I am sure there are community members who have read the Pultizer Prize winning novel All the Light we Cannot See. Perhaps you watched the adaptation on Netflix. The book is set during the World War Two battle for St Malo in Brittany, France. St Malo is a stunning place - it is a walled city that became famous in the early modern period as a haunt of pirates, privateers and corsairs, who grew rich raiding shipping in the Atlantic.
I spent a few days in St Malo in early August 2016. I had helped my aunt pack her things in the southwest of France prior to her return to Australia. I then drove to Bordeaux and explored the French coast to Calais.
Wandering the streets of St Malo, I came across 'la Maison du Beurre' - the House of Butter. Enticingly hidden inside was a Museum of Butter. I've long been a fan of butter so in I went!
One fact from that visit has stayed with me. In the Middle Ages, a duchess of Brittany wrote to the Pope and asked his permission to eat butter during Lent. In the comfort of the 21st Century we seldom think of butter as a luxury - but it was standard amongst Catholics in the medieval period to go without butter to observe abstinence.
Now, in promoting this expectation, the Pope in Rome would face few local objections, as people in the Mediterranean could turn easily to olive oil to cook with or eat with bread. In more northern places like central France, this was a harder option to take. So, frustrated that the Catholics in southern Europe got this convenient workaround, she insisted that butter in St Malo was NOT a luxury, and that it should be eaten in Lent without any guilt.
The Pope agreed.
Nowadays, when we ask students what they are giving up for Lent, the answer ranges from 'nothing' to a broad selection of standard modern-day luxuries. The challenge that we have given our students is that they could abstain from other things - things that are harmful to themselves and to others in the community.
Pope Francis set the challenge recently when he asked that the Church: 'Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words and be silent so you can listen'.
This Lent, challenge your child to be joyous, compassionate, empathetic and a peacemaker. And perhaps go easy on the butter.
Thank you as ever for the support you give our College.
Mr Chris Gabbett
College Principal
Staff Profile
Mr Stuart Parker has recently joined the MMCC Community after working for numerous years as a qualified Chef in restaurant industry. This real-world industry experience is a huge advantage for our students and colleagues. Please take a moment to learn more about Stuart.
Your official role at the College:
Hospitality Teacher
What does a typical day really look like:
A typical day for me starts with my Pastoral Care class. I greet the students and we have discussions on values and expectations. Afterwards, you would find me either teaching Hospitality, preparing the kitchen for practical lessons, or preparing lessons in the staff room.
At lunch time, you will find me conversing in the staff room or patrolling around the café talking to students. At the end of the school day, I am finalising recipes for the following weeks or ordering ingredients for future classes.
What do you like about working at Mary MacKillop Catholic College?
The culture at the school and collegiality between staff. Everyone that I have encountered has been approachable and more than happy to answer my questions. The school and the diocese have been very supportive and have made my transition into teaching much smoother than I had anticipated. The students are respectful, prepared, and friendly.
What are your hobbies/Interests?
My hobbies consist of fishing, reading, barbequing, cooking, gardening (even though I am terrible at it) and spending time with my family.
Other interesting facts about yourself or anything else you would like to share with the MM community:
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, I began making sourdough. I have a sourdough 'mother' taking up room in my fridge that I haven't fed in years, yet I won't let my wife throw it out in case I decide I want to make sourdough again.
Why did you decide to move from a Hospitality industry into teaching?
My favourite part about working in the Hospitality industry was working with and mentoring Apprentice Chefs. However, after a long time in the industry, I decided that the lifestyle within the Hospitality industry isn’t what I wanted for myself or my family. I was still passionate about hospitality, so I decided to further my education, into teaching, and teaching hospitality to future generations was the natural and easy choice to make.
What is the main thing you want your students to learn when studying your subject?
I want my students to develop skills and proficiencies so that they can confidently and competently prepare healthy, nutritious food once they have finished school. I want my students to enjoy cooking the way that I enjoy cooking, and not see it as an afterthought or chore that must be done.
Volunteers Needed - The Cafe
Can you spare some time to help out in our Cafe?
