Please let me start this update with a message of real appreciation to you for the way that you, as a parent and student body, supported the College over the challenges of the past two weeks. Events like this are a real crucible for both individuals and wider communities. Our staff and students who have been directly impacted by the tragedy of Zaeden's passing have handled the challenges with strength. We continue to pray for Zaeden and his family as they manage the reality of his loss.

Very sadly, the Gotze family, who are a foundation family of the College, also lost their daughter and sister Caitlin suddenly last Wednesday. Caitlin was 23 and was developing a very successful career in the racing industry. We pray also for them in their grief.

This will be the last newsletter of the academic year.

Please let me thank you for the positive contribution you have made to the culture of our wonderful College. As you will see in subsequent pages of the newsletter, we have much to report regarding our growth, the exciting learning taking place in our classrooms and the Sports and Arts activities that we have engaged in.

We will very soon be in the season of Advent. Advent is the four weeks where we prepare for the arrival of Jesus on Christmas Day. I had the good fortune of watching the Prep Nativity rehearsals on Wednesday and was reminded of the beautiful simplicity of the Christmas story. The star, the manger, the inn, the wise men. All of the imagery and symbolism is a constant part of our memory - just ingrained. Less natural to us nowadays is how we can intentionally approach Christmas during Advent. It used to be a kind of 'mini-Lent' and some more traditional Catholics still observe that. Most of us though just start to acknowledge Christmas and the associated trappings of it as the weather warms and the tinsel comes out in the supermarkets.

Pope Francis refers to Advent as being a constant call to hope. It is a lovely way to consider the season - to reflect that the wait for Christmas is in fact a wait for a message of renewal, warmth and compassion. Right now, given the events of the last couple of weeks, I feel assured that hope is amongst us. More than that though - a deeper spirit supported our young people who encountered such difficulty last week. In the grief and tragedy that we faced our young people looked with compassion, strength and love towards eachother and found within those interactions a place for God. Advent may be about preparing for God, but I think it could also be about being prepared to open the door when He is knocking.

I am so incredibly privileged to lead Mary MacKillop and I want you to know how honoured I feel to do so. I feel that we have had a really successful year and I am so excited about the academic and building projects we have in train for 2022.

I hope you all have a really lovely and safe break. Please take care.

Chris Gabbett
Principal

As ever in a large P-12 College we will have some staffing movement. Please see below the class teachers for P-6 and staff changes in the whole College.

We are so fortunate to have recruited some outstanding teachers in Prep and years 1 and 2. As you can see, enrolment growth has necessitated the College returning to a full 21 classes in P-6.

Please note:

• Mr Coren will be continuing his career at St Mary's College. We wish him the very best.
• Holy Name Primary School has been very fortunate to recruit Ms Inskip and she leaves with our best wishes.
• Mrs Kingsford will be taking a year's leave from the College.
• Mrs Deena Jones has been teaching STEM and Digital Tech in Junior and she has been recruited by St Thomas More Primary School.
• Mrs Priebe has been a wonderful support in year 3 and other areas this year and we wish her all the best for 2022.
• Ms Costa has supported part time teachers over the past few years, but with all teachers now on a full timetable she is working in other schools. We thank her very much for her support.
• Mrs Rawle will be taking a post at Fairholme College and we thank her for a wonderful year.
• In 2022, P-6 Performing Arts will be taught by Ms Lauverjon.
• Mrs Goddard will return to Junior following a year's leave.

In the Senior College, there has also been some movement.

• Following two year's leave, Mr Nielsen has resigned from the College and we are currently recruiting a replacement Religious Education teacher.
• Ms Jensen will be continuing her career at St Saviours College and we thank her for the positive impact she has had.
• Performing Arts and Drama will be taught by Ms Mattison.
• Mr Varley will join us full time teaching Design Technology.
• In the College Learning Support area, we farewell Mrs Koch, Mrs Cosh, Mrs Dreyer, Ms McDougall and Mr Jones.
• We are currently recruiting additional School Officers for Learning Support and the role of Learning Support teacher (Senior) will be taken by Ms Stokes.
• Mr James will be joining us as Science Lab Tech for the year.
• In the Library, Mrs Irvine will be taking twelve months leave and Ms Miiller will be supporting there.
• Ms Rollans has worked in Senior reception this year but will now be pursuing further study in 2022.
• Mr Tickner will join us in the new year as College Chef which will be very positive for us.

