One of my favourite books is 'In the Wake of the Plague' by medieval historian Norman Cantor.  His writing is colourful, evocative and really engaging.  He brings the chaos and the trauma of mid-fourteenth century Europe to vivid life - even while describing an event which was so incredibly tragic.  I mention it here not because it is perversely topical, but because when it comes to managing the current crisis, we should be comforted by the fact that we are standing on the shoulders of giants.  The Great Plague of 1348 brought confusion and panic and was not fully explicable to the people who felt its impact, but it started an ongoing curiosity about public health that has strengthened our collective ability to deal with crisis.  

Subsequent pandemics were managed better, to the point that by the 1800s, we were able to establish through scientific method the causes of things like cholera, typhoid and diseases like the plague.  Indeed, much of the base practice in managing the current pandemic was learnt during the tragedy of the Spanish Flu, which followed the First World War.  So, whilst we should be concerned, and vigilant, and protective - we do ourselves a real disservice if we panic. 

Lenin famously said that, 'Every society is three meals away from chaos'.  This is intertwined with the instinct that informs panic buying and hoarding, which sadly is impacting upon our communities today.  At Mary MacKillop, we talk a lot to our students about resilience and inner strength.  As a community we are going to have to draw on our stores of resilience, and our sense of community, and our faith, over the next few months.  This may mean having faith that the supermarkets will remain stocked.  It may mean periods of closure of schools and other services.  At this stage, as you have probably reckoned from the constant communication from my desk, the guidance coming in changes regularly.  The constant though is the importance of supporting our community, or families and maintaining a resilient and positive outlook.  

Please check in on these links regularly, as well as your emails to stay up-to-date with the the impact of the pandemic on the College.

College Updates on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

QLD HEALTH

College Communications

Yesterday was the Feast of St Joseph.  As a College inspired by the Sisters of St Joseph it is a special day for us.  It is also a really special day for me.  When we buried my father in 2011, we chose St Joseph for his memorial card.  We did this because St Joseph is the Patron Saint of the Worker.  Over time though, I've come to learn more of St Joseph's message for us, and his role in the Catholic story.  

Although he his voiceless in the Gospels, without his presence and guidance there is no Gospel, and there is no Easter.  Just as Mary's 'yes' to the Angel starts the story, it is Joseph's 'yes' to Mary that allows it to bloom.  He is described as a just and generous man - a man of trust and faith.  Most importantly, he is described as a man who protected and guided his family in a time of stress and strain.  It is a topical message today.

You will have already received messages from me regarding the Pupil Free Day on 27 March.  This is a really positive initiative by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office and one we will take full advantage of.  At this stage, Mary MacKillop Catholic College has no plans to close.  As you will have seen via the media, the debate is ongoing and multi-sided.  We will follow the guidance of the Catholic Schools Office who are in regular contact with Education Queensland and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission.  I ask please that you keep sending your children into school unless you fall under one of the published categories for self-isolation.  Please remember that if there is a closure, it could run for months, not weeks.  Every day that your child is at school and with their peers, and enjoying their 'normal' experience, is one day less of isolation.  As you have seen from my letters to you, we are taking positive steps as a College to maintain a hygienic and (as much as possible) low risk environment.  

Lastly, please look after yourselves at this time.  Inevitably, the media is on overdrive in publishing alarmist cases, and the culture of lockdowns, images of intensive care units, published illness rates and so on can create hyper-vigilance and stress for all of us.  Conscious self-care is not only a nice thing - in times like this it is necessary.  Please do the things that make it possible for you to be strong and well enough to support your family through this.  

Chris Gabbett

Principal

A reminder to any families who may be moving or relocating from Highfields, please note our Cancellation Policy. Any families intending to withdraw their child's enrolment for Term 2, 2020, must notify the College by no later than 4pm, Thursday, 2 April 2020 to avoid billing of Term 2 fees.