We are in need of some volunteers to help out in The Cafe, even if it is just for a couple of hours it would be appreciated. There are spaces available Monday - Friday.
If you are interested in assisting throughout the College, please complete this form. You will need to complete the TCSO Volunteers and Visiting Service Providers induction using this link. Alternatively you can visit the College to pick up this documentation.
We look forward to seeing mums, dads, carers and grandparents soon helping out in The Cafe!
Mission & Identity
Shrove Tuesday: Possibilities, Partnership and Passion!
It has been an action-packed Week 4 at the College, with Affirmation Week, Shrove Tuesday, Carnevale, Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day all falling in the one week!
In Pastoral Care groups and Junior classrooms, students have had the opportunity to affirm others–letting their friends, peers and teachers know just how much they appreciate them. The season of Lent calls us to look outside of ourselves; after all Jesus sacrificed himself for the good of all. Writing an affirmation to someone whom we admire, respect or are grateful for reminds us to see the possibilities in others and show our peers that we notice their passions and gifts. Well done to students who took the time to write an affirmation this week; we make ourselves vulnerable when we tell others what we love about them.
Shrove Tuesday brought with it delicious pancakes, colourful and glittery masks, and–in the Senior College–House versus staff pancake relays. While the staff team almost secured a victory, they were outdone by McCormack House who worked brilliantly in partnership to flip their pancakes across Ignatius. Credit needs to go to Year 12 students who helped to run the event.
As always, the Junior College was awash with glitter, feathers and sequins! Creative passions were evident in beautifully adorned butterfly masks, superhero masks, House-themed masks, Venetian-inspired masks and even some pretty scary animal masks could be found in every Junior classroom. Each year, it is wonderful to witness students involved in the festivity of Carnevale prior to the more pious observance of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday. There were definitely some masks which must have taken many hours of creating. Thank you to staff and parents for supporting our students with their wonderful mask creations! In the Senior College, special mention must go to McCormack House who, collectively, had the most students sporting masks, and also to Mr Chivers and Penola 2 who had over 95% of their students wearing a mask.
We look forward to some more fun and frivolity on Shrove Tuesday 2025!
Leisa Radley Director of Formation and College Culture (Year 7-12)
Together we serve from the hearts through our hands.
This week we celebrated Ash Wednesday mass to start the church's liturgical season of Lent. During Lent we are asked to look outside ourselves. To allow our heart to be opened to the needs of others. It is through helping others that we encounter God and strive to be better people.
As I was listening to a daily podcast from Bruce Downes, The Catholic Guy, about our role this Lent he talked about Lent being about renewal. We are not perfect and so it is through reflecting on our life that we are able to look at ourselves and how we can be better people. No one is perfect and it is through helping others that God's grace will be granted to us, enabling us to be less selfish and more loving - better people.
So when we say serve from the heart, this Lent, I challenge you all to look at how your heart can be opened to serving those around you. It is with our hands that we are able to potentially succeed. What are you able to do with your hands that will help others?
During Lent, our College fundraises for Caritas Australia through Project Compassion boxes. Each classroom and PC will be looking at creative ways to raise money that will support Caritas in its endeavours to 'end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity'. During the next six weeks if you have any loose change, we would appreciate the donation to the cause. It is from our hearts through our hands that we are able to serve. Together we can!
I have included Caritas' first video story of how fundraising has helped people in other countries like Ronita from the Philippines. Please click here to watch Ronita's story.
May you know God's grace through your heart and hands.
Paula O'Rourke Assistant Principal Religious Education
Servant Leadership: The Ozanam Leadership Program
For the past two years, select students in Year 11 have participated in the St. Vincent De Paul Ozanam Leadership Program (OLP). Aimed at giving participants the ability to develop the leadership skills required to advocate for others and make a positive change in society, the Ozanam Leadership Program is an opportunity for students in Years 10 and 11.
Held across Term 2 and Term 3 of each year, OLP includes four main components:
* three-day outdoor retreat
* volunteering opportunities
* advocacy events; and
* leadership development sessions.
