24 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

News from the College Principal, Mr Luke Reed

Dear MacKillop families

A little over 30 years ago as a young man, just like many of my fellow Aussies, I took off for a trip around the world. It was a marvellous experience for a young person, and I am grateful for it. One of the places I sojourned for a while was Germany. At that time the Cold War was in full swing and Berlin Wall was its most stark and repulsive symbol. It not only delineated global politics between East and West, it cruelly and arbitrarily divided family, friends and neighbours. Many lives were lost at the wall in attempts to escape the repression and tyranny it symbolised.

The Cold War emerged in the wake of the Second World War (1939-1945), with the occupation of the city of Berlin an obvious ‘fault line’, symbolised most grotesquely in the infamous Berlin Wall. Situated in West Germany, the French, British and US sectors of the city were laid siege by the Russian forces, first with a blockade then by the ubiquitous wall in the early 1960s.

Facing the real possibility of starvation, the western allies devised a scheme to airlift people, resources, fuel and food supplies into west Berlin for fifteen months from mid-1948. The airbridge saved the allies’ foothold in communist west Berlin.

It was a precarious situation over several decades, no doubt, for the residents, especially as elements of the Cold War played out around them. US President John F Kennedy’s 1963 visit to Berlin and his famous clarion call speech for freedom contained the line that spoke to the free world’s empathy for Berliner’s struggles “Ich Bin Ein Berliner”. ‘I am a Berliner’; ‘your struggles are our struggles’; ‘the authenticity our freedom depends on you being free’.

Now here in our own day, the COVID pandemic has drawn a different set of boundaries, inconvenient boundaries, disturbing boundaries, between us, right across the globe. While our Australian experience has been painful and hundreds of families have lost loved ones to COVID, we can be grateful that, by comparison with other parts of the world, as yet we have been spared the worst of the virus’s ravages.

Much of the commentary around the effectiveness of Australian health authorities’ approach to virus containment has been the impact of social distancing and lockdown restrictions. These have come with a cost, yet Aussies have been inventive in creating virtual opportunities via ZOOM and other e-platforms. Zumba via Zoom, Chess and Bridge on-line, FaceTime catchups with Grandparents, on it goes.

Here at MacKillop we are really missing the face-to face involvement of our parents in the classrooms, at drop-off and pick-up, support at weekly assemblies and special days, like Fathers’ Day and Mothers’ Day. Even our long anticipated MacKillop Muster, Colour Run and Sports days will be so alien without our families’ direct involvement. We pay the price of less direct involvement for the time being, in knowledge that we are fighting for our most vulnerable family and community members, and in anticipation of the eventually lifting of restrictions when the virus is under control.

But like the Berlin Air-Bridge to the West, let’s do what we can to stay connected. Our COVID-safe planning has allowed a special opportunity this week for our families to visit the College. The Sticky Beak Open Twilight this Thursday is a golden opportunity for our families to see firsthand the fantastic learning experiences with which our students have been engaging this year. We will also be welcoming visitors eager to gain an insight into the life of the College. For many, it will be the first opportunity to see the new learning spaces and other facilities delivered at the beginning of the year.

This Sticky Beak Open Twilight will be like a bridge across the COVID barrier, open for a short time only, a unique opportunity to experience again firsthand the life of our College as experienced everyday by our children. I know they are eagerly preparing to share their school life you, and will be so proud to say “We are MacKillop”.

I look forward to meeting you on Thursday during our Twilight.

Come and have a Sticky Beak!

Luke Reed

News from the Deputy Principal – Leader of Primary, Mrs Michelle Reynolds

Keeping MacKillop Students Safe on Our Roads and Footpaths

Recently we held a safety briefing for our MacKillop students who walk, bike, scoot or skate to and from school. While we love seeing our students developing their independence and being physically active, it is absolutely essential our students are safe and respectful on the roads and pathways they share with members of the public.

Keeping our students safe is a collective community effort. MacKillop students who are making their own way to and from school need to have sufficient understanding of the way traffic flows and operates and how their behaviour impacts all road users’ safety.

Road Safety Basics for MacKillop Students: bicycles, scooters and skateboards

Here’s a list of safety basics we need our students to follow when riding bicycles, scooters and skateboards to school:

Please make sure your child rides a bicycle, scooter or skateboard that’s suitable for their age, size and ability and that they can keep control of their wheels!

Wear a helmet. Helmets are compulsory when riding bikes and recommended when riding scooters, skateboards, rollerblades and so on.

We need our students to look carefully at the riding environment to decide whether it’s safe to ride, scoot or get off and walk – particularly when the pathways near school become narrow.