Enrolment Cancellation

It is a condition of enrolment that a minimum of one terms’ notice from the date of receipt of the Notification of Transfer form is given for withdrawals. Failure to provide this notice, will result in one terms’ fee being invoiced to you. One terms’ notice is defined as the last day of the preceding term. Exceptions to this is at the discretion of the Principal.

A Notification of Transfer form must be completed to initiate the cancellation of your child’s enrolment at the College.

Please contact the Enrolments Officer to discuss your intentions.

What do you remember fondly about your school day? Was it play time? Was it the art lesson or maybe the science lesson? Everyone has a favourite subject that they look forward to participating in over the course of the week. For me, it was the opportunity to be active and involved in team sports. I enjoyed the interaction and challenge of being quicker or throwing further.

Each week students take part in Specialist lessons – something I never had growing up. P-3 students enjoy the experience of Music, Dance and Drama when they attend their Performing Arts rotation. When I visited, the Year 1 students were learning beat and rhythm through movement and game. I witnessed the students stomping, wiggling and singing. EVERY student was smiling! Music enhances intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language and literacy development. It’s a great way to get the mind and the body to work together and practice self-expression.

My next stop was to the library for Information Literacy, where the students were listening to an online text (Digital Literacy), “Mr Wolf’s Pancakes”. The students were making predictions and discussing the characters. During this rotation, the students also learnt about fiction and non-fiction texts, strategies to search for books and how to select a suitable text for themselves to read using the 5 finger rule. Children who read often and widely get better at it. Reading exercises our brain, improves concentration, teaches us about the world around us, develops imagination, helps us to develop empathy and most importantly is FUN!

Down to the MacKillop Centre for the last Specialist rotation, Physical Education. Fundamental Movements was the key learning area, with students using their body in lots of different ways. I saw students balancing, hopping, jumping, zig-zagging and using hand-eye coordination. Another layer to this activity was cooperation, sharing and turn-taking, all while following safety and fair play rules. So much fun was being had by all. But fun isn’t the only benefit students receive from participating in Physical Education. It helps students to learn to move with confidence and control, it improves their strength, posture and sleep, and enhances their confidence, social skills and sense of achievement.

I think I might go back to school just for the Specialist lessons! Learning through a play based platform is equally as important as learning in a structured environment. Take the time to discuss with your child what they love the most about each Specialist lesson, perhaps it is an opportunity to foster a passion outside of the school context.

Mrs Natalie Adler

Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning - Junior

Educator James Nottingham uses the concept of 'The Learning Pit' to view learning through the lens of challenge, curiosity, reflection and resilience. The diagram below describes the normal phases students go through when completing an assessment task.

In my Year 7 History class, I have seen this happen. I saw the look on their faces when I first described the assessment task. I saw the frustration; I saw the fear and I saw the confusion. As each day went, I reminded my students that when we are trying to learn a new concept, confusion and frustration is normal. My students can take comfort from knowing that is a normal part of their learning journey.

The skills that students learn while in the pit are crucial. While they are in the pit, it is important for teachers and parents to encourage and reassure learners that taking risks, asking questions, and trying new things can help them develop their abilities and deepen their understanding. 

It is in the pit that true learning takes place. They learn to persevere and push through. They learn to ask question, prioritise time and act on feedback given. As they implement these strategies, they start to climb out of the learning pit. The worse thing we can do while students are in the pit, is to rescue them.

With one week to go before their assignment is due, I can see my Year 7 History students starting to make their way out of the pit. What seemed impossible six weeks ago, is now a reality. Each child used different strategies to get out of the pit. As they move from one learning challenge to another, they will refine their strategies and become more efficient. I am not just interested in my students completing an assignment. I am interested in developing their skills, so they have the ability to be lifelong learners.

Next time you see your child frustrated and confused about an assignment task, remind them that this is normal. It is okay to be in the Learning Pit. 

The Visual Arts Department has been full of productivity and creativity during the last few weeks. Students have been working with a variety of mediums and techniques to produce visually exciting artworks that express personal statements.