Students who are selected will have the opportunity to work with Year 10 and Year 11 students from schools across Toowoomba and Brisbane to develop leadership skills in light of being a servant leader–someone who serves for the betterment of others.
In 2023, current Year 12 students, Riley Cuthbert and Lucy Hutchison applied and were accepted into the program. Students who are interested in applying are encouraged to speak with Lucy and Riley about their experience with the Ozanam Leadership Program.
If you or your child would like more information, please contact me at the College or via leisa.radley@twb.catholic.edu.au
See the program's 2025 Key Dates via this link.
Leisa Radley Director of Formation and College Culture (7-12)
Walking the Kokoda Track to raise money for Winter Shelter in Toowoomba
In April, Charmaine Cridland will be walking the Kokoda Track to raise support and much needed funds for the Winter Shelter of Toowoomba.
Trekking the Kokoda Track, 96 kilometers in length through jungle, wind, rain and river is an experience you will never forget. It's a place in Australia's history in 1942 as you follow in the steps of the Australian forces and stand in history on these iconic sites while bonding with the local people whose families supported our diggers back then.
After completing this trek, the group will not only have paid respects to those who fought on this soil and the history that surrounds them. But, additionally, will be part of raising funds and awareness for those experiencing homelessness.
Your donation will go towards employing a support worker for the duration of the Winter Shelter specifically to assist guests in addressing their life challenges and housing barriers.
Charmaine would be thrilled to achieve her goal and provide much needed funds to those less fortunate and experiencing homelessness.
Ways to support:
If families or individuals would like to donate, please click the link https://winter-shelter-toowoomba.raisely.com/charmaine-cridland. Please note that all funds are tax deductible and go directly to the Winter Shelter of Toowoomba. None of the money raised will go to funding any part of this trip.
Companies in the community - sponsorship packages are available. If you are interested in one of the sponsorship packages, please contact Charmaine via charmaine.cridland@twb.catholic.edu.au
Thank you in advance for your support and consideration. Any donations will make a huge difference.
Charmaine Cridland
Deputy Principal
Teaching and Learning
NAPLAN 2024
What is NAPLAN?
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.
Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal P-12 Teaching & Learning / P-2 Phase Lead
Senior School
National Apprenticeship Week
The National Apprenticeship Week 2024 Theme is, ‘It’s all in your hands.‘
As thousands of students think about their future career, NAWA is timed to raise awareness of the advantages of apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships place the power to make a better future firmly in your hands, by helping you to:
Build self worth. Create a sense of achievement. Turn your personal strengths into a rewarding career.
An apprenticeship is a learning pathway that builds character, confidence and commitment by learning on-the-job from real experiences, and from people who are invested in your development. But most of all, apprenticeships and traineeships are about equipping yourself with a skills that open up a world of opportunity and are yours to keep for a lifetime!
2024 Australian Apprenticeship Priority List
The Australian Apprenticeship Priority List identifies occupations that need more apprentices and trainees to meet current and future skill shortages. The 2024 list has 19 more occupations on it than last year’s list, and this is good news because apprentices and trainees working in these occupations may be eligible for an extra $10,000 over the duration of their apprenticeship! These payments are to encourage apprentices and trainees to pursue work in areas of skills shortage, complete their training, and go on to have successful long-term careers
Discover career pathways an apprenticeship can lead to on the Your Career website or check out Busy At Work‘s A-Z of Apprenticeships and Traineeships. A VET or pre-apprenticeship course and work experience while you‘re at school are real-life research tasks that give you confidence in the trade you‘ve chosen and that also help make you more employable.
Once you’re hired, sign your contract asap so your apprenticeship is official, and enrol in your VET course to being your training towards your qualification. Prepare for your first day and understand what's expected of you. If you are interested in pursuing an apprenticeship or traineeship whilst at school or post Year 12 contact the Your Pathway Team to discuss how to make this happen.
Stage 2 of the 2021 BGA Capital Project was completed just in time for back to school this year. The renovation of our Uluru eating area into the Emanuel Solomon Arts Precinct has been a effective and innovative use of resources both from a cost and design perspective.