Some of our children need to practice in a safe area, like their backyard or a park, before heading onto the footpath and travelling on their way to school by themselves.

Our students need to learn how to share the pathway/road with other users and learn to keep left so others can pass safely!

Manners are important when using shared spaces like pathways and roads – saying “excuse me” when overtaking is helpful.

These skills are still very much developing until your child is about 12-13 years old.

MacKillop Students Need Helmets: a safety essential

In Australia, helmets are compulsory for riding bikes and recommended for riding skateboards, scooters, rollerblades and so on. Wearing a helmet will help protect your child against serious head injuries – if the helmet is fastened and cannot come off during impact!

A skateboarding helmet should protect the back of your child’s head, so a bike helmet is the wrong shape for skateboarding.

When your child is wearing a bike, scooter or skateboarding helmet, the chinstrap should always be firmly fastened and not twisted.

Roads, footpaths, driveways and pedestrian crossings

We need our MacKillop students to follow these safety tips for riding safely around roads, footpaths, driveways and pedestrian crossings:

Students must follow the road rules and learn to predict what cars will do before you let them cycle or scooter alone.

If your child is under 10 years, they need to cycle or scoot with a grown-up or older person, preferably on bike paths where possible.

If your child rides on footpaths, make sure they stay over to the left and show consideration for other footpath users.

MacKillop students MUST walk their bikes, scooters or skateboard across pedestrian crossings instead of riding across the street where possible. They must walk their bike once on school grounds.

Specific Rules for MacKillop Students:

We have asked our MacKillop students to do the following:

Students riding to/from the Mt. Peter Estate to please use the entrance and exit at the pick up gate so they use the pedestrian crossings WITH CAUTION in the primary car park area.

Students riding to/from the Edmonton area to please use the entrance, exit and pedestrian crossings in the new car park WITH CAUTION.

WALK their bicycle, scooter, skateboard as soon as they enter the school grounds.

WEAR a helmet when riding to/from school

While wearing school uniform, it is essential that our students are RESPECTFUL to each other, the general public and all other road/footpath users.

Be sensible at all times when walking/riding/scooting on the roads and pathways. Keeping safe on our roads is not a time for games.

Ride/scoot single file so the road or path can be shared safely.

Be mindful of the language that some students are using when wearing their MacKillop uniform and travelling to school in large groups. We expect MacKillop students’ personal best at all times.

Walk Safely to School Day is an annual event that encourages primary aged children to make their way safely to school by foot. The goal of this event is to raise community awareness about the importance of the environment, road safety and physical exercise.

This year, MacKillop Catholic College will be celebrating Walk Safely To School Day on Tuesday 8th September. Please mark this date on your calendar and more information will be sent home via Seesaw and Facebook. We would love to have as many students as possible join us on our walk to school!

Michelle Reynolds

News from the Assistant Principal Religious Education, Mrs Lyndal Rick

St Mary of the Cross, MacKillop Feast Day, 2020: On Monday 10 August, the College community gathered together and celebrated the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop. One of Mary MacKillop’s quote is, “Be of good heart.” I asked some students from Prep-Year 7 what they thought this saying meant to them. At the Mass, the Year 7s lead the discussion by reflecting how lucky we are in Australia to have access to good health care and to have governments who have acted quickly and taken the threat of the global COVID pandemic seriously.

You can see the thoughts of the Primary students in the video.

St Mary of the Cross Awards: Congratulations to the inaugural recipients of the St Mary of the Cross Awards. One student from each year level was selected and three staff were nominated by their colleagues. Recipients of the St Mary of the Cross Award are those that are truly inspired by the College patron, St Mary of the Cross, whose faith and unshakable trust in God, was expressed in the way she interacted with others, developed community spirit, cared for the needs of others and inspired hope in all those she met.

Science Week: This week, the students will be lead through a prayer that will invite them to question the future of the oceans and the nature of the call to stewardship for all Catholics.

The Catholic tradition calls us to be respectful of God the Creator by caring for the earth and the gifts of the earth that are for everyone. Through the prayer experience, the students will consider the life that is sustained by the oceans of the world and the very real impact of the current rate of pollution, most specifically plastics, on the ocean environment.

Lyndal Rick

News from the Associate Principal: Learning & Teaching Secondary – Mrs Sarah Coleman

Science Week Reflections

August 15 to 23 of August marked Science Week for 2020. This year’s theme was the Deep Blue: Innovation for the futures of our oceans, which embraces the innovative technologies, capabilities and skills needed to achieve economic, environmental, and social sustainability of our oceans. It features insights and inquiries into workable solutions that generate healthy oceans, healthy economies, and healthy communities.

As a city