In year 7, students are completing a unit based on self. Students have created works that explore various drawing techniques as well as collage. Year 8 students are investigating a variety of cultures and through the manipulation of clay have produced masks. These masks are still in the firing stages and shall be glazed.

The year 9 and 10 students under the direction of Mr Chivers, have been creating stained glass sculptures based on the Mary MacKillop College prayer. Please see the reflective statement as written by Sarah Norton.

‘Stewardship’ 

In term 1 Visual Art our task was to produce a 2 dimensional image on glass and box mount the final product for display. The following is a reflection of my experience in creating a resolved artwork.

The stimulus for the task was the Mary MacKillop Prayer.

St Mary MacKillop pray for us.

You worked for God

You taught young children

You were at home with ordinary people

You gave a home to poor children

You gathered Sisters around you to help

You stood up for all that is right

You forgave people who hurt you

You led your Sisters wisely

You supported parents

You fed hungry people

You reminded people what was good

You loved God

You trusted God’s providence

St Mary MacKillop pray for us.

Using this as a starting point for my inspiration I chose to depict an image of stewardship.

Due to traditional stained glass being an advanced process as well as a costly investment, the mediums we used to produce the illusion of stained glass did not contain lead strips and intricately cut glass. Our mediums were Vitrail glass paint, Pebeo Cerne relief paint, vintage glass and pine framing. I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with vintage glass that was salvaged from residences originally built over a century ago.

The first step in this process was to prepare concept sketches followed by a watercolour draft/planning image. This stage wasn’t too much of an obstacle as I have had a considerable amount of experience beforehand. Pursuing the idea that resulted in a piece I was pleased with; I undertook the task of outlining using metallic Cerne Relief. This, however, did pose a problem. Having an unsteady hand, I had to learn to apply it in specific directions to regulate the consistency. The most enjoyable process of creating the artwork was using the Vitrail to add the vibrant colour. Manipulating the liquid to produce tonal gradients was a significant technique I used within my stained glass artwork.

My choice of colour palette was heavily influenced by the range of available colours. Nonetheless, the tones complemented each other while contrasting in such a way that draws the audience’s attention to the centre. The assemblage process of the box frame was a whole new experience – one I, thankfully, didn’t have to involve myself in too much. On the contrary, I did appreciate the experience of applying the Black Japan to the timber.

Overall, I am delighted with the outcome. Although I would have preferred for my tonal ranges to be smoother in the transitions. The concept of semi-realism is evident.

Sarah Norton (Year 9)

Last Monday and Tuesday, the Year 5 students had the opportunity to Stop, Search and Strive at the James Byrne Centre.

Throughout the two day retreat, students were encouraged to reflect on themselves as a learner and a member of the Year 5 cohort. Prior to attending the retreat, all students completed the VIA Character Strengths Survey. The results of this survey were provided to individual students and small group discussions took place as to how these strengths could be enhanced.  

Students were involved in a range of small group team building activities.  Within these activities, students were encouraged to use a variety of communication skills to achieve a goal.  Debriefing was undertaken at the end of each activity to identify positive and negative ways of communication.  

Individual discussions with teaching staff occurred after students completed reflection questions about them as a learner.  Students were asked to answer questions about their preferred learning style, preferred form of feedback and how they knew they had been successful. These individual discussions provided extensive insight for both student and teacher.

Throughout the two day retreat, students created individual, class and whole cohort goals. These goals will be reviewed and adjusted accordingly throughout the year. Thank you to all of the staff who developed an extremely meaningful retreat, centering around the needs of the Year 5 students.  Stop, Search, Strive was beneficial to all. 

International Read to me Day was celebrated on Thursday, 19 March. This designated day is an international campaign aimed at encouraging children to remind adults to read to them often.

We can all help children with their reading and this day empowers children to ask for more support, not just from their family but also from their community.

