Thank you so much to the community members who attended our inaugural Co-Curricular Awards evening on Tuesday.

I thought it was a really fantastic two hours. We have so many activities on at the College now that we cannot pay due honour to all students and their various passions in just one Awards evening, hence this additional one. To be honest, we struggled in two hours on Tuesday! What a wonderful advertisement for the variety of opportunities our students have and the dedication of their parents and teachers.

On the subject of co-curricular engagement, I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Queensland Combined Independent Schools (QCIS) on Tuesday. MMCC was a founding member of this group, but due to a few concerns in 2019, I withdrew us. We have been invited to re-join, and we will again be competing regularly next year with Downlands, Concordia, Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Scots PGC, and Toowoomba Anglican School on a regular basis. This will provide us as a P-12 College with valuable fixtures and a benchmark for our progress.

It was positive to hear in the meeting that QCIS is developing a number of inter-school cultural and artistic activities too. This is really exciting - as was evidenced on Tuesday evening and at other events, we have a lot to offer.

Next week we say our goodbyes to our graduating class of year 12s. They have been a fabulous year group and they have contributed a lot to our culture. I hope that next week is really special for our year 12s but also for their families.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well as we near the end of the year. Thank you as ever for your ongoing support.

Take care.

Mr Chris Gabbett
College Principal

This week the College held our inaugural Co-curricular Awards night. It was an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful work students are doing in both the Arts and Sport. The structure of the awards was intentionally set up around the 6 Ps of St. Mary MacKillop's ministry, with students recognised for their passion, practical action, perseverance, and partnership in and around the College's Co-Curricular program.

Many thanks to the parents, staff, and students who attended the evening and made it such a positive event for the MMCC community. Of particular note, we recognise the efforts of Mrs. Carmen Campbell who was the driving force behind the evening and her meticulous organisation of the event was the key to its success.

The following students were awarded our top awards for the evening:

A full list of award winners is available to view below.

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader Sport

As mentioned in our Week 4 Newsletter, the Vinnies Christmas Gift Appeal, which is facilitated by the AMMA group and Year 5 Mini Vinnies, is running again this year.

We invite our families to contribute a gift card or a present for those in our communities who may struggle to put a gift under the tree this year. You will find a list of suggested items, according to age below.

CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF SUGGESTED ITEMS

From Monday, Week 5 to Friday, Week 8, students in the Junior College are asked to bring their gifts or gift cards to their classroom where they will be kept in the class's donation basket. Similarly, students in the Senior College can bring donations to their Pastoral Care rooms. Families are reminded that one donation per family is plenty; however, students are welcome to donate more than one item if desired.

All donations will be collected by Vinnies in Week 9.

We thank you in anticipation of your generous donations.

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation and College Culture

2023 has seen a class of 13 students complete their Certificate III in Aviation (remote pilot) and 5 of these students continue to study to sit their CASA RePL (Remote Pilot's License).

Whilst Drone technology isn’t all that new, it is how they are being used that is rapidly changing. Drones are now being utilised in many industries across Australia, to perform an increasingly diverse range of tasks:

• In the agriculture industry, an estimated 10% of businesses use drones to support operational processes such as planting seeds, spraying weeds, checking water levels, and monitoring stock.
• In the mining and construction industries, they are used to identify hazards, measure stockpiles, and inspect infrastructure such as power lines, bridges, and rail lines.
• The Defence Force uses them for surveillance and intelligence-gathering activities.
• In the arts and media industries, they are used by directors and artists to push the boundaries of creativity in advertising, synchronised light show displays, photography, film, and TV.

The uptake of drone technology across Australian industries is projected to create up to 10,000 jobs by 2040.

Some of the advancing areas of drone tech include:

• assisting our emergency services to monitor bushfires and floods - conducting aerial mapping to assess the damage and enabling immediate and targeted responses in disaster-affected communities
• delivering medical supplies to communities in remote areas that are often inaccessible by land
• supporting valuable research in the forestry, marine, and wildlife conservation sectors.