With two Art studios, a music room and a drama performance room, fitted with state of the art stage, sound, lighting, interactive screens, dressing rooms and sprung dance floor, the fully air conditioned Emanuel Solomon Arts Precinct has seamlessly integrated into the space that previously housed Uluru in the Junior school side of our Campus. The Precinct being holds the great honor of being the first P-12 building to integrate both sides of our wonderful College and bring together our staff and students.
We have further plans for a P-12 Admin that will release office space for learning support, ICT services, careers and pathways offices, and more classrooms for our growing student numbers. A P-12 library is also in the draft design phase, which will bring our littlest and biggest students in the one place to celebrate reading together.
In the meantime, you will have noticed the 3 new Air Conditioned transportable classrooms towards the Tenison end of our site. We also have an additional 2 transportable classrooms due to arrive before Term 2. This will house our Senior Library and Learning Support Hub, while we plan for an extension to Penola in the Senior School. Current plans for the extension see an additional two story air conditioned building with Ag Science, Learning Support and 6 General Learning classrooms.
Other projects planned for this year at the College include completing the installation of interactive screens to the Penola learning hub, the introduction of air conditioning to the Junior school, installing a spray painting booth to our IDT precinct in the Joseph building and repurposing the Art and Music rooms for Engineering, Metal Tech, Wood Tech and Building and Construction. It will certainly be a busy year as we continually strive to keep up with our rapid enrolment growth.
Kirsty Gillett
Business Manager
Invitation to attend our Prep Open Morning on Wednesday 6 March
Join us for a one-hour fun-filled session in our specialised Prep area at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. See our current Preppies in action, meet the teachers, College Leadership Team, Learning Support Staff and Guidance Counsellors. This team of staff will be able to answer all of your questions about this milestone moment while your little one enjoys a range of activities available for the morning!
When: Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Time: 9:00am - 10:00am
Where: Prep Classrooms at Mary MacKillop Catholic College
How to find us: Access via 75 Highfields Road entrance
Phoebe Burton
Enrolments Officer
Student Wellbeing
School Student Protection Contacts
This week staff who have been selected as our SSPC's for 2024 have completed training to ensure they are able to support students across the college.
In 2024 the School Student Protection Contacts are:
Khara Saunders Leah Moffett Paula O'Rourke Monique Cotter Sean Albion
Chris Gabbett also completed the training and is an additional contact for students if required.
School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs) are nominated by the school principal and are endorsed in consultation with the Manager: Professional Standards and the Student Protection Officer.
Some key roles the SSPCs undertake in conjunction with the principal are:
• assist students, parents/care providers and those working in the school when concerns or disclosures of abuse, harm or inappropriate behaviour towards students are brought to their notice. Where required, this assistance may include a discussion of the concerns or disclosures, advice regarding appropriate resources and people to consult with, assistance to access relevant documents and forms, and assistance to complete forms.
• ensure that all persons working within the school know how to access the Student Protection Processes and Guidelines and Diocesan reporting requirements, including the specific forms and documentation to be completed
• assist the principal to ensure support is provided for all involved when abuse, harm or inappropriate behaviour towards students is alleged or disclosed
• ensure that students, staff and parents are aware of the names of the SSPCs in the school and their role
Please let your child know who the SSPC's are in the College and make contact with me if you have any questions about the role of an SSPC.
Sean Albion Assistant Principal Wellbeing
Extra-Curricular
Looking for sponsors for College Musical in 2024
We are currently looking for sponsors from our community to support our 2024 College musical of “Frozen Jr”.
These sponsorship packages are designed to support and subsidise the cost of producing the musical and providing students with opportunities to participate in and showcase their musical talents. Any surplus funds will go towards subsidising additional costs associated with this event or future events of the same nature and will always aim to prioritise lowering the costs incurred by families.
A full list of sponsorship benefits can be found by clicking on the link below.
If you are interested in sponsoring our musical, we would appreciation applications of support by Monday, 4 March 2024.
Thank you in advance for your on-going support.