Enjoyable shared reading experiences supports the development of listening skills, spelling, comprehension, vocabulary and well-being as well as being a fun and nurturing activity.

Mary MacKillop Catholic College celebrated the day with a 'Pop-Up Library' appearing in the Prep-Year 2 playground during first break. College Leaders Caitlin Lang and Connor McKerrow generously supported this initiative by reading to interested students. Many students chose to either enjoy a book by themselves or share a story, while sitting on blankets in the sunshine.

It is well worth the effort to find time to share a story with the children in your life.

At the College we recognise it is important to always demonstrate correct pedestrian behaviour to our students.  We ask that parents and visitors also model safe pedestrian behaviour to our students by always using the College internal pedestrian crossings. The best way you can help your child to be safe at school is to:

• always use our College pedestrian crossings 
• explain why the place you have chosen is the safest place to cross the road
• explain why they should look and listen before crossing a driveway, road or carpark
• point out dangers, such as a car approaching the crossing
• teach your child to keep turning their head in both directions to look and listen for traffic as they cross the road.
• hold your child's hand
• talk with your child and reinforce Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time you cross the road together

STOP! one step back from the kerb.
LOOK! continuously look both ways.
LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic.
THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Students from Year 1 Eyre visited Mrs Adler to share their writing about Ladybugs. Did you know that ladybugs aren't just orange and black? They eat soft body insects, they protect plants from predators and can be either male or female. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about ladybugs through your information report writing!

Friday March 20, is Bullying no Way Day. At our College, we have a very clear agenda on creating a culture where students feel safe, happy and supported - in order to learn to the best of their ability. On Bullying no Way Day, all children in P-6 will be involved in class lessons that help students gain an understanding of what bullying is and how to respond if it occurs. The College 'High 5 Response to Bullying' will be explored, however, to create a positive school culture, the major focus for the day is to 'Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Courageous and Be Better'.

Be Kind: Prep - Year 2

The children in these year levels will be exploring the character strength of kindness. They will identify what is looks like, sounds like and feels like and explore ways of being a kind person. All children will make a pledge of how they can be a kind person- in the classroom, playground and outside of school.

Science and research tell us that people who give to others, in small and in large ways, tend to be happier as a result. Kind people are often likable to others, which can provide opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and love. Random acts of kindness have related to a range of benefits, including greater positive emotions, lower negative emotions, greater well-being and higher acceptance by their peer groups.

Be Brave: Year 3 - Year 6

The children in these year levels will be exploring the character strength of be being brave.  They are learning the skills of how to be an 'up-stander'.  An up-stander is someone who shows the strength of braveness and chooses to not be a bystander. Up-standers find a way to make friends, interrupt a bullying situation with a diversion, speak out or choose to tell an adult about it. Telling an adult about it, isn’t getting someone into trouble but rather keeping someone safe. All children will also be making a pledge. In years 3-6, the pledge asks them to identify how they can show braveness.

Research and science tells us that bravery helps people tolerate the vulnerability that is part of growing close to others- helping them form and maintain close relationships/friendships. Bravery also involves taking both actions and risks, two important ingredients for personal growth and achievement. It is speaking up when things are wrong or unfair.

The students in the Senior School will explore the concepts of 'Be Courageous and Be Better'.

I invite you to speak with your child/ren about how they can show kindness and bravery in their every day lives. Some questions/conversations to have could include:

• What are some ways you have seen someone in our home show kindness?
• What is one thing you could do in our house that would show the character strength of kindness?
• How do you feel when someone is kind to you?
• Is there an act of kindness we could do as a family, outside of our home?
• What does being brave mean to you?
• Can you remember a time that you were very worried or anxious about doing something, but you were brave and gave it a go and everything was okay?
• Do we know someone or have we seen on television someone who showed the strength of bravery? What was this impact of this?