With more organisations and industries adopting drone technology it’s a great time to enter the field. You could be a drone operator in just about any industry you like!

At Mary MacKillop Catholic College we work with Skills Generation Australia to deliver this certificate and licence (additional to the certificate) on campus. Students access their VETIS (vocational education in school) funding to complete this certificate free of charge.

If your child is interested in completing this certificate, we will be taking enrollments for 2024 shortly and all year 9 students (2023) and their families will be sent details. Please be aware this course requires students who can work independently and are self-motivated. If you have an older student who is interested in completing their certificate in aviation, please ask them to email Mrs Stevenson or Mrs Richardson.

Your Pathway Team

Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson

On Monday, the Prep and Year 1 students and teachers embarked on an exciting adventure to the Empire Theatre and what an unforgettable experience it was! Our destination? A live performance by the remarkable teaching duo, Pevan & Sarah! The energy, the excitement and the joy that filled the air were truly magical.

We had anxiously been counting down the days, writing letters to Pevan & Sarah that we posted when we got there! We had our special VIC (Very Important Cub) name tags and wristbands, and some of our teachers were rocking their Pevan & Sarah earrings and T-shirts.

From the moment the show started, Pevan & Sarah had us captivated and our young students couldn't have been happier. The excitement on their little faces was priceless (and the adults were pretty excited too!). We regularly sing and dance along with this amazing duo in our classroom and seeing them live on the stage was quite mind-blowing for some!

Throughout the performance, we danced and sang our hearts out as Pevan & Sarah led us through a delightful musical journey! Some of our favourite moments were when they performed some of our favourite songs including, The Morning Song, It's Okay to Make Mistakes, Pencil Grip, Be Kind, Months of the Year, Walk Like Me, and The Goodbye Song. Pevan & Sarah's ability to combine entertainment and education is truly remarkable as they cover topics from the curriculum while integrating important lessons about kindness, resilience and the value of making mistakes.

The impact of this excursion was evident in the comments we received. One child exclaimed, "That was the best show I've ever seen!" Another declared, "This is the best day of school ever!" and one teacher said, “That was my favourite excursion that I’ve ever been on!”

These words reflect the genuine delight and excitement Pevan & Sarah brought to us with their magical blend of entertainment and education! It was a day we won’t soon forget!

Prep and Year 1 Teachers

Recently, the Year 6 cohort along with their teachers and College volunteers held the annual Work & Welcome fundraiser. They held a sausage sizzle, sold Zooper Doopers, and had the super popular chocolate toss competition. The money raised goes towards supporting newly arrived refugees in Toowoomba to have work experience opportunities which are coordinated through Multicultural Australia.

This fundraiser is in response to their novel study of ‘Boy Overboard’ which focuses on a young Afghani boy and his family’s plight to escape Afghanistan in search of a better future. In its 3 years, this is the largest amount we’ve raised.

Thank you to all who supported this great example of practical action and partnership.

On Wednesday, 1 November, the Year 5 students participated in a formation day entitled ‘Ready to Serve.’ The purpose of the half-day formation was to:

- provide students with the opportunity to understand the characteristics of a leader

- provide students with the opportunity to identify leadership, reflecting upon the works of Mary MacKillop

- begin the process for the 2024 Junior Leadership Positions

Throughout the sessions, students worked collaboratively with their peers and had an opportunity to reflect individually. Some of the characteristics that students identified as being integral to positive leadership were: courage, bravery, selflessness, loyalty, and compassion. Staff who were involved in the sessions frequently commented on the high standard of leadership skills that were displayed.

If students are interested in applying for a leadership position for 2024, they are asked to write a letter of application and will then be required to present a speech to their Year 5 peers. The presentation of Junior College Leaders will take place early in 2024.

