For just under 5 years from 2007, I worked as an Education Adviser in the UK. I was initially involved in working with schools and Local Authorities in improving student behaviour and attendance. This was interesting and I was able to observe pretty much every type of school imaginable. I then got a promotion into what was called the 'Narrowing the Gap' program and my eyes really opened.

The aim of this was to close the educational gap between the wealthy and the poor. In the UK (as in almost all countries) this gap can be really significant and it gets bigger as students get older. The gap is stubborn, it is often generational, it is linked to postcodes as much as people and for many students we were trying to help other contexts such as health issues and learning difficulties made accessing education even more difficult.

I mention this because one element that we highlighted as positive was parental involvement in education. This can take many forms. For our most successful learners though, it starts immediately after birth. The first two and a half years of direct parent talk has a transformative impact upon how a child will engage with vocabulary and development of functional literacy. This remains true all the way through school. Generally, children who have their school life mirrored and supported in home conversations have greater advantage over those who do not. 

Meaningful engagement with parents as educators offers incredible fuel to what we can achieve as a College. This year, we have launched two major initiatives - Inspire Maths and Write that Essay. The purpose of both is to take our learning in numeracy and literacy from good to great. I urge you to learn more about these - and to speak to teachers about how you can support this learning at home. 

On the topic of parent engagement, we had the inaugural meeting of the Parent Partnership Forum on Tuesday evening. A key first action of this group is to baseline current College successes and areas for development. I have developed a survey which will be emailed to a random sample of teachers, students and families. If you would like to be added to the sample, please email me and let me know. The survey itself will take about 15-20 minutes to complete.

Many thanks for the support you are giving us.

Mr Chris Gabbett
College Principal

I had the pleasure of attending the Toowoomba Regional Council Mayoral Morning Tea for Student Leaders yesterday, along with College Captains Mia Knapman and Raph Badman. What a fantastic event this was. 

We were one of three Colleges chosen to give keynote speeches which was an honour. I was so proud of Mia and Raph. They both articulated an authentic and genuine perspective of leadership, based on their own lives, drawing on different experiences. Many of the Councillors approached us after and offered a really sincere congratulations on the honest and brave perspectives they gave. It made me incredibly proud to be Principal of Mary MacKillop.

The first meeting of the College Parent Partnership Forum took place on Tuesday night.  We thank these parents and staff for giving of their time.  Details will be forthcoming on key strategic projects and avenues for all parents to engage with the forum and make a contribution to the College mission. 

The new executive is;

Chris Gabbett
Principal

The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) would like to advise you that a request has been made for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (Cth). 

We are excited to announce our 2022 Scholarships will be open from Monday, 1 March 2021.

Our General Excellence & Sporting Excellence Scholarships are open to both internal and external applicants. In addition to this, we are also launching the Solidarity Scholarship for any new enrolments for 2022. 

The Solidarity Scholarship aims to encourage applicants who are currently educated outside of the Catholic tradition, who feel they can make a positive contribution to the social justice, outreach, and formation elements of the College. 

As members of our College community, we encourage you to share this information with any friends or family who you feel may benefit from these scholarships. 

I recently had a parent ask me "What is Josephite Charism"? So, I will endeavour to explain it to you in two parts.

The Sisters of St Joseph is the order of nuns (sisters) that St Mary of the Cross MacKillop established to minister to the poor and vulnerable of her time. She took her vows as a nun on 19th March, 1866. This day was the Feast of St Joseph hence Joseph is one of the significant figures that guided Mary's life as a nun. The other two being John the Baptist and Jesus. As the numbers of nuns grew the group become known as the Josephites.

Charism is a word that can easily be explained as "gift" - a spiritual gift. A gift given for the good of all people and it is usually associated with a religious order ie: Mercy or Christian Brothers. It is through the spirit working within these people that the gift or charism is given.

