Mary MacKillop Catholic College | Mary MacKillop Catholic College

We are sufficiently insulated from the impact of natural disasters in Australia that the current tragedy in Turkey and Syria is almost unreal. It is expected that the death toll will climb above 50 000 which is tragic. By comparison, the bushfires that so dominated our fears and thinking in 2020 claimed only 34 lives.

It can be hard to know how to engage with tragedy like these earthquakes. I find myself unable to fully engage with the 'miracle stories' of living babies pulled from rubble after days under dust and debris, or the different hero narratives that emerge as the media seeks to bring some light out of the darkness of the deaths of so many people. To me they silver-line these horrible moments and are the opposite of how we should encounter tragedy.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus raises a man from Bethany called Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters were friends of Jesus - he had broken bread with them and the Gospels imply a genuine closeness. When Jesus came to Bethany, and he was met by the people mourning Lazarus, his first reaction, and probably the only right reaction, was to weep. And he did. There was no stoic 'he's in a better place' or 'these things happen for a reason'... his primary response was to walk with those grieving and to grieve with them. Empathy and love were Jesus's first responses.

Where is God in these natural disasters? Too often, vague questions about God 'allowing' or 'causing' natural disasters creep into conversation. You may have your own view of that, but to me, God is in those who help others and respond with service and compassion during times of trial and suffering. Corinthians tells us that we are Christ’s body and form individual parts of it. We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world. We may not see the ways God is helping at first because these ways may not necessarily be our ways - but we give a stronger voice to the suffering when we have the bravery to weep alongside them.

A number of parents have contacted me about fundraising to support rescue and rebuilding efforts. The best response given the severity of the emergency is for community members to support individually. Please see via this link the Caritas site which is engaging with support services in Turkey and Syria. We of course must keep remembering the suffering and those who have passed in our prayers.

Mr Chris Gabbett
College Principal

'Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for six weeks. We call it Ash Wednesday because many, many Christians around the world receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads.' (https://liturgyritualprayer.com/ash-wednesday-primary-2023/) This liturgical change in our year is next Wednesday.

'Ashes are a sign of sorrow and repentance and God’s people have used this sign for hundreds of years. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect.' (https://liturgyritualprayer.com/ash-wednesday-primary-2023/) Lent offers an opportunity to change our hearts, turn our hearts back to God and rise above what is holding us back from being people of God.

'It also reminds us that we are followers of Jesus who believe that God is always with us. We can be hope-filled people who encourage, inspire and support others and help them to rise up and live with an optimistic and cheerful outlook, remembering that God is always with us.' (https://liturgyritualprayer.com/ash-wednesday-primary-2023/)

This Lent we are challenged to 'turn to God' and show love to others. It is an opportunity to make better choices for ourselves and others; an opportunity to help others in need or be a friendly face or listening ear rather then just dismissing the issue.

During these forty days I encourage you to change your heart - look for the opportunity to be loving. Rise up and turn to God with hearts of love.

Each year, Project Compassion comes as a timely reminder of the importance of solidarity and how a single act of kindness – whether big or small, can make a life-changing impact in the lives of those who need it most. During this time, our College will also take part in the Project Compassion fundraising. Each family will receive a small box to place money in over the six week period. This money will go towards supporting the future for all generations - for those experience hardship in poorer areas of the world. Some classes/year levels will also organise activities to raise funds as well. Look out for these details into the future.

So I challenge you and your family to "Rise up and turn back to God with loving hearts".

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education

For those families wishing for their child/ren to continue the faith journey, here are the dates for this year:


27 March	Parent meeting - Confirmation & First Eucharist at 5:30pm in Junior Library.
15 June	Sacrament of Confirmation - 7:00pm in MacKillop Centre
13 August	First Eucharist - 9:00am in the MacKillop Centre
11 September	Parent Meeting - Sacrament of Reconciliation - 5:30pm in Junior Library.
9 November	Sacrament of Reconciliation - 6:00pm in the MacKillop Centre

Information will go out to parents through emails as each sacrament is due to begin.

If you have any questions please email me or contact any of the following members of the team:

Fr Brian Noonan - 0458 967 094

Marita Tuite - 0477 925 252

Beth McCormack - 0412 018 177

Nadine Dolan - 0425 210 444

Trish Gall - 0418 356 181

Liz Eilers - 0439 777 121

Paula O'Rourke - 07 4698 7777 (College number)

Paula O'Rourke
APRE and member of Parish Sacramental Team

As children progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a nationwide exam for students in Year 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Students are tested on 4 topics – Reading and Comprehension, Language Conventions, Writing, and Numeracy. Each paper has a set period of time to be completed in.

The online test sequence is as follows:

1. writing (paper for Year 3 only)

2. reading

3. conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)

4. numeracy.

Each paper is specialised to test different skills your child should have at this stage in their education and place them within a band according to their performance against the rest of the students in their grade across Australia. There are 6 bands, which grow as a student gets older. For example, a year 3 student is measured on a scale of 1 to 6, as a year 9 student is measured on a scale of band 5-10. This means that a student in year 3 and a student in year 6 who receive a Band 6 have achieved very different results!

The writing section provides students the opportunity to get creative and think outside the box! Each year a new stimulus is crafted, prompting students to write either a persuasive or imaginative text. In this paper, students are tested on general aspects of writing such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. However, some parts of the marking criteria are dependent on the stimulus; a persuasive text should include language devices to influence the reader, while an imaginative text should establish a strong character and setting.