Some feedback from the Year 5 students:

I had a lot of fun being with new people. I liked that we had to describe Mary MacKillop with some words. We did this because we were learning how she was representing a good leader. Some of Mary’s qualities were caring, unique, and didn’t give up. (Lyrik)

I enjoyed thinking about what a leader would be. I learned that a good leader is confident but also kind. I look forward to applying for a leadership position next year. (Sienna)

I enjoyed playing a brain break game because we had to do one of the qualities of a leader. This quality was teamwork. (Samuel)

We are all looking forward to supporting the 2024 Junior Leaders.

Kate Carroll
Acting Assistant Principal Wellbeing Junior

As we near the end of another school year, undoubtedly you and your student are beginning to cast your mind to the transition they will soon be faced with. Whether it be your little one soon to start their formal schooling career or your teenager about to move out into the big, wide world after completing their thirteen years of education, some big emotions may arise.

Nervousness, excitement, apprehension, joy, ambivalence … these are all common emotions that you may be faced with as the next few weeks pass and time for the transition nears. Sometimes feeling big emotions can also impact a child’s behaviour; they may withdraw and seem quieter, they can display silly or impulsive behaviours, or present with actions somewhere in between as they attempt to make sense of what they are feeling.

There are lots of things you can do as a parent that may assist in this period of transition:

Familiarity with the new space can be key. It is highly encouraged for parents to support their children or young people to see the place they are transitioning to; this may be attending school, university, or TAFE open days and getting a feel of the campus, people, and routines.
Talking regularly about new routines that might occur and how they are to participate in them too (change of uniform from formal to sports, lunch box options). A visual aid here could be very helpful too, including looking at photos of new spaces and use of a social story.
Consistency, as much as possible. Other routines that can remain the same, should. This might include keeping bedtime routines the same for younger students or after-school activities (including relaxing downtime).
Practicing skills that they may need can be really helpful to eliminate some stress in the early days – this might include new Prep students ensuring they can open their lunch box containers and drink bottles, or older students developing familiarity with a laptop and knowing how to create files to save their school work.
Transitions can be a time of uncertainty and worry for parents and their children alike. It’s important to talk to the trusted people around you, and if you have any questions, to reach out to the school/university / other key people who might be able to provide guidance. There are always people happy to help!

Leah Moffett
Guidance Counsellor

On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 November, 25 students participated in the Qld Primary All Schools Touch Football competition in Redlands. This is the premier touch football competition in Queensland attracting a record 201 teams playing in the boys, girls, and mixed divisions. Mary MacKillop played in the mixed division playing three games on Saturday and one or two games on Sunday. Mary MacKillop A won two games and lost one on Saturday which saw them qualify in the top 16 touch teams in all of Queensland. This is an outstanding achievement for them. They narrowly lost in the round of 16 in a drop-off, losing 6-5. Mary MacKillop B lost all three games on Saturday but won their first game on Sunday which pushed them into the Mixed Plate quarter-finals. They lost a tough game but played amazingly well. A brief torrential downpour made things challenging to play our finals games but students enjoyed the opportunity to get themselves wet and muddy!

All students enjoyed themselves, playing high levels of touch football against some of the best teams in all of Queensland. They played in the spirit of the game, representing our College with pride.

A huge thank you to Michelle Lever for coaching and managing the B team. Without her guidance and support, the next level of touch superstars would not have been able to shine. Another big thanks to Lisa-Marie Preston for managing the A team. Without her calming presence, the carnival would not have run as smoothly as it did.

This brings our primary touch schedule to a close for Mary MacKillop for this year. We will be back next year participating in the Swans Cup, SWQ Primary All Schools, and QLD Primary All Schools. Students from Years 5 and 6 are most welcome to attend.

Craig Hubbard
Teacher

Congratulations to those students who performed The Scene Project at UniSQ on 30 August, 

Our students performed along with 4 other schools also performing their interpretation of the script.  

The Scene Project is Queensland Theatre’s largest Education offering and encourages drama students across the state to engage in the creative process of performance from rehearsal through to presentation. Each year, a playwright creates an original work, and the participating schools are tasked with the challenge of creating their unique 15-minute version or interpretation of the play. During the rehearsal phase, Queensland Theatre artists visit the participating schools to check in on progress and offer a fresh perspective of the emerging work.