Unlike most other Catholic schools, our school was not founded by a religious order but because of the saint, St Mary MacKillop, that we were named after, we follow what Mary MacKillop did as a Sister of St Joseph in the Josephite charism.
It can be difficult to explain what this actually looks like but it is always based on the beliefs or rules of the order. There were four rules that Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison-Woods decided on for the Sisters to follow: 

1. Live poorly 
2. Depend on Devine Providence for sustenance 

3. Go wherever they are needed

4. Do all the good you could, and never see an evil without trying to remedy it. 

This does by no means, mean we are to follow this exactly but we need to look at how we can in our contemporary times support the Josephite Charism.
When Chris Gabbett visited Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney, in 2019 to learn more about the Josephites, Sr Jan Barnett, explained it as the 6 P's (which is in our Strategic Plan):

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop can be best understood by looking at her ministry through 6 ‘Ps’. She had Passion. It was a deep passion for God and a passion for supporting people made in His image. Out of these, she believed in Possibilities. In her local and wider community, she saw suffering, injustice, struggles and pain and she wanted to alleviate these things. This led her to Practical Action – a willingness to get her hands dirty and to walk alongside those who suffered. In this, she was never alone – she embraced Partnership as a means of securing the Common Good. She did not let differences of faith, opinion or class be a barrier to her mission. She Persevered – facing barriers that were systemic, institutional and at times personal. Lastly, she was immersed in and believed in Prayer as a means towards transformation, and communion with God. 

There are correlations between what the original rules were to how it is explained further here. If you would like to learn more about Mary's story, it can be found at this website. The 6 P's really sums up what Mary MacKillop did in a very real way for us today.

This year students and staff will learn more about the 6 P's and how this can be our way of following in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop as we stand in Solidarity with others.

In the words of Mary MacKilllop, "May God bless you and keep you strong". 1875

In God's love always,

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education

Next Friday, 12 March, five staff and 11 Senior College students will be sacrificing their hair for World's Greatest Shave. Every day, 47 Australians are diagnosed with blood cancers such as Leukaemia. Our participating staff and students are 'shaving in solidarity' to raise both awareness of these illnesses and much needed funds.

Congratulations to the Mary MacKillop team who have raised over $3600 so far! Well done particularly to Riley Smithard who has acquired $482; Kurtis Smith whose efforts fall just shy of $300 and Mr Gabbett who has raised over $280. This is a fantastic effort for such a great cause! See below for our whole team.

Our fundraising is not over yet though. We still have one week to reach the $4000 mark. If you would like to donate to our Mary MacKillop team, or a specific staff member or student, follow this link: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/marymackillopcatholiccollege

We absolutely would not be able to make this event happen without the help of two businesses in our community who are donating their time—and their awesome staff—to this cause.

Thank you so much to the teams at Styles and Bou's For Men in Highfields for helping our staff and students shave in solidarity on 12 March! We look forward to seeing the results of your cutting and shaving efforts.

The Mary MacKillop team:

Mr Gabbett, Mr Brunner, Mr Griffiths, Mr Fowkes, Mr Bracken, Lawson Smith, Kurtis Smith, Keira Lucy, Reagan Pugsley, Katelyn Greenhalgh, Riley Smithard, Ryley Schmaling, Brendan Williams, Caleb Mifsud, Logan Rolph and Maclean Everist.

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation and College Culture

Here at Mary MacKillop Catholic College we have a group that was started by parents to support families and other members of our community who may be experiencing a tough time through dealing with family sicknesses or deaths or accidents. This is achieved by providing some meals and goodies that would enable a family to not have to worry about cooking a meal that night or finding lunches for the children for the next day. This group was organised by volunteers who would then come into the school and organise the hamper to go home.

You may wonder how these people found out about it? It is simply by you. If you know someone is really struggling because of a death, injury or sickness or other stresses, please contact your child’s teacher or the College Administration and the hamper will be provided to them. We ask that if you are able to deliver the hamper that would be lovely, but we do understand if this is not possible and we will endeavour to pass it on through the children at school. 

Where does the food come from? Well – on Wednesday afternoon a group of volunteer staff and students gave up their afternoon to cook meals and make delicious baked goods which were then frozen, ready for when the need arises. This cooking could take place because of your generosity in donating all the ingredients. A special thank you to the Year 6 families from 2020 for their kind voucher to support this work as well.
Please be aware that each time a hamper goes home it will always remain confidential.

We really appreciate your support with this endeavour as it reminds us that where there is a need, we can do something about it. 

Thank you to all the staff and students who volunteered their time for the cook-up this week.

In the words of Fr Julian Tenison-Woods and through Mary MacKillop's actions

 "Never see a need without doing something about it"!

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education

We cannot ignore the fact that there is as much slavery in the world today, as there was before, or perhaps more – Pope Francis.

Ten years ago there was almost no slavery-free chocolate in our supermarkets in Australia. Now, because of public pressure and consumer demands, most supermarkets will sell some. Thank you for contributing to the demand for slavery-free chocolate, but we have a long way to go.