Ms Genevieve Duncan
Senior Drama Teacher and Musical Director
UQ Programs – Queensland Mathematics Summer School (QMSS)
During the first weeks of the new year, Year 11 student Bianca Philp attended the UQ Campus at St. Lucia for the Queensland Mathematics Summer School (QMSS), a beneficial experience for those interested in studying Specialist Mathematics or Mathematical Methods in senior years. Here is a recount of her experience at the math camp:
Throughout this camp, me and many other students going into grade eleven were introduced to the wonders of abstract mathematics within a university setting. Whilst this was a great opportunity to learn from professionals within the field, it was also interesting to meet new people and make friends who were just as passionate about mathematics as I was.
All of the lectures were presented not in a lecture hall, but in a classroom in the Hawkens Engineering Building; a new environment for many of us. Some of the more notable lectures during the four-day week were the ‘Mathematics and Machines’ lectures by PhD student Alex He, the Topology lecture ‘Knots and the Shape of Spaces’ by Dr Agnese Barbensi, and the ‘Optimal Decisions’ lecture by Dr Michael Bulmer.
The lectures by Alex He were presented across three of the four days, and I found them especially interesting because it included an introduction to theoretical computer science. One of the topics was the use of a combination of circles, squares, and arrows to create a ‘Deterministic Finite Automaton’ or a DFA for short: a type of ‘computer’ on paper which could make decisions to accept or reject a certain ‘input’ you put into it. Whilst the machine was often required to do only a simple task, like accept only multiples of three, it looked very complicated when drawn out.
The topology lecture by Dr Barbensi included a completely alien topic to me, where if an object could be manipulated into another without cutting, tearing or glueing sections of it together, it was ‘topologically similar’. For example, a donut and a coffee mug were topologically similar since you could transform and shape one into the other without cutting parts of the mug or the donut. Fascinating, right?
Dr Bulmer presenting the ‘Optimal Decisions’ lecture was also quite interesting since it included everyday problems and issues within our society, asking questions such as ‘What’s the cheapest combination of foods we could buy to satisfy a person’s nutritional requirements?’ and ‘how can we make a word-lock with the most amount of options if we can only have four dials/which letters would we choose to have on the dial to make this possible?’.
Other than the lectures, tutorials, and workshops at the camp, we were also introduced to a panel of university students and alumni who we could ask questions about regarding life at uni, which was very insightful to the uni experience. We were also given a tour of the campus and its facilities.
Overall, QMSS was a very engaging and worthwhile experience for myself, and though it may not be on your list of things to do for the holidays, I would recommend this camp to any current Year 10 students to apply for at the end of this year for 2025.
Your Pathway Team Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson Special mention to Bianca Philp
Mary Mac Connect - All Are Welcome!
This Friday, the first session of Mary Mac Connect began in our Senior College. A service initiative of some of our Senior students, Mary Mac Connect is about connecting with our community and helping our community connect with their technology!
Each fortnight, during Friday sport time, a group of Year 10, 11 and 12 students are offering technology tutorials for members of our Parish and residents of Gem Life and Carinity Brownesholme Retirement Village.
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in attending these sessions, please see the attached flyer for more information and contact details.
The next session is on Friday, 1 March.
Leisa Radley Director of Formation and College Culture (7-12)
Student Awards & Achievements
Persevering for personal growth
As some of you may be aware, I'm an avid runner. Depending on what I'm training for, I can clock anywhere between 120km to 150km per week. To some, this may sound extreme or excessive, but to me, it's become a natural part of my daily routine and life. Improvement in running is relatively straight forward and consistency is the key. There are many other facets - strength training, mobility, nutrition, sleep, equipment, shoes - that can aid in improvement but consistently building day upon day, week upon week and year upon year is the way to improve.
The metrics for improvement are there for all to see. On race day, how quickly can you run from point A to point B? Ultimately, all that training is geared towards this moment. Persevering through the cold Toowoomba winter mornings, persevering through the punishing summer humidity, persevering through the lactic acid-inducing sessions, persevering through sleepless nights. When you reach point B on race day, in a time quicker than you've ever run before or quicker than your previous effort makes all that hard work worth it.