The project concludes with local schools coming together in a professional theatre venue (our venue is UniSQ Arts Theatre) to share their performance. On this day, a cast of professional Queensland Theatre actors also present a full interpretation of the play (under the same ‘minimalist’ parameters that schools have), providing young artists and their teachers with new ways of making and shaping texts that can be taken into their classrooms. The final stage of the project is a learning forum that allows students to acknowledge the skill and artistry of their peers as well as engage in robust discussions around process and performance building.

The script for 2023’s Scene Project is “A Thousand Points from Zero” written by Steve Pirie and explores the complexities of the digital world we live in and the not-so-positive influences of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms.

Mrs Genevieve Duncan
Senior Drama Teacher

It has been an incredible few weeks for the Year 8 boys' basketball team.

From Oct 26—29 the team competed at the Champion Basketball School of Queensland (CBSQ). After some well-fought games, the team was awarded the bronze medal in Div 4. From a standing-still start to the year, this team has come a long way.

To cap off the success at CBSQ, the team competed in the Year 7/8 AAG Cup last Sunday at Glennie. This competition invites all the school teams from the Toowoomba region. Our first game was against St Mary’s, a team we have not been able to beat this year. We finally came away with a victory over them, 36-33, which set us up for success for the day. In the final, we overcame Centenary Heights to be crowned, Year 7/8 AAG Cup Champions for 2023.

Congratulations on a successful 2023.

Carmen Campbell
PE Teacher

It's almost Swimathon time. Join in and make a splash to raise funds for an important cause. It is on Saturday, 18 November at the Highfields pool. We have 35 students, teachers, and parents joining in the fun. The first group of swimmers will kick off at 8:00 am and the last group will finish at 4:00 pm. Come and along and cheer us on or even better send Mrs Campbell an email to get involved and join a team. We’d love to have you!!

Our main aim is to raise important funds to support those suffering from MS. Please consider supporting the cause by donating to our team

Carmen Campbell
PE Teacher

Artists work in a narrow band of creativity. Though they may make great things, they make specific things.

David Walsh - MONA Tasmania

During the exhibition period for Creative Generation 2023 in Toowoomba, 47 ‘specific’ works were presented all radiating from a defined generation of artists. These individual viewpoints, expressions, observations, and intuitions, emanate from a source unknown to many. Artists are unique in that way, they are privileged to access this source, to play with it, and allow themselves to be a conduit to create ‘great’ things. In this, their creativity and skill radiates like solar flares. 47 individual flares of creativity.

Amidst these 47 works, two ‘great’ pieces were created here at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. Noah Gunders and Ava Knihinicki both contributed works to the 2023 exhibition. Their work was evaluated and reviewed by an independent panel of judges at the Department of Education in Brisbane and both received Commendation Awards for their work. Congratulations Ava and Noah, this is a significant success.

The Voll Sisters also graced the event with a beautiful performance entirely tailored to the acoustics and ambience of the gallery space.

To put Ava and Noah's achievements into context;

· 459 submissions were received from 177 schools statewide

· The DDSW regional exhibition displayed 47 artworks by senior high school visual art students representing 19 schools from the Darling Downs and South-West Queensland.

· From the 47 submissions in DDSW, the following awards were announced: 1 Regional Encouragement Award, 13 Commendations and 7 Excellence winners.

· Excellence winners will be exhibited at GOMA from 27 April to 25 August 2024 (marking the 30th anniversary of Exhibiting with QAGOMA).

The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art recognise and promote excellence in senior visual art education throughout Queensland state and non-state schools.

Since 1990, the program has helped raise community awareness of the degree of sophistication in concepts, diversity of technical competence, and the high standard of visual art education in Queensland secondary schools.

Matt Chivers
Art Teacher

Congratulations to this weeks Assembly Award recipients

Hello to all Mary Mac Families, Students, Parish and Community members from the Parent Engagement Network (PEN).