Slavery-free chocolate is delicious and is no more expensive than other chocolate. Try ALDI, Haighs, and leading supermarkets.

Please remember that if you are putting together a fundraising chocolate raffle for your school, parish or workplace, make sure it only contains chocolate that is certified slavery-free. Consider giving the profits of your raffle to CARITAS, which works to ensure people are not forced into slavery and forced labour. For information on Slavery-free Easter chocolate and resources, click here.

Sacrament of Confirmation

An information evening will be held on Monday, 15 March, in the MacKillop Centre at 5:30pm. Those children who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the end of last year will be invited to continue their journey. Please look for a email regarding this from the Parish team.

If there are any children who have received their Sacrament of Reconciliation at another Parish and would like to join this group, please email Paula O'Rourke - Paula.Orourke@twb.catholic.edu.au

Confirmation date is being confirmed with the Bishop presently.

Sacrament of Eucharist 

This Sacrament will occur over two Sundays, 25 July and 1 August due to no sacrament last year. More information will be forth coming to those concerned.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

This sacrament will be held on 11 November. Children and their families will be invited to be part of this group later in the year.

If you are unsure of anything please contact Paula O'Rourke, APRE - Paula.Orourke@twb.catholic.edu.au

Masses will once again be celebrated in the MacKillop Centre every Sunday at 8:00am.

Please use this link to register your attendance

I was walking around the school when I popped into a Year 7 Ancient History class. The students had just completed a quiz on Ramesses II which attempted to highlight what they already knew about the topic. Obviously, many students did not even know anything about him. The classroom teacher proceeded to show pictures with class discussion, and they watched a clip on Ramesses and the Battle of Kadesh. As the students engaged in these activities, their learning growth was obvious. 30 minutes ago, they had no idea who Ramesses was. By the end of the lesson, they could not believe that Ramesses would go to such length to write a false account of the battle.

Retrieval of information is a skill which leads to successful learning. Retrieval practice works best when students go back to check their class materials for accuracy. Often, students stop at recalling specific words and definitions. Students should be encouraged to make sure they also are able to recall main ideas and how different concepts are related. The diagram below shows the different ways students can develop their retrieval skills.

As exams approach, encourage your child to prepare effectively. Studying for exams requires skills which are developed over time. It may be hard initially, but it does easier as the students develop the strategies that works best for them.
Please go to this link for more information on how retrieval of information skills can improve academic attainment. https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/6/23-1

If you prefer listening to a podcast on retrieval of information, go to the following link: https://www.learningscientists.org/learning-scientists-podcast/2017/9/6/episode-2-retrieval-practice

I hope these resources support you as you work with your child to further develop their learning habits at home.

Kris Naiker
Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning: Senior

Have you ever felt stuck? Not sure how to solve something? How do you look at this situation? Is it an opportunity to learn or grow? Or do you simply give up?

We all know learning can be hard and for some of us an endless struggle. We all learn differently. When things get tough, we need to be resilient and resist the urge to give up. It is important that we understand (and accept) that learning should be challenging from time to time. The Learning Pit is a framework that explains why challenge is necessary for learning.

The Learning Pit was originally created by James Nottingham. ‘The Pit’ is the place where deep conceptual understanding takes place.

Once a student is in ‘the pit’ they are challenged to be resilient and reflective to build a growth mindset. The aim of ‘the pit’ is to get students to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is where students require the necessary skills to question and reflect so their knowledge can move from surface level to deep understanding. Students are encouraged to not only challenge the concept they are presented with but to question their own thinking. By doing this, students develop their critical thinking, and their curiosity is nurtured, and a love of learning developed.

The Learning Pit is where students experience cognitive conflict. This is a good thing as students are required to think more deeply and by thinking more deeply, they can understand more deeply. Being in the Learning Pit means that the student has given considerable thought to the concept and now has more questions. To get out of the pit, students find answers to their questions.

The way students find answers to their questions is by linking ideas together, considering other viewpoints and options, examining cause and effect. This is where students may experience that ‘awe’ moment, the moment of clarity of thinking. Without the struggle, the deep conceptual learning of inquiry does not occur.

The crucial element of the learning pit is reflecting upon the steps taken to reach the deep conceptual understanding. Once the student understands the process or steps they took, they can then apply their thinking to other learning challenges.

The next time you become challenged and ultimately frustrated putting the flat pac Ikea furniture together, remember the importance of getting in the Learning Pit. Visualise the emotion of success and pride once that piece of furniture is constructed!
For more on the Learning Pit click on the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IMUAOhuO78

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

An exciting idea of student-based tutorials is beginning soon, for all students in the Senior College. Macademics will be built around the idea of students helping other students with all things academic!