Language conventions is the only paper which assesses two distinct aspects of your child’s ability, their spelling, and their grammar and punctuation. The single paper provides a mix of multiple choice and written responses which prompts students to recognise and fix the faults of the provided stimulus. This section prepares students for interactions in the real world by testing them on their writing etiquette and testing their ability to recognise different meanings which can be derived from sentences.

The Reading paper is comprised of numerous different texts of different types and genres to prompt students to use their analytical skills when deducing the intent of a text. Students may be given short stories, poems, advertisements, news articles, autobiographies, or even interviews to read and answer questions on! As the paper progresses, the texts and questions will become increasingly harder and more complex.

The Numeracy paper is derived from the Australian curriculum and gives students a range of different questions to prove where their strengths lie in maths! From geometry to algebra, probability and problem-solving, this paper is designed to get your child’s brain working!

It’s Important to Remember:

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results.

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students have already learnt through the school curriculum. Teachers will ensure that students are familiar with the test formats and will provide appropriate support and guidance.

When is NAPLAN Taking place?

At MMCC NAPLAN will begin with a practice test in week 5.

The “Real” NAPLAN will take place over weeks 8 and 9. The timetables will be communicated to parents.

The tests need to be taken in a specific order. Individual students are not permitted to sit the online tests after the 9th day of the testing window.

Further Information will be sent to parents of students undertaking NAPLAN this year.

Version 9 Curriculum

A new version of the curriculum has been released – formally known as Version 9.0. Teachers is P-6 are rolling out this version in a staggered manner. Semester 1 we are working in v9.0 for English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Music, Drama, Dance, and Digital Technologies. In Semester 2, we will add HaSS, Science, Design Technologies, Media Arts, Visual Arts. This is a massive undertaking for teachers, which they have wholeheartedly embraced.

Spotlight on v9.0 Health and Physical education

“Health and Physical Education enables students to develop skills, understanding and willingness to positively influence the health and wellbeing of themselves and their communities. In an increasingly complex, sedentary and rapidly changing world, it is critical for every young Australian to flourish as a healthy, safe, active and informed citizen. It is essential that young people develop their ability to respond to new health issues and evolving physical activity options.” Australian Curriculum

Students acquire and apply movement skills. Movement is a powerful way for learning through which students can practise personal, social and cognitive skills. Health and Physical Education (HPE) addresses factors that influence the health, safety, relationships, wellbeing and physical activity patterns of individuals.

HPE comprises of 2 strands: Personal, social and community health & Movement and Physical activity. (see the infographic below)

Specialist Classes occur weekly across P-6. Physical Education forms one of the specialist lessons. In addition, students in P-3 access the Health component of HPE through their Wellbeing specialist lesson, whilst students in 4-6 access their Health component in class.

At MMCC we recognise the importance of HPE and aim to provide many opportunities for our students to thrive in this space. An active body leads to an engaged mind.

As always, if you have questions regarding HPE, see your child’s classroom teacher.

Mrs. Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

It is that time of year again. Our Year 10 students are looking for work experience placements for Week 10 of this term.

Finding work experience opportunities can be tricky. Spots can fill up quickly, or maybe there’s nothing in your area that matches your dream job.

But getting any kind of work experience is valuable. Even if you want to be an engineer, the skills you learn from working in retail are important – think things like communicating with clients/customers, taking initiative, showing up on time, etc.

So how do you go about finding work experience?

Finding opportunities with a family friend

You might’ve heard the saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know”. Having connections with people is a great way to get your foot in the door. You could have a family friend you can ask about work experience opportunities.

Maybe one of your friend’s parents works in a job you’d be interested in, or your dad’s best mate runs his own business. If you’ve already met someone, it can be easier to approach them and ask for something than a total stranger.

Like we said earlier, even if the industry or job doesn’t quite match up, getting any work experience can be incredibly valuable. So if you know someone who might be willing to give you a go, then ask.

How to ask for work experience

If you have a family friend you’d like to ask for work experience, here’s what we suggest:

Contact them personally, not through your friend/parent. Your connection might be able to set you up with a meeting or contact information, but ultimately you should ask for work experience yourself – it shows much more initiative and confidence.
Mention your connection. This can help break the ice and make the conversation more comfortable.
Explain what you’re looking for. Let them know why you want work experience, when you’re available, and how long you need a placement for.
Be enthusiastic. Even if it’s not a job you’re super passionate about, show that you’re willing to learn and get experience.
Thank them for their time and consideration.

If all goes well, you’ll have secured yourself a work experience placement. But even if they can’t offer you an opportunity, they might still be able to suggest other options and provide you with valuable advice.

Think outside the box

You might already know exactly where you want to do your work experience. But sometimes it’s not always possible to get exactly what you want.

Say you’d like to work at a zoo one day, so you look for work experience at a zoo nearby, but their placements are all taken – or there are no zoos where you live. What next?

Well, you could always do a placement somewhere similar, where you’ll be doing similar tasks and gaining valuable skills. Think about other places you might be able to work with animals – at a local shelter, at a vet’s office, or even with animal management at the local council. Just because your dream option won’t work doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of other valuable opportunities out there.

Do some research

Before you commit to a work experience placement, it’s always good if you can have a chat with your potential employer to get a feel for the place and what to expect.

Make sure you know exactly what is expected of you, such as what time you need to show up and what you need to wear or bring with you.

If a placement runs over a set date, make sure you can fully commit to it.

As a work experience student, you should never be expected to do work that a paid employee would be doing. Most of your day will involve shadowing, asking questions, or working on mock projects or exercises. If you have concerns, get in touch with the College and speak with a senior employee or manager.

If you’re looking for more work experience opportunities, take a look at our Work Experience Handbook - 2023 below packed with opportunities.

Work Experience Handbook - 2023