Have a listen to our Wellbeing Podcast:

Bridget Rillie
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Junior
bridget.rillie@twb.catholic.edu.au

All across our College today our students have participated in activities to recognise Bullying- No Way Day.  Rather than focusing on what bullying is, during their Get Skill'd lesson today the students in Year 7-12 focused on positive behaviours that can enhance their relationships. In addition to the focus of being kind and being brave in the Junior school, the Senior school has encouraged students to focus on being courageous to be better. 

In 2020 the focus for Bullying- No Way, national day of action is to encourage young Australians to take action together by talking about what works. To use student voices to deliver a message and start conversations about how to support others.

The Year 7-9 students learnt what it means to be an 'Upstander' and made a pledge outlining what they will do to be courageous to stand with and support others. Bullying usually happens in front of an audience, and the action of one 'upstander' can make a huge difference to the person being bullied.

The Year 10-12 leaders of our community, explored how their attitudes and actions towards others can have a significant impact on their experience. Using voices from everyone in our community, our year 10-12 students are developing a video to explore how being kind, being brave and being courageous can make our relationships better.

Now is a perfect time to have a conversation with your child about what their understanding of courage is and how they plan on being courageous to be better. 

Sean Albion
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Senior
sean.albion@twb.catholic.edu.au

Given the series of stressors Australia has recently faced, in addition to the current situation, it is completely normal for us to experience discomfort, stress, and anxiety. It is important to acknowledge our emotional experience, and to stay calm and informed during this uncertain time.

Here are some tips from our College Counsellors:  

It is important to try to remain calm and informed at this time, and you can do this by consciously managing your information intake. Check in with yourself and ask 'is this increasing my anxiety, or calming me down (or my child)?' 'Do I already know everything I need to know right now?' 'Do I need a break from thinking and/or talking about this?'
You may find yourself inundated with anxiety-provoking information around the current situation that may attract your focus of attention. It is important to maintain perspective and remember that this is not the only thing that is happening for you right now. Remember to also acknowledge what is going well for you, what you have control over right now, and what's important to you. The mind can hold both the good things and the challenges that are present and this is such an important message for our children to grasp.
 Germs aren't the only things we spread in our families and community. Be kind to yourself and others; use humour; find opportunities for enjoyment; and practice gratitude. Positive emotions are vital to buffering the negative impact of stress. 
For more tips on what to tell your kids about Coronavirus click here.

Dr Jasmin Slack-Smith & Mrs Khara Saunders

College Guidance Counsellors

Your child's mindset about the challenges they face has a great impact on their coping, wellbeing, and future resilience. How can we as parents, and other important adults in their lives, help our children to have more resilient and positive ways of thinking about situations in their life? How can we support them to be courageous in the face of fear or difficulty?

Firstly it’s about connection. Our children need us to notice their feelings, and they must be validated in their emotions and even negative ways of thinking about situations. This can be tricky to balance with the additional need to help them shift to a more positive (or even neutral) mindset about the situation (note: This isn’t problem solving, children don’t need us to find solutions to their problems). For example, we might help them to find words that neutralise their feelings about the situation, e.g., I can handle this, this feeling will pass, I haven’t figured out the solution YET! Positive thoughts can also be supported, e.g., let’s think about how challenges make us stronger, mistakes help us learn and grow, or perhaps there’s a positive aspect of the situation they haven’t thought of, or haven’t been focusing their attention on. We can always choose to see and think about things differently. We can always choose where we direct and focus our attention.

These are more explicit ways of influencing our children’s mindsets.

It is important that our children know, and that we also acknowledge, that being resilient doesn't mean you are immune to challenge or difficulty. In fact, you must experience adversity to become resilient - resilience is bouncing back from challenge...not avoiding it!

Perhaps more impactful though, is the way that children implicitly learn from us by watching (often from a distance) how we handle challenging situations. Do we only focus on negative aspects, and get caught up or stuck by focusing our attention only on these? Do we look for the easy way out, and avoid facing up to situations that bring uncomfortable feelings? Or do we acknowledge that our challenges are difficult (we don’t want to downplay this or else our children will think we are some kind of super hero that they can’t relate to)? Do we accept our feelings and also seek to have optimism and hope about our capacity to handle them? Do we look for positive solutions and ask for help when we really need to? Do we take ownership, accountability, and responsibility for our experience? Or do we blame, excuse, or deny? 