Students will be given the opportunity to gain advice on assessment tasks, progressive writing approaches, drafting and editing and first-hand insights into improving individual skills in many aspects of written expression. Student-tutors with experience in a variety of subjects will be available to share ideas and experiences with any student who is prepared to listen and learn from others.

Macademics will be taking place on a weekly basis. Small group or individual tuition will form the foundation of most learning opportunities being offered in the programme.

Educational research offers excellent evidence of the value of peer-based appraisal, feedback and learning, for individual students.
Macademics is an excellent learning opportunity , for any student eager to extend their skills, gain advice, seek feedback and engage with other students in a friendly, peer-based learning environment. It is with great anticipation that students and teachers await the first session of Macademics, at our Senior College.

Mr Tim Connolly
Middle Leader - English

World Hearing Day was is on 3 March 2021. The theme this year is "Don't let hearing loss limit you". World Hearing Day coincides with Hearing Awareness Week in Australia (1 - 7 March).

• Good hearing & communication are important at all stages of life & essential to learning. 
• Hearing loss (and related ear diseases) can be prevented through actions such as: protection against loud sounds; good hearing health/ear care practices.

Regularly hearing checks

• Hearing Australia recommends testing your hearing as soon as possible if you are worried you might be losing your hearing. The earlier hearing loss is picked up, the earlier something can be done about it.

Hearing Health History is a vital part of gaining insight into the ways in which a student can access the auditory world around them. Sometimes, children may have a history of ongoing ear infections in their early years. However, by the time the child attends school, these ear infections may no longer occur. Sometimes we are not aware that a history of ear infections and associated conditions may have a connection to a child’s hearing health in the school years. As a parent/caregiver, you may be the first person to notice if your child has trouble picking up on sounds. Even a mild hearing loss can mean that a child is missing up to 25% of what is being said.

Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office have just released new resources to support the importance of hearing health for school communities. If you have children in Prep to Year 3 please be aware of the following clip. Ear Health Animation Video - YouTube

Charden Ruge
Learning Support Teacher

Career in Forensic Science

The Australian and New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) states that forensic science (or forensics) is the use or application of a broad spectrum of sciences in court or during legal proceedings. Forensic science is not a discipline or branch of science but is a catch-all for many distinct disciplines that may be used to help in the determination of a court case, either civil or criminal. 

While forensic science is often seen as focusing exclusively on law enforcement, forensic science can be applied in many areas of the community and industry where the skills of a scientist need to be applied to a problem and the outcome may be presented in a court of law. However, forensic or investigative scientists are also used by private laboratories and insurance companies.

• Field Science where crime scene investigation is priority
• Laboratory Services activities include chemistry, biology, toxicology, illicit drug, document, marks, impressions analysis and computer crime
• Forensic Medicine includes pathology, psychiatry, psychology, forensic medicine, mortuary services, odontology, anthropology, and entomology
• Digital Evidence includes computer forensics, audio video analysis, speaker, and face comparison.

Forensic science is a fascinating and rewarding career where the love of science can be applied to the good of society, public health, and public safety. 

To become a Forensic Scientist, a good degree in science or medicine is essential. There are a number of specific undergraduate and post-graduate programs in forensic science available in Australia.

The National Forensic Science Technology Centre (USA) provides an excellent overview of many of the topics associated with forensic science, and students are encouraged to browse – A Simple Guide to Forensic Science

Your Pathway Team
Kris Naiker, Jennifer Stevenson, Christie Richardson

We know how hard it is for both parents and students to navigate the variety of choices that Universities offer. ACU the Australian Catholic University is running a free webinar offering tips and advice on how to support your child on the path to university. The information from ACU on how to register is below.

• ACU | How to Support your Student with University Choices
• 17 March 2021, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Online

Parents play a big part in helping your teen choose a university. We’ll offer tools and information you need to support them on their journey to university.

Find out more: https://www.acu.edu.au/about-acu/events/2021/march/how-to-support-your-student-with-university-choices

Your Pathway Team

The year 11 drama class has explored the themes of realism drama and verbatim theatre. These theatre types encapsulate the spoken words of real people and aim to bring a greater fidelity of real life to texts and performances.

This week they performed a local play Aprils Fool to showcase our understanding of these dramatic forms. It bought the audience to tears in parts and showcased dramatic excellence- amazing display of talent.

