

• Chloe Joh
• Florence Bowden
• Emma Whitty
• Olivia Treadwell
• Emma Ward
• Maya Ostapenko
• Evie Lange
• Angela Lakic
• Amy Linssen
• Sienna Brown
• Rebecca Linssen
• Sophie Mitchell-Cook
• Ziani Viola
• Alicia Jordaan
• Emma Websdale
• Chloe Websdale

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

Sports Results

Week 7

MVP

​

Hannah Kucic	Niamh Krenmayr	Amelie Fehir
Ivy Vella	Alyssa Head	Brianna Kelly
Alysha Lee	Emelia Dunn	Claudia Janus
Emma Ward	Lara Carvello	Sienna Brown

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

Canteen News

Change to Flexischools

Due to the increase of online orders, the cut off time will now be 8:00 am!

Please order as soon as you are able to.

Calling on volunteers

Enrolment applications – Year 7 / 2026 closing soon!

St Mary’s Primary School Concord – Enrolment Communication

Introduction to Rowing

Help design and run your upcoming local youth week event