I run for myself, for my personal wellbeing and for my personal goals. Achieving those goals gives me personal satisfaction and internal rewards.
Many students at the College harbour similar goals and ambitions for their chosen sporting or cultural endeavours. Consistency in application to training is key.
Similarly, many students harbour ambitions to improve their academic results from term to term, semester to semester and year to year.
Last week on Assembly, we acknowledged those students from Year 8 to Year 12. Academic Improvement criteria are based on improvement from Semester 1, 2023 to Semester 2, 2023.
These students strived to achieve their best, persevered through difficult assessments and challenging exams, and came out with better grades than the preceding semester. Again, consistency in application is pivotal to growth - consistent revision, consistent application of positive learning behaviours, applying teacher feedback, intrinsic motivation and a personal desire for growth. The students who have achieved growth this semester have shown what’s possible through practical action and perseverance.
For Years 7 to 10, awards are based on significant improvement across the 6 core subjects of English, Mathematics, Religious Education, Science, Humanities and HPE.
For Year 12 students, it’s improvement within their chosen subjects for Unit 1 and Unit 2, last year.
The following students received Academic Improvement Awards:
Year 8 (Year 7 2023)
Nash Adamski
Joseph Brosnan
Hue Garrels
Aleisha Guth
William Kennedy
Ryan Kruger
Mitchell Lambert
Miranda Lewis
Beau Morris
Chelsea O’Donohue
Jemima Parrington
Melanie Siokos
Adabelle Spies
Poppy Vanderzee
Hanlon Young
Year 9 (Year 8 2023)
Annie Brosnan
Carter Bradford
Ella-Jane Dwyer
Harrison Pember
Harry Nothdurft
Isla Lotz
Layli Schick
Michelle Sibanda
Trinity Burrow
Emma Collins
Year 10 (Year 9 2023)
Bowen Adamski
Emily Greenhalgh
Hunter Harms
Jackson Clark
Mackenzie Kruger
Maximus Doveton
Ruby Crawford
Mackenie Burgess
Matilda Sozinyu
Year 11 (Year 10 2023)
Mikala Allsion
Grace Brosnan
Jake Butler
Fletcher Kimball
Belinda Lawson
Rubi Lewis
Sophie Randall
Oakley Stansell
Lucy Williams
Connor Clatworthy
Chelsea Mifsud
Darby Richardson
Noah Burke
Brianna Kowitz
Riley Mackenzie
Kya Manz
Eleisha McInnis
Emily Riding
Elsie Nothdurft
Mikala Allison
Year 12 (Year 11 2023)
Charli Botham
Oscar Spies
Will Connolly
Lucy Hutchinson
Bridie Mattocks
Sarah Mattocks
Jordan Robertson
Harrison Thurston
Zachary Jumper
The next Academic Improvement Award Ceremony will take place in Term 3, this year. These awards will be based on academic improvement from Semester 1 this year to Semester 2, last year. Students, please continue to strive for success in all of your subjects.
Christopher Bracken Dean of Senior Studies
Community Noticeboard
Parent Engagement Network (PEN) Report
Hello from the Parent Engagement Network!
Welcome back to a brand-new year at Mary Mac! It is so wonderful to see all the familiar smiles around the College and to see so many new smiles as well! Welcome to all the new families who have joined the Mary MacKillop Catholic College community this year. We hope that everyone has had a great start to the school year. We also wish to welcome back Mr Chris Gabbett, our returning teaching staff, new teachers, College leadership, all administration and grounds staff. We wish everyone the very best for the year ahead. Let’s all make it a great one for 2024!
With this being a new year, we warmly welcome the College community to attend the upcoming Parent Engagement Network (PEN) Annual General Meeting which will be held Tuesday evening, 27 February for a 5:30pm start in Penola 6/7.
Being part of the Parent Engagement Network allows you the opportunity to support the College in obtaining the best educational outcomes for all students here at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. We come together as a group made up of: College Leadership, teaching staff, and parents. We meet at least once a term to discuss educational requirements focused on student growth and results to best support the College and student needs.