Over the years there have been numerous studies on the brain and how it functions. Nowadays, scientists can study the brain activity when a person is working on Mathematics. There’s this thing called ‘brain plasticity’. Scientists have discovered that our brain is capable of growing! Studies have identified the brains capacity to grow and change within a short period of time.

How does this happen you ask? Well, when we learn something new, an electric current fires in our brain, crossing synapses and connecting different areas of the brain. If you learn something deeply, this synaptic activity creates lasting connections. But if you only learn a concept at the surface level, the synaptic connections don’t last, i.e., the learning doesn’t stick.

Our brains are capable of growing, changing and adapting. This new evidence tells us that everyone is capable of learning and experiencing success in Mathematics, given the right messages and teaching. The research suggests that when we are exposed to stimulating environments with growth mindset messages we are capable of anything. Albert Einstein didn’t read until the age of 9 and is well documented for attributing his genius to having made numerous mistakes and being persistent. When he made a mistake, he tried harder. He displayed an attitude of someone with a growth mindset. 

‘Motivation is the most important factor in determining whether you succeed in the long run. What I mean by motivation is not only the desire to learn, but also the love of learning, the love of challenge, and the ability to thrive on obstacles. These are the greatest gifts we can give our students.’ (Dweck 2006)

Self-belief leads to a mathematical mindset. Students need to rethink the way they approach Mathematics and how they view themselves – “Everyone can be a Mathematician”. There is no such thing as a Math brain. (Jo Boaler 2016). It is the growth mindset that enables us to view ourselves as capable. In comparison, the fixed mindset, which is so damaging, leads us to believe we are not smart or as smart as another. A fixed mindset may even be when we believe we are smart, but can’t learn anything new. Those with a fixed mindset are less willing to learn anything new or challenge themselves to achieve more. Those with a growth mindset approach the work head on, approach mistakes as a challenge and are motivated to do more. 

Inspire Maths provides the platform for students to develop strong mathematical mindsets; to approach mathematics with confidence and enthusiasm. Inspire Maths creates learning opportunities for students to get into the Learning Pit. To be creative, to share thinking, to find multiple solutions and processes for a concept. ‘Growth Mindset in Maths is an approach to teaching Mathematics which believes that mindset is more important than initial ability in determining the progress made by students in their mathematical understanding’. (https://www.growthmindsetmaths.com/)

Pupils with a growth mindset:-

• Believe that talents can be developed and great abilities can be built over time
• View mistakes as an opportunity to develop
• Are resilient
• Believe that effort creates success
• Think about how they learn 

Pupils with a fixed mindset:-

• Believe that talent alone creates success
• Are reluctant to take on challenges 
• Prefer to stay in their comfort zone Are fearful of making mistakes 
• Think it is important to 'look smart' in front of others 
• Believe that talents and abilities are set in stone, you either have them or you don't. (https://www.growthmindsetmaths.com/)

With persistence and effort we can change the way our brain fires, thereby experiencing success in areas we previously never thought possible!

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Silently, Interestingly, curiously, remarkably, sadly, very quickly, incredibly pretty

What do all these words have in common? They are adverbs. What’s an adverb? An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb, an adjective, another adverb or even a whole sentence. Adverbs often end in -ly. For example:

He sings (verb) loudly (adverb as it describes how he was singing).

Fortunately, (adverb) I had bought an umbrella. (Fortunately describes the sentence).

During Week 6 and Week 7 the students are working on sentences that begin with an Adverb. Adverb sentence starters can add intrigue and interest to the writing. When you start your sentence with an adverb, place a comma after the adverb, then write the rest of the sentence. 

Sadly, the pirate captain never learned how to swim.
Silently, Henry slipped a spider into his brother’s cornflakes.
Unfortunately, the teacher could not spell.
Interestingly, neither could the students.
Curiously, the flood happened in the middle of summer.
Remarkably, Argentina has many people who speak fluent Polish. 

What is the purpose of knowing how to create a sentence? The Australian Curriculum uses a Context-Text Model of Language. That is, language is a complete meaning-making system, with parts that function in relational ways. Basically, reading and writing influence each other and language is influenced by social and cultural contexts. When writing, a student must consider the following cultural contexts:

• Why am I creating this text? (purpose) 
• How am I placing myself as the author?
• What are my views or experience around the topic? (author)
• Who am I creating the text for? (audience)
• What might be some audience experiences that will influence their interpretation of the text? (audience influence)
• And questions to consider when exploring the social context are:
• What is the text about? (field)
• What role and relationship am I trying to establish with the reader? (Tenor)
• In what form am I going to deliver this text? Spoken? Written? Digital? Etc.
• How will I publish the text?