Please make a point of welcoming the new colleagues in the new year and of course wishing our departing colleagues the very best.

Chris Gabbett
Principal

This week we interviewed Miss Tamara Niemeyer, one of Mary MacKillop's senior teachers. Tamara teaches - HPE, Legal Studies, History, Digital Literacy and Sports Science.

Primary School: Lockrose State School

Secondary School: Lockyer District State High School

How long have you worked at Mary MacKillop? Since 2017 (5 years)

What do you like about working at Mary MacKillop?

I like the wonderful staff and students and the supportive sense of community at MMCC

Did you always want to become a teacher?

Teaching is something that I have always been interested in however I did also want to be a lawyer towards the end of high school

What are your hobbies/Interests?

Travelling – I have visited 30+ countries, reading, watching documentaries, being active

Other interesting facts about yourself or anything else you would like to share with the MMCC community:

I have been fortunate to have some truly wonderful experiences on my travels such as working at a summer camp in the US, seeing the Northern Lights in Finland, crossing the Arctic Circle and meeting Santa at the North Pole, hot air ballooning over the Serengeti on New Year’s Day, climbing the Great Wall of China, having Christmas in Galway and celebrating Hogmanay in Edinburgh, just to name a few.

Junior Admin will be unstaffed over the Christmas school holiday break. The Senior Administration Building will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm from December 6 through December 17, and then reopening Tuesday, 4 January from 9:00am - 3:00pm. 

 The College can be contacted on 4698 7777 or highfields@catholic.edu.au if you have any queries during this time.

At Mary MacKillop Catholic College, we are called every day to come to know Jesus and demonstrate the following values in our actions and interactions:

• Care and compassion
• Honesty and trustworthiness
• Understanding and inclusion
• Respect and tolerance

It is about being a ‘WESTIE’ all term – welcoming, encouraging, saying sorry, being thankful, being inclusive and enthusiastic.  These are simple but powerful actions that can make the difference for each one of us.

Please join us in congratulating all students who received an MJR Award for Term 4

This Sunday starts the liturgical season of Advent. The word Advent comes from a Latin word 'adventus' meaning "coming". So as Catholics we are preparing for the coming of Christ, the celebration on Christmas morning, of Jesus' first coming into the world. Secondly, we are preparing for the coming of Christ' kingdom, when he returns to his people.

This is a time, traditionally, of fasting as well, like Lent before Easter. Nowadays, everyone prepares for Christmas in different ways. Some like to put up the Christmas tree on the first Sunday or on December 1; some like to celebrate Christmas parties with friends or work mates or sporting/social groups. No matter how it happens we are all still preparing for Christmas.

There are symbols which reflect Advent. You will notice the church will have purple or dark blue for its coloured cloths. There may be an Advent wreath with four or five candles (four for each Sunday of Advent - three purple and one pink) and one for Christmas Day which is usually white, sitting in a circle of evergreen.

The symbolism of evergreen is in their everlasting life just like God's love is everlasting. This is also reflected in the circle shape - God's love is unending. There may be some red berried which symbolise Jesus' sacrificial blood and pines cones representing new life. Together they reflect new life and eternal salvation.

The four candles which are lit throughout the four weeks, one each Sunday, traditionally represent hope, faith, joy and peace. These themes are evident in each week's readings at church.

I encourage you to make your own wreath and place it in the centre of your dining table or a central place in your home where it will remind you about why Advent is important but also the reason for Christmas.

Rosary Beads

This week, Year 10 students have received a set of rosary beads that have been especially made for them by a local Toowoomba Rosary group. This has been at the request of our Bishop, Robert McGuckin. These rosary beads can accompany them through their life journey, guiding and protecting them through life. If any student was away and didn't receive a set, please see me, as I have spares.