These are the messages that have a significant impact on our children. Our words matter, but our actions and who we are as a person matters more.

Dr. Jasmin Slack-Smith & Khara Saunders
College Counsellors

Our Prayer for Hope

I start this article with a prayer for hope for what we are experiencing at present with the Coronavirus 

God who cries with friends, please help us to stay strong in body as well as in spirit, to have the wisdom and prudence to do what is called for, to have empathy for all those who are suffering, and to live in your love, presence, and strength. Amen. 

College Supported Mass

Thank you to all Penola House families who attended our mass with the Parish on Sunday. It was really lovely to feel a sense of collegiality and God's presence as we celebrated together around the theme of St Joseph. I was very proud of how the students accepted the jobs and respectfully contributed to the mass. We look forward to next term's celebration on 17 May with McCormack House.

Rosie's

Thank you so much to all, staff and students, who have said "Yes" to support these vulnerable citizens.  This week some students and staff completed the training to enable them to volunteer at Rosie's Outreach.  We will run another session to enable all the other students who have missed this week's session soon.  However, due to our current pandemic, Rosie's will not be operating with their outreach program so we will now wait until later this year to start our volunteering with them.  

Healing Hands

Healing Hands is a great service that is provided to support our community in their time of need.  We are in a period of restructuring how this is communicated and how families will receive our hampers.  

• Messages can be passed to Carolyn Maxwell or Jayne Tyrrell who will then contact parent volunteers to organise the packages to then be passed onto the family that afternoon based on the number of family members and allergies.  
• Messages can also be passed on through the school's email, highfields@twb.catholic.edu.au, where this is checked only by three staff members and information is kept confidential.  

This week we conducted our first cook up of food that will be used in the hampers to support members of our community in their time of need. Huge thank you to Vivienne Holman for her time, expertise and organisation to ensure the smooth running of the kitchen. Thank you to all students who were involved this time around as well as the staff who volunteered.  Special thank you to our community members who supplied the ingredients for this activity.  Many hands make light work.

Easter Eggs

Part of Catholic practice is that we don’t “anticipate” celebrations. We should do our best to not act as though Easter has begun when it is still Lent or that Christmas is here when it is still Advent. A more frequent example is that for Christians, each week begins on Sunday, the “Lord’s Day”; those of us who go to Mass on Saturday evening are in fact celebrating a vigil Mass on the Sunday.

In regards to prayer and liturgy, at least be mindful and aware of the Catholic traditions, and as best as possible, be true to them, especially in regards to ‘celebrating’ the Resurrection before the school holidays. There are many (creative) possibilities of ending your Holy Week liturgy or prayer without referencing this, and beginning Term 2 with some sort of joyful celebration incorporating ‘light’ which then makes explicit the celebration of Easter joy.

The eating of Easter Eggs before Easter Sunday and/or the eating of Hot Cross Buns before Good Friday is not being true to the symbolism/tradition of the customs.

Easter eggs are a symbol of the empty tomb - that Jesus has risen, hence why they are given out on Easter Sunday. So, in light of this information and its symbolism, we are strongly recommending that Easter eggs are not given out before Easter Sunday. We are looking for your support in this as staff will be also not giving Easter eggs.  

This also impacts on the liturgy which we will have at the end of this term.

Stations of the Cross 

Due to the school term being completed before Holy Week this year, we will be hosting a Stations of the Cross journey.  In week 10, all students will have the opportunity to walk the way of Jesus in his time of passion, through the Stations of the Cross.  This guided reflection, lead by teachers, will involve class groups walking along a path with pictures to represent each station.  The final station, Resurrection, will not be included as this will be celebrated after Easter. 