Once we have the overall picture or direction of our writing, we need to consider the text structure and language features that will be used to organise and construct the text. The text level refers to the sequencing or use of chunks of information, headings and sub-headings. The paragraph level refers to the internal structure and language features that create cohesions with the text. The sentence level refers to the units of meaning that make up the text and includes sentence structures, grammatical features and punctuation. This is where the importance of learning different sentence types comes into play. The word group level refers to the vocabulary choices that are made and how these choices are arranged to create meaning. And lastly, the word level refers to sound, pattern and meaning layers of the spelling system.

As you can see, writing is complex and developmental. It is also an important life skill. It is an integral part of learning in all curriculum areas.

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Parent-Teacher Interviews are an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and a great way to promote communication between school and home. They enable both the teacher and the parents to work together toward the best possible learning and social wellbeing outcome for the child.

Parent - Teacher Interviews are offered twice a year: Term 1 and Term 3. However, you are welcome to make a mutually agreeable time to meet with your child’s teacher outside of these scheduled Interviews.

The main purpose of Parent / Teacher Interviews is:

• involve the parents in the educational process 
• document the student’s progress for the parents 
• reflect on learning outcomes and goals 
• give parents the opportunity to express feelings, questions and concerns 
• establish ongoing communication networks between the teacher and parents

Below are some possible questions you may wish to consider asking your child’s teacher.

• Do you have any concerns about my child? 
• Do you have problems with my child in class? 
• Does my child participate in class discussions and activities? 
• Does my child easily join in on the playground? 
• Does my child focus on set tasks? 
• Does my child satisfactorily complete their homework? 
• Does my child complete their work on time? 
• Does my child easily cooperate and follow the rules and routines of the classroom? 
• What activities does my child enjoy? 
• What is my child reluctant to do? 
• What goals should my child be aiming for? 
• What can I do to support my child’s development at school?

Parent - Teacher Interviews will occur on Tuesday, 9 March in the MacKillop Centre for the Junior School. Please look out for further communication regarding booking, which will be sent via email. If you have a child on both campuses, please consider the travel time needed getting from one side to the other when making your bookings.

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Mary MacKillop Catholic College has been lucky enough to be able to host a free after-school STEM workshop for Grade 4-6 students. The workshop will be held on Monday 22nd (Week 9) after school in the MacKillop Centre. Students will spend 30 minutes flying and racing drones around and then have a little programming and camera activity afterwards.

Developed by robotics engineers & world-class agricultural researchers, students will explore drones and ag-tech innovation through this immersive, hands-on technology experience. Be inspired by the technology that is transforming Australia's agricultural industry, learn the skills to navigate environments with camera-fitted drones and develop bespoke ag-tech machine vision algorithms.

This workshop will be delivered to a select group of Grade 4-6 students on Monday, March 22 at 3:15pm -4:15pm by local company, integratedSTEM! These spots are very limited and will be allocated on a first-in-first serve basis. 

Please register your child ASAP to avoid missing out! https://www.integratedstem.com.au/after-school-programs/

Jared Nielsen
Middle Leader, Science and Technologies

This term we have seen the roll out of THRIVE: Our cohort specific social emotional lessons supporting the development of a student who is empowered to be their best self (at school and beyond). So far, lessons have focused on emotions; understanding their necessary and adaptive function and learning strategies to support self-regulation.

In addition to learning adaptive coping tools to manage big feelings in that moment, a proactive recommendation is to increase opportunities to experience positive emotion. This not only supports wellbeing via feeling good and stress reduction properties, but importantly, the experience of positive emotion can buffer the impact of stress. These emotions help us to regulate our response to stressors in life and to bounce back following adversity. 

When we think of positive emotions, we are quick to identify those such as happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and gratitude. These are obviously pleasant feelings that are beneficial for the reasons outlined above, but there are additional emotions that we may overlook as opportunities for bolstering our wellbeing via the experience of positive emotion. 

These include altruism, inspiration, confidence, and optimism. 

Modelling and encouraging opportunities to experience:

• Altruism through acts of selflessness and generosity; 
• inspiration through feeling engaged and motivated by another; 
• confidence in not only worth, but capacity to bring about a desired outcome; 
• and lastly, optimism and the tendency to look forward with hope

is valuable and recommended to further cultivate wellbeing.