Spirit of Country Pilgrimage

Thank you to those families who have responded to the expression of interest to attend this trip. What a great way to experience Queensland! More information will now be sent to those who have expressed an interest and we look forward to this trip in 2022.

Mary MacKillop's whisperings

"We must hold ourselves in readiness for God's will whichever way things go." 1899

May God's blessing be on you as we journey to Christmas and into the new year.

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education

This term in Year 8 Religious Education, students studied rites of initiation across the Abrahamic faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Along with the importance of Baptism for Christians, the Year 8s have studied initiation rituals of Judaism and Islam, including Brit Milah and Aqiqah and have evaluated the importance of these rites for adherents of each faith.

For their assessment, students were required to work in small groups to design a board game which would test their peers' knowledge of initiation rituals across monotheistic religions. In order to design appropriate games, students began their inquiry by playing traditional board games in their Religion classes.

Then, the Year 8s recalled the information they had studied on rites of initiation and were tasked with the challenge of creating their own board game. They wrote the objectives and rules of their game and were required to explain to their peers how to play the game. Students then designed a series of questions and answers that were based on their knowledge of Judaism, Christianity and Islam–specifically each religion's initiation rites.

Students were creative in their approaches to this task! Some examples of games include: Race of Religions, Religious Faith Pursuit, Religion Line Up Four and Heaven or Hell?

While the students expressed their enjoyment of this task as it allowed for a more hands on approach to assessment, it was not without its challenges. Of course, group work requires compromise to ensure all members' ideas are considered. Additionally, there was a requirement for all members of the group to contribute equally to ensure the success of their board game. Students had to problem solve when issues in their game design became apparent.

Importantly, after creating their games, classes were able to join together to enable students across Year 8 to test out each other's games. This was a crucial part of the assessment, as the final step requires each student to critically evaluate the effectiveness of their board game and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of the task.

Well done to the students for their creativity, team work, problem solving and overall positive attitude to this final unit of Year 8 Religious Education! Thank you to Mrs Puhakka, Miss Jensen and Mrs Farrow for your guidance of the Year 8s through this unit of work.

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation and College Culture

P-6 Reporting

This semester Academic Reports will be sent home electronically. Teachers have had to learn a new system within a relatively short space of time, on top of what is already a busy and demanding term. While every effort has been made to ensure there are no errors in your child’s report, there may be inevitably one or two, which is to be expected with the first time use of anything new. I ask that if this occurs to please contact the College so the necessary adjustments can be made.

RIS End of Year Growth

The end of Year growth is calculated based on the reading level a student enters the grade and the final level reached at the end of the year.

85% of students in P-6 are at or above the expected level. Overall, 59% of students have achieved high growth, 25% of students have achieved typical growth and 12% of students displayed low growth.

The above graph displays a comparison of MMCC with the Diocese, reflecting that MMCC is achieving (in most year levels) above our school counterparts overall.

Congratulations to teachers and students for this achievement. A collective and determined approach to reading has ensured growth is continuing to occur across P-6.

Write That Essay

In 4-12 we have achieved an overall Average Writing Strength of 75%. This is a better than strong result. This is a 38% increase in writing strength. Based on the Artificial Intelligence feedback, 93,518 improvements have been made to writing.

Inspire Maths

Inspire Maths was a Tier 1 project 2021, and in 2022 will become a Tier 2 project. Teachers have worked incredibly hard to embed effective pedagogical practices that achieve high impact in student learning.

Coaching Light Model

Once again teachers participated in this goal setting process. In Term 2 and 3, teachers set themselves a goal around student achievement. They are required to measure impact based on data collected. The Leadership Team have had the pleasure of hearing individual teacher’s success journeys this week. It is with confidence that I assure you, that your child’s education is in the best possible hands. MMCC has incredibly dedicated teachers, who are willing to meet each child where they are along their academic journey, ensuring access to the curriculum.