Mary MacKillop Catholic College is committed to promoting and nurturing active partnerships with families, Parish members and the wider community so that all have authentic opportunities to participate in the life and activities of the school. Student learning is enriched through positive and reciprocal partnerships with parents.
The Parent Engagement Network is to enable a deeper and more meaningful engagement of parents in the College mission and to align with the Strategic plan. This will enable us all to be focused as a cohesive group.
Events/updates for the Term 1:
Leadership Forum at MMCC
We look forward to this event next week at the College on 19 February. The College will welcome 32 College Principals from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Diocesan, Dr Pat Coughlan (Executive Director), TCS Senior ELT, Mr Gabbett and MMCC ELT, Father Brian, PEN members and student representatives to attend a Mass and evening meal at the College. This will be a lovely evening for regional Principals and staff to share good conversation and gain knowledge from other Catholic schools within our widely spread cluster of schools. What a great way to be inspired and learn from others and come together as a collaborative group.
New Emanuel Solomon Arts Precinct
It is exciting to see this facility complete! This is a wonderful addition to our College. It is fantastic to see students and staff using this new education space and being immersed in such a great space. Well done to Mr Gabbett and his team for getting this delivered for the College and the students. What an outstanding space for future evening events and showcase students’ talents and performances. We look forward to these throughout the 2024 year.
New Transportable buildings on site
The parent body welcomes these new buildings on site as our College grows. We understand this means progress and this is a small step in obtaining new buildings on the ground. We look forward to seeing the next stage transportable building on the Northen side of the College grounds for improved student learning and buildings to accommodate more students. Later this year the College will be submitting a proposal for BGA approval to continue to enhance the College’s Master Plan and provide all of the necessary resources and facilities for students and staff.
Fundraising – we need your help!
Each year we run some smaller fundraisers to help with sourcing resources for our College. This year we are looking to continue on with the same fundraising events i.e. pie drive, mango drive and ham drive. We also have Mother's and Father's Day Raffles to raise more funds to support resources throughout the College. If you are interested in assisting with any of these smaller events, please reach out to the PEN, many hands make light work. Refer to our email address below for any feedback or areas which you feel may need attention throughout the College.
The College is also looking to run some larger fundraising events/projects this year in support of Solar initiatives for our College, and we’d really appreciate your help.
Coffee Catchup at The Café – Every Tuesday morning 8:00am till 8:30am.
To all College Parents, students and staff. Please don’t forget to join us for a casual chat with the ELT (Executive Leadership Team) to discuss any College matters or general questions which you may have, or just a check-in with each other on how everyone is doing. This is a great opportunity for us all to meet. We always welcome existing and new families to attend. We’d love to see you there!
Mass Tuesday mornings with Father Brian 7:30-8:00am
To all College Parents, students and staff. Please don’t forget to come along to Tuesday morning Mass with Father Brian, this is a good way to start the day and to reflect on your week ahead. You can also meet other members of the St Mary MacKillop Parish community and have some open conversations.
Healing Hands Group – Meal Preparation
We wish to advise that soon the Healing Hands Group, being of Parish members, PEN members, staff, students and parents, will be preparing and cooking at the school facilities. Healing Hands has a long history at MMCC enabling meals to be prepared, stored and kept for families in a time of need.
If this is something you would like to be part of, please email higpen@twb.catholic.edu.au. We can add your name to the list of volunteers. This will be a regular occurrence throughout the year.
As a College volunteer, completion of the College’s Safety Induction Form will be required prior to starting. This is available from either College Admin Offices.
If you have any questions, please email us.
College Café – Volunteers needed – we need you!!
Just a reminder to all of our College families. The College Café needs volunteers to help out throughout the year. This can be very rewarding for anyone that can help. Just a few hours a week can make a big difference. Please consider this. You will be required to complete the College’s Safety Induction form prior to starting. If you have any questions, please email us below or reach out the Colleges café staff.
Grant Writing to support of College – PEN Resources Team
Does this interest you? We are in need of assistance in this area. If this is of an interest to you, please make contact via the below email. There are many grants available, and we need your help!