Specifically, optimism and the capacity to maintain a positive outlook, despite inevitable challenges and setbacks, has been found to have many positive outcomes. This is something we can develop and foster in our children, and is more than simply being a 'glass half full' or 'silver lining' kind of person.

More broadly, optimism is the degree to which people have favourable expectations for their future and anticipate positive outcomes. It's about how we think about the cause of events, and has been found to positively impact persistence and therefore goal attainment, a sense of accomplishment, and pride.

Optimism is like a muscle and we can strengthen this in our children by intentionally verbalising our own [realistic] optimistic thoughts, positive self-talk, and modelling this cognitive orientation. It is also important to emphasise effort and process over results, to reflect on positive experiences, considering alternatives, and noticing the good happening around them. 

Lastly it is important to note that realistic optimism is not toxic positivity or invalidation. It is simply thinking that despite how things are currently, they may improve in time. This level of hope for the future supports us to persist and persevere, believing that things will likely work out.

Jasmin Slack-Smith & Khara Saunders
College Counsellors

On Wednesday, Year 3 students participated in their first formation sessions with the overarching theme of 'I Own It". There were 3 components to the Formation. The first session was planned and run by two Year 12 students, Raph Badman and Callum Strachan, where they lead the students through a quiz about Mary MacKillop. The children worked in groups and followed stations of her life. The second session was led by Year 12 students Danielle Pile and Mikayla Rieck where the focus was on 'kindness'. The third session was lead by the Year 3 teachers, Mrs Adler, Mrs O'Rourke, Mrs Rillie and the College Counsellors, Jasmin Slack-Smith and Khara Saunders. The children explored a range of topics related to growth mindset, expressed thoughts and feelings.

Year 3 families, an email was sent with further information about this day that also included a parent podcast from our College Counsellors.

Coming Up

Next week we look forward to working with the following year levels for Formation:

• Year 5- Wednesday March 9 - 'Stop, Search, Strive'
• Year 1- Thursday March 10 - 'This is Me, This is Us'. 

A parent email and supporting information will be sent to the above families prior to the day.

This week I was part of an online Q & A panel that presented to an audience of school leaders titled- achieving positive behaviour for tech-enabled learning. The main focus was the many challenges faced by schools to ensure student safety and wellbeing while online. Although we are all aware this is a major challenge facing society, this event highlighted to me the importance of support from families. This partnership is required to ensure a consistent approach that protects and educates students to become literate in the use of devices.

The average child in 2021 starts accessing the internet at age 4, gets their first personal device at age 6, views their first 'adult' content at age 8, gets their first mobile phone at age 10, spends 6.5 hrs per day online at age 12 and by 16 almost all are regularly exposed to cyber bullying, pornography, sexting and gambling. Family Zone reports that, 44% of kids are able to hide potentially dangerous online activity from their parents. 33% of 8-10 year olds and 50% of 14-16 year olds will not inform their parents of online-related incidents and the majority of kids hide their online activity from their parents. This information clearly tells us there is a problem, but it is so complex and challenging to solve without working together.

Last year I informed all families at the College of our use of the family zone software to ensure your child's safety online while at the College. While there has been some kinks to iron out in the deployment of this software, we are now at the point of releasing the next stage of family zone called INSIGHTS. This part of the software package will allow families to create an account that monitors device usage and provides insights into what students are using their devices for while at home. 

In the coming weeks there will be an invitation sent to all families from family zone (linewize) that will allow you to activate your school provided Insights account for home use. Once you have accepted the invitation and activated your account, this will allow you to setup the software how you would like to use it, to support your child's use of technology at home. I encourage all families to take up this offer and activate their accounts. The College has invested significant time and money in this solution to form a partnership that supports our students to access the internet safely.

Please note: One of the problems we have encountered when setting up the College part of the software, is when students are away from school ill or for other reasons they are unable to access the internet between 8am and 3:15pm. This is due to the software assuming that they are trying to access a hotspot network while at school to bypass filters. 

By activating this insights account, you are able to set your child's access settings to allow them to access other networks between 8:00am and 3:15pm, therefore being able to use your home wifi. In the meantime, while accounts are not activated, please contact the College if your child requires internet access while away on a school day. 

If you have any questions about the family zone software please contact me, so we can work together to develop the best solution for your child.