Awards Presentation Years 4-12

The postponed Awards Presentation will now occur on Wednesday, 1 December. Thank you for you support and understanding with the change of date. Students are required to arrive at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start.

Merry Christmas

Christmas seems to come around quicker and quicker each year or is it the fact I’m getting older!? Having said that, the older I do get, the more I count my blessings and appreciate each day I am given. Each day really is a gift to be cherished. In this lead up to Christmas I look forward to having all my children back home, not for the gift giving but for the opportunity to spend time with them. I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful break; the gift of time; and a very Happy Christmas.

I look forward to working in partnership with you in 2022.

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Although we are nearing the end of the year, our students are still working hard!

Our Year 11 Biology students recently ventured to Peacehaven Park as part of their current ecology unit. The students used a variety of techniques to classify different sections of Peacehaven Park. They also carefully took a record of the various living organisms that make the park such a unique location in Highfields.

The data and skills learned on this excursion will help our Year 11 students as they prepare to complete their own field studies in 2022!

We are almost at the end of another school year and it is an important time to both reflect on current learning behaviours, as well as to start thinking about school procedures and expectations for the next school year.

Students in Year 2 will be excited to move to a different part of the primary campus to eat and play as well as to have the opportunity to connect with older peers in the playground and around designated learning areas.

Year 6 students are perhaps going to experience the greatest change going from primary school to secondary school. They will go from one teacher to many teachers and will engage with different subjects and teachers during a five-period day over a 10-day timetable. Year 6 students have engaged in transitions and lessons in secondary school throughout the school year to support them with this change. They have also participated in the ‘Moving on Up’ day recently to support their readiness for High School.

Whilst all of these changes to school structures and routines support students to grow and develop their whole self as learners, and individuals, they also provide opportunities to focus on strengths and areas for further growth.

Please contact teachers and or learning support staff if you have questions or concerns related to transition.

All the best for a positive end to this school year and may 2022 start well for all students.

Jacqui, Pat and Charden
Learning Support Team

The health fields are one of the fastest growing employment industries in our region. Southern Queensland Rural Health hosted at Baillie Henderson Hospital Campus a hands on experience morning for our students.

Students participated in interactive experiences in 6 health disciples with industry experts.

These include:

• Nursing (cannulation)
• Occupational therapy (equipment demonstration)
• Midwifery (pregnancy suit)
• Exercise physiology (exercises)
• Psychology (response regulation/stress activities)
• Pharmacy (prescriptions, dosages etc)

Health is a particularly difficult industry to get hands on experience in due to regulations. This day allowed our students to ask questions to industry experts, test some of their skills associated in these fields whilst understanding what is involved these disciplines better. It was a wonderful experience for all those involved.

Your Pathway Team
Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson

On Wednesday of week 8 students in year 9 and 10 were given the opportunity to attend Downs Group Training - Try a trade Day. 21 students from the College tried their hand at Carpentry, Engineering and Horticulture in a friendly and safe environment, while being supervised by DGT’s expert trainers.

These experience days are a fantastic opportunity for students to learn more about the vast array of trades available to them and extend their understanding of the work involved in each trade.

During the two-hour session at DGT our students participated enthusiastically in a range of construction, engineering and horticulture learning and work activities that provided them with a tactile experience of studying and working in a trade.

It was a very interactive experience, students used numerous tools to create a wooden Christmas tree, they also brought home plants they propagated during the horticulture session. A highlight was when both the construction and engineering instructors told our students that they need to be good at math and algebra.

The Your Pathway Team will continue to extend these opportunities to our students throughout 2021.

Your Pathway Team
Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson

USQ has outstanding options for students wanting to stay on campus while completing their tertiary studies. Please see below the 22 reasons why this is an appealing option for our kids seeking their independence.

22 reasons to stay in 2022 - University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)

Jennifer Stevenson & Christie Richardson
Your Pathway Team

Congratulations to the following students who will be the 2022 Junior Leaders.