MMCC Run Club – All welcome to attend.
Everyone is welcome to join us for running on Friday mornings at the College. The MMCC Run Club is preparing for events throughout the year, i.e. Peak to Park, 40 for Fortey and other running events. Everyone is welcome to attend the MMCC Run Club at 6.30am at the café Friday mornings. Run or walk! This is a great way to release stress levels and continue good health and well-being.
Good luck for the remainder of the Term 1.
The College has already had the Junior swimming carnival for this year and reports were that this day was filled with fun and excitement for all. We wish the Senior College students the very best in the upcoming College Senior Swimming Carnivals and to those students who are competing at the upcoming Darling Downs representative trials across many sporting codes. We have great representation across many sports from Mary MacKillop Catholic College. Let’s go Team Mary Mac!
We are looking forward to another successful year at the College jam-packed with success and growth across all academic, arts, cultural and sporting codes!
We wish all students and staff the very best for the term! Do your very best!
If you have a topic or matters for discussions, please send through to the PEN email higpen@twb.catholic.edu.au and we can add it to our next Meeting Agenda.
All the best for 2024 !!
Next Meeting for 2024:
1st Meeting (AGM/General meeting) 27 February 2024 (Tuesday evening)
Room: Penola 6/7.
Time: 5:30pm start – 7:00pm conclude.
Shayne Cleary and Rowena Voll
Co-Chairs PEN
Sacramental 2024
It is with great pleasure that we announce the dates for 2024’s sacramental journey at St Mary MacKillop Parish.
During this year, your child(ren) are invited to continue the sacred journey through prayer, instruction and the celebration of Confirmation and First Eucharist.
To help you prepare and plan, the dates are listed below.
SACRAMENTS OF CONFIRMATION
Information Meeting will be held Monday. 22 April at 5:30pm in the Mary MacKillop Primary School Library.
Commitment Masses: Saturday, 27 April at 5:00pm Mass followed by Parish Potluck Dinner & Sunday, 12 May 8:00am Mass. Reflection: Sunday, 26 May after 8:00am Mass. Practice: Monday, 3rd June 3:15pm in the MacKillop Centre. Sacrament of Confirmation: Thursday, 6 June 6:00pm celebration at the MacKillop Centre
EUCHARIST DATES
Eucharist Dedication Masses: Sunday, 14 July during 8:00am Mass. Reflection: Sunday, 28 July after 8:00am Mass. Eucharist Practice: Monday, 12 August at 3:15pm.
FIRST EUCHARIST: Sunday, 18 August 9:00am Mass at the MacKillop Centre.
You have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the sacramental team -
Fr Brian Noonan, Nadine Dolan, Trish Gall, Paula O'Rourke, or Liz Eilers.
Parish News
MASSES
Every Sunday, St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish gathers in the MacKillop Centre to celebrate together.
YOU are invited to be part of this celebration.
Sunday Mass starts at 8:00am (unless otherwise advised) and is led by Fr Brian Noonan.
Mary MacKillop OSHC - MacKillop Centre
Since moving to the hall, the opportunities that we can provide to the children has dramatically increased. Rainy days no longer stop physical activity!
Toowoomba Basketball Mini Neers/Academy Competition
There are a few programs running through Toowoomba Basketball Association this term.
Mini Neers - is our premier community program run over 6-weeks during the school term designed to introduce kids to basketball from ages 6-14 and split into three groups Dribblers, Hoopers and Rising Stars. Our expert coaches not only help kids build confidence in sport using Basketball as a vehicle, but also aim to develop better people, through our unique positive choices character-based curriculum skills, focusing on helping others, goal setting, and building resilience in life.
Neers Academy - is our premier development program. The Toowoomba Mountaineers programs are an integral part of the Mountaineers Development Pathway. Helping to identify Toowoomba athletes, who demonstrate the potential to be representative athletes in the future. The Neers Academy Program focuses on teaching male and female athletes the following - advanced skill acquisition, game concepts and style of player with an emphasis on individual player development.