St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day was celebrated on Tuesday this week.  Traditionally, St Patrick's day is about celebrating all things Irish - green food and drink, wearing green clothes, leprechauns, pots of gold at the end of the rainbow and the luck of the Irish.  On Tuesday, our AMMA group held a green themed bake sale in honour of St Patrick's day to raise funds for the group to continue to support others throughout the year.  Congratulations to the AMMA group as they have raised $535.55  Thank you to everyone who has contributed in anyway to the success for this group's activity this week - staff, students, families who baked all the delicious delights.  Well done!

St Joseph's Day

19th March is the Feast of St Joseph, husband of Blessed Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ. 

Here are some facts:

• He was a carpenter/ stone mason/ craftsman in his time. 
• He was the silent partner to Mary who stood strong in times of adversity. No where in the scriptures do we read about Joseph speaking.  He has been portrayed as a 'doer', a man of action. 
• Joseph trusted in God and the messages he received via dreams to ensure that his family stayed safe ie to take pregnant Mary as his wife, name the child 'Jesus', take his family and escape to Egypt.

These things all have a certain appeal for us all.  What is it about St Joseph that resonates with you? 

St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) was very deliberate in choosing St Joseph as one of her guides when she co-founded the Sister of St Joseph. St Joseph was a protector especially of children, of women and loyal to God.  Mary MacKillop modelled many of her choices on St Joseph - building schools for the disadvantaged and poor, building homes for women and always trusting in God.  Every day she would offer to God - her work was her prayer.  

This week, we especially, pay tribute to St Joseph as we continue to form the Josephite charism in our school.

In finishing, we ask God and Mary MacKillop to protect all our community as this virus continues to cause problems throughout the world.

In Gods' love and protection,

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education
paula.orourke@twb.catholic.edu.au

Having only been at the College for eight short weeks, I have been amazed at the students’ willingness to get involved in mission and justice activities. This has been no more evident than during our Lenten period, with students signing up for the Youth Ministry Collegiate, Water Aid’s Water Challenge and showing leadership in their own PC groups or classes by fundraising and sacrificing for others through the 40 for 40 initiative.

Youth Ministry Collegiate

On Thursday, 5 March, I accompanied a small group of students – Connor McKerrow, Daniel Verches, Anabel Austin and Rubi Lewis – to St. Saviour’s College to be involved in a Youth Ministry Collegiate. Throughout the afternoon, students from Mary MacKillop, St. Saviour’s College and St. Joseph’s College had the opportunity to share their school’s ideas for mission and advocacy. The aim of the Collegiate is to bring students from diocesan schools together, with the objective of working collaboratively to raise awareness about and advocate for social justice issues and organisations. In October, St. Saviour’s is planning a trivia evening in association with Mini Vinnie’s – our students are currently helping to organise this event. If your child would like to be involved in this Youth Ministry Collegiate, they are always welcome. We would love to expand this group!

Water Challenge

Please continue to support two students in the Senior College—Caitlin Lang in Year 12 and Madeline Kirkegaard in Year 7—who have taken on Water Aid’s challenge to drink only water during the month of March. While the links to their fundraising pages can be accessed via the College’s Facebook page, you can simply click on the links below:

https://fundraise.wateraid.org.au/fundraisers/madelinekirkegaard/waterchallenge

https://fundraise.wateraid.org.au/fundraiser/caitlinlang

If preferred, cash donations can also be given to Caitlin and Madeline. Thank you in advance for your support of these students who are helping to raise awareness about global water access, usage and cleanliness.