JUNIOR LEADERS: Gabby Farrow & Zoe Ward

FORMATION LEADER: Deanna Verches

CULTURAL LEADER: Melanie Siokos

ACADEMIC LEADER: Lulu Rowlette

SPORT LEADER: Nash Adamski

MCCORMACK LEADERS: Benji Kent & Ruby Anlezark

PENOLA LEADERS: Elke Adamski & Ashley Williams

TENISON LEADERS: Aiden Bradley & Keely Smith

CUNNINGHAM LEADERS: Ariah Manz & Jo Brosnan

Know before you load

As the school year of 2022 draws to a close, our young people transition from structured days with school, sport, extra-curricular activities to a time where there is more freedom and down time. In a world where phones, tablets, gaming machines and devices are accessible in the majority of homes, as parents we are often negotiating screen time, game appropriateness and peer influence. I would like to share with you a webpage from the Australian Council on Children and the Media. The 'Know Before You Load App Reviews' are prepared by child development professionals and provide age suitability and content descriptions for parents and carers. As a parent or carer you know your child best, and you make decisions for the children in your care. The reviews are designed to assist you with these decisions. The webpage also provides information around games and apps and age appropriateness. I do hope the following link, supports you throughout the Christmas holiday period.

https://childrenandmedia.org.a...

Finally, I would like to wish you all a very happy, safe and holy Christmas. Enjoy time with your families and your children. As we support and nature the wellbeing of our young people, always remember that the greatest gift we can give to our children in 'time'.

Bridget Rillie
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Junior

Throughout this term, Tenison House has been undertaking a service project to raise awareness about mental health.

We have been doing this to raise awareness about mental health and how it can affect people in their everyday lives. Everyone can experience shakiness in their mental health, and we want to spread the message that it isn’t weak to speak!

To raise awareness, we had a Movember themed photobooth complete with moustaches and some mental health facts. This was a good way for us to get amongst our friends and talk about how we can improve and maintain good mental health.

Tenison House has also handed out zooper doopers with mental health quotes, and held a make-a-moustache competition.

Ways you can improve your mental health and be a better version of yourself is to:

• Connect with other people - maintaining good and healthy relationships with others is important for your mental health and wellbeing.
• Be physically active - being active is good for your mental and physical health.
• Learn new skills and give back to others - pay attention to the present moment through acts of mindfulness.

Xander O'Neil
Year 8 | Tenison House

A huge year of sport is drawing to a close. I would like to thank all staff, parents, and students for their involvement in sport in 2021 and look forward to another year of opportunity and achievement in 2022.

Rugby 

Our Rugby 7s teams recently wrapped up their season with our 15s teams, in particular, doing a stellar job in finishing in the top half of what were some very competitive divisions. Our girls' team ended up in the playoff for first place and were narrowly beaten in the Grand Final. The boys ended up in the play-off for 5th and were narrowly defeated at the final hurdle. Many thanks to coaches Trev, Adrian, Nige, and Fraser for their time and commitment. Our players learned many lessons this year and will be better players for it. All students should return their uniforms before the end of the year.

Touch 

Please note that touch continues into the last week of school. Please let your coach know if your child is unavailable for their fixture. If you are leaving the College, please return your uniform before departing.

Swimming Carnivals 

Students from Year 3 to 9 will participate in Swimming Carnivals next week. The intention is to go ahead, provided that the weather is not dangerous (e.g. storms). Please ensure your child brings an appropriate change of clothes in the event of rain.

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader Sport & Student Engagement

The Emmaus building has been transformed into an energising and bright area for students to visit. Over the past term, students from Artistic Endeavours and Art Club have been using their creative skills to design and paint a mural and funky furniture to brighten up this space.

A huge thank you to all of the talented students for their time and efforts to make our College look amazing. We shall continue to find new spaces next year to work on.

We were excited to be invited to perform for the Toowoomba Town and Country Club Christmas celebration. The MMCC Choir performed a number of Christmas Carols and Songs with the Voll sisters and Adele Adams also adding to the repertoire list. This performance was a great way to give back to the community and we had a lot of fun singing and celebrating with the ladies.