Event updates/reminders for the Term 4: -

World Teachers Day – Friday, 27 October

We celebrated World Teacher’s Day on October 27. This was a very special day for all of our teachers and staff at the College. We started the day with a Trivia Morning, hosted by Mr Gabbett, in the College Café where teachers and staff were present to enjoy some laughter and test their knowledge with questions prepared by Mr Gabbett. It was a fun morning!

The Parent Engagement Network provided a coffee and cupcake as a token of our thanks from all Junior and Senior students, the parent body and the wider Mary Mac community.

Thank you teaching staff for your passion for teaching, your patience, and your unwavering support – this does not go unnoticed. We know that it's not just the parents, but the students, who hold you in the highest regard. Your impact on their lives is immeasurable.

We hope you enjoyed your day!!

PEN Final meeting update 24 October

Our end of year PEN Meeting was held on Tuesday, 24 October. We welcomed new members to this group. It was lovely to see everyone. The PEN were updated by Mr Gabbett on end of year College Annual Action Plan – targets were met, and improvements were made across the College. All areas across of the College are performing well and improvements were noted for 2024. The College SRIP review and the Shaping Our Future Surveys were discussed. The College is waiting on final reports to be published. We were also updated on the Master Plan for the 2024 BGA proposal based on our continued growth across the College. Other matters raised were air conditioning across the College. PEN financial support was discussed and approved for learning support with new Soundfield Speakers to provide support in the Senior classrooms.

Mango Drive – Orders closed – Thank you for your support

Thank you to everyone for supporting this fundraiser. We have had overwhelming support for this fundraiser.

These funds will go towards supporting more resources within the College. Delivery date will be communicated closer to the time but expected to be in Week 9 or 10 of Term 4.

Ham Drive - Term 4

The Parent Engagement Network and the College are running the end of year Ham Drive supplied by Bannock Brae Local Family Meats.

Traditional wood smoked hams:

• 100% Australian pork
• Full and half legs available
• Bone in or boneless available
• Regular, Nitrate free and salt only options available

Don’t forget to ask friends, neighbours, workmates and relatives for their orders too!

Grant Writing to support of College –PEN Resources Team

Does this interest you? we are still 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!

Future Fundraising Possibilities – IDEAS NEEDED FOR 2024!

Looking to run some more fundraisers for 2024 for resources for students at the College. Please reach out if you have any ideas. Refer to our email address below for any feedback or areas which you feel may need attention throughout the College.

The Parent Engagement Network wish the College students from P-12 the very best for the remainder of the term. Do your best!

Thank you to Mr Chris Gabbett for his leadership, all ELT, our wonderful teachers for their unwavering efforts thus far and all remaining staff across the College. Only 4 weeks to go until you have a well-deserved rest.

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 for 2024.

Take care.
Shayne Cleary and Rowena Voll
Co-Chairs PEN

Next P.E.N. Meeting for 2024:

Date: TERM 1 WEEK 6 – Date to be confirmed in New year.

Volunteers Thank You Morning Tea: Tuesday November 21st – time to be confirmed:

Mary MacKillop, Outside School Hours Care – Philosophy Statement (2024)

At Mary MacKillop OSHC we believe in human dignity by creating and maintaining a safe environment where children of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds feel safe, respected, valued, and heard. We believe in providing a vast range of opportunities for children to unlock their true potential in this world; through learning and growing in creativity, emotional wellbeing, social interactions, physical health, and life skills. We strive to make this a place where children have fullness of life, where they can explore their world, and have ownership over their learning. 

We work to foster an environment that allows children to make friendships with others based on kindness, understanding, and encouragement, and build respectful relationships with adults. Our staff is also committed to continuing our professional learning to ensure we have the knowledge and skills required to create the positive environment we believe all children deserve. Together we will experience love, forgiveness, and faithfulness as children created in the image of God.

If you would like to give us feedback on our updated philosophy statement, please email: HIGcare@tckc.qld.edu.au

Exciting photos at OSHC 

Please see below for some exciting snapshots of the last fortnight at Outside School Hours Care!

Garth Rochford
Coordinator