Project Compassion and 40 for 40

This Lent, classes in the Junior College and PC groups in the Senior College, have been participating in 40 for 40. As I mentioned in our last Newsletter, this initiative has two parts: firstly, students are challenged to fundraise for Project Compassion, collecting a minimum of $40 before the Easter break. Secondly, students are challenged to brainstorm actions or ‘extras’ they can do for others at Mary MacKillop, for their families and in the wider community. Rather than simply bringing in money because it’s in our wallets, many students and their teachers have brainstormed some wonderful examples of actions they can do to both donate money and raise awareness. Some of the ideas include donating 10 cents for every tap in a household, bake sales, garage sales and donating $1 for every television in a house. With two weeks left in the term, I encourage students and their families to continue to make sacrifices for others during Lent and to donate generously to the Project Compassion collection boxes.

AMMA St. Patrick’s Day Bake Sale

Well done to the Junior and Senior branches of the Actioning Mary MacKillop Advocacy (AMMA) group, who held St. Patrick’s Day themed bake sales in Penola, Uluru and Billabong on Tuesday. These were a huge success! Thank you to the students and their parents, along with other members of the College community, who baked cupcakes, biscuits, slices and jelly cups. All funds raised will go towards future AMMA mission and justice initiatives.

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation
leisa.radley@twb.catholic.edu.au

Thank you to those students who have maintained their commitment to choir this year and those who were able to come and support the St Josephs Feast Day Mass. Next time we will organise to have microphones. There are quite a few cancellations along with the cancellation of College Liturgies and assemblies for the time being.

Coming up for our choirs:

• CANCELLED: Anzac Day Liturgy – Mary MacKillop Catholic College – Friday 24 April
• CANCELLED: Community Anzac Day Practice –Friday 24 April – 11:30 - 12:30 
• CANCELLED: Community Anzac Day Parade – Saturday 25 April 
• CANCELLED: Year 2/3 Choir Toowoomba Eisteddfod – May

Year 4/5/6 Choir 

Sing Out – Empire Theatre, Toowoomba- Tuesday 9 June. The committee is currently discussing alternatives to the current dates. I will notify parents as news comes to hand. The choir will continue to practice for this festival as well as learning songs for College Liturgies (in preparation for when we are able to hold them again)

Senior School Choir 

We will continue rehearsals. We will be practicing for College Liturgies and other performances in preparation for when we are able to do them again.

Year 1 Music 

This term the year 1 students have been learning about ta (one sound on a beat) and titi (two even sounds on a beat). We have been reading and writing these rhythms in stick notation as well as recognising them in music that is written on the staff. The students have been dancing up a storm to a song called Rat Trap as well as beginning to play an ostinato on the drums.

Instrumental Music Lessons 

We look like we will be able to offer another day of guitar lessons next term. I already have some students on a waiting list. If you would like your child to learn guitar please contact me. 

“My child wants to quit music Lessons.”

1. Find out the reason

Sometimes a child likes the music lessons but has stage fright, doesn’t like exams or feels inferior to other musicians their age. These issues can be managed. Although they might result in a change of teacher, or repertoire or pattern of learning, they are not of themselves a reason to stop.

More tips to come in the following newsletters.

Susie Fredline
Music Teacher
susan.fredline@twb.catholic.edu.au

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in Inner Downs or Darling Down's representative teams:

• Will Paynter (Inner Downs Under 12 Boys Rugby League)
• Aidan Lowien (Inner Downs Under 11 Boys Rugby League)
• Lucas Paynter (Darling Downs Under 15 Touch Football)
• Lucas Paynter and Joseph Coren (Darling Downs 13-14 yrs Boys Australian Rules)
• Mai Connor (Darling Downs 13-19 yrs Girls Hockey)
• Erin O'Rourke (Darlings Downs 9-12 yrs Swimming)

It is exciting to see students at Mary MacKillop making the most of the learning pathways available to them. Mikayla Rieck and Ashlyn Martin have recently been accepted in attaining traineeships.

The P&F General Meeting for March and the AGM have been postponed. We will endeavour to organise a virtual meeting so that the AGM can still go ahead.  Details of this will be available soon.

The Committee thanks everyone for their understanding and patience as we navigate through these unprecedented times.

Best wishes to all the MMCC Community.