As we all look forward to a well deserved break at the end of the year, a reminder to please return all student library books and textbooks to the College Libraries.

Junior School parents and Senior Students will receive an email regarding outstanding books.

Senior school textbooks are due for return Friday 26 November (with the exception of Year 11 students who keep their U3&4 texts for 2022) while Junior school loans are due Monday 29 November.

We appreciate your support in the returning of library resources.

Holiday Reading

Reading is like just about everything else in life, the more you do it the better you get.

Reading improvement can be affected if students stop reading for extended periods of time,. For this reason, it is important to encourage children to keep reading books of their choice during the holidays.

Holidays are a great time to visit your local library and take advantage of the free books, resources and programs that they have on offer. Holidays also allow time to dive into more challenging books, revisit old favourites or share new books together.

The benefits of reading are many, so allow your children the opportunity to relax, take a break from technology and escape to another world or learn more about a favourite topic through a book.

Happy Reading!

We hope this edition finds you all well!

This past couple of weeks has been very difficult for the College Community. We send our prayers and support to the Clayton family on the tragic loss of their son, Zaeden. The communication put out by the College was beautiful and we support the respect and dignity that the Clayton family deserve. We pray for them during this very difficult time. The College sends love and support to them all.

We celebrated the Year 12’s Graduation Week last week. Their week started with a beautiful breakfast where the College and PPF presented Mary MacKillop Rosary beads to the Graduating Class of 2021. These will be a keepsake, and we hope they will watch over them and provide them support and guidance for their futures. This was a great morning and it was a privilege to be a part of.

We also were witness to their final Clap Out and Valedictory Mass Celebration for their final time at the College. This was very special morning for them all and to see them move on in their life and ring that school bell for the last time was very moving. Best of luck 2021 Year 12’s. Do Mary Mac proud!!

We wish this year’s Year 12 cohort the very best!

In other news the PPF group met this week for our last meeting for the 2021 year. We heard from Mr Gabbett who reviewed this year’s Annual Action Plan, and outlined the goals and actions set for 2022. Mary MacKillop Catholic College is in great hands, and we have so many wonderful things to celebrate. This year we have continued to see growth in all areas of our 5 pillars of success. We also discussed options for PPF lead fundraising and parent engagement events, and also where the PPF can support College lead events for 2022.

Don’t forget to fill in the Volunteer’s Register form if you have any interest in volunteering your time for any of these events. This was sent out recently in a separate Edsmart email from the College. More news will come early next year in regard to a Calendar of Events.

We look forward to celebrating with everyone at the Awards Presentation Evening on Wednesday 1st December. This is sure to be a wonderful night for all.

For our final newsletter for the year, we wish everyone the very best over Christmas and that you all have a safe and well-deserved break. This has been a very busy year for everyone again.

We wish to thank Mr Gabbett, Ms Cridland, the Leadership Team, all of our fantastic teachers, support staff, and administration staff. Thank you for getting us through this year. You all deserve a well-earned rest. You have all worked extremely hard. This is greatly appreciated from the College community. Thanks also to Father Brian for his guidance and support throughout the past year.

We wish everyone a very safe and happy Christmas and may the New Year bring many new and exciting adventures for us as a College Community!

We can’t wait to see you all in 2022.

If you have any thoughts or matters of discussions for 2022, please feel free to send through to the PPF email higppf@twb.catholic.edu.au and we can add it to our 1st Meeting Agenda for 2022.

Thank you for your support throughout 2021.

Take care and all the best!

Shayne Cleary and Rowena Voll

Co-Chairs PPF

Our summer holiday vacation care program is packed full of fun, interesting, challenging and engaging activities for the kids, with some summer and Christmas themes. The best news: We still have some spaces available! 

Please email HIGcare@tckc.qld.edu.au or phone 0408 160 891 if you have any queries. 

Go to Toowoomba Catholic Kindergartens & Care (schoolzineplus.com) to enrol online.

Masses are celebrated in the MacKillop Centre on a Sunday at 8am.

Please use this link to register your attendance