Sean Albion
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Senior

Ella Williams is a Year 6 student who has a go at most sports and performs all of them with distinction. Her recent sporting experiences include representing the College at Swimming, strong performances at Little Athletics Regional Championships, and gaining selection in the Toowoomba Twisters Touch Football squad for Under 12 Girls. Ella's performance in hurdles was particularly noteworthy. Her time of 14.65 seconds for the 11 years 80m hurdles would have been a State record if it had been run at a Little Athletics Queensland ratified event. Ella will have the chance to officially claim the record at the State Championships later this month. Good luck Ella!

If you have a nomination for the Athlete Spotlight, please email me and include a photo!

The students of Mary Mac have been engaged in a range of activities over the last few weeks.

Futsal 

We have students from the Senior College playing in school competitions on both Monday (boys) and Thursday (girls) afternoons. Both competitions are getting close to completion and we thank these students for their representation of the College. We also contested the South West Futsal Titles in both 14 Boys and 15 Boys last week. The 14 Boys made the final and were defeated by 2 goals in an entertaining match against TGS. The older boys copped a few injuries prior to the day and a few more during play and contested 3 close matches but missed out on the final. The core of this team has been playing football and futsal for the College for the last 3 years and they are developing into a mature group who play as a team and battle for each possession they contest. The 14s team will contest the State Finals later in the year.

Cross Country 

Due to a date change at Inner Downs level, the College has moved the P-12 Cross Country carnival to Friday, March 26. A schedule will be released closer to the date.

Touch Football

Students playing touch for the College on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Nights are asked to return their shirts to their coach after the final game of the season. All Mary Mac teams will complete their season next week (March 10-12). Many thanks to parents for their continued support of our students in their efforts to represent our community. If you're interested in coaching or managing a touch team next season, please contact me. Senior College All-Schools squads have been selected and parents notified. We are excited to commence preparation for this exciting event.

Swimming 

We have had many students representing the College in various swimming events over the last fortnight. A dedicated group travelled to Pittsworth last Monday to contest the Inner Downs trials for 9-12 Years. There were some great results and two students, Will Campbell and Makenzie Andrews will represent Inner Downs at Darling Downs Trials (being contested at the time of writing). In the Senior College, 5 students (Erin O'Rourke, Chloe O'Rourke, Hannah Rosenthal, Bella Scrivens and Lucas Ward) contested the Darling Downs trials to earn a spot on the DD team to compete at the State Titles in Brisbane later this month. Congratulations to Erin O'Rourke who swam a huge carnival and was successful in qualifying for the State Titles in a number of events.

Athlete Spotlight

Each fortnight I will attempt to feature a Mary Mac student who is doing great things in sport. This doesn't have to be representing the College, but may include a variety of community sport, school sport and any other activities the student may be involved in. Please email me any nominations and I will endeavour to feature these students.

This week a number of very excited senior students participated in a Virtual Author Writing Q & A with Lynette Noni, as part of the Voices of the Coast online writer’s festival. Lynette, author of The Medoran Chronicles series and Whisper is currently the #1 Young Adult author in Australia. During the presentation, Lynette shared how she creates her stories and what influences her ideas. Students also submitted questions online in order to gain more specific insights into the creative writing process. All students came away feeling inspired by Lynette’s talk - maybe we will see some future stories in our library written by Mary Mac students.

Congratulations to the winners of the Guess Our Staff Favourite Stories Competition, which was part of this year's Love Your Library promotion. Sophie Reeve was our Junior School winner and our Senior School winners (who were very close in their entries) included Bowen Adamski, Kynan Cowell, Molly Haig, Olivia Horrex and Rachel Williams.

If you are a high school student in Years 9 to 12, it is time to put your pen to paper or fingers to keys and try your hand at song writing.

Enter a song or two for your chance to win a prize pool valued at over $1700.

Entries are open until Monday, 7 June 2021.

Find out more and enter below: 

Please click on the below link to view the Highfields & District C&K Kindergarten Open Day & Twilight Tour Flyer.

As part of the Healthy Living project and to celebrate the Parks Week, Toowoomba Regional Council is launching the Toowoomba Wildlife Warriors BioQuest (www.questagame.com/toowoomba)

The idea is to encourage the community (especially children) to discover and learn about their natural world by participating in this fun event conducted by QuestaGame (think of it as Pokemon Go meets David Attenborough). The adventure starts on 1 March and runs until 30 April, 2021.

Participation is encouraged - either by submitting sightings of wildlife or helping identify submissions.

Click on the below link to view the Highfields Falls Open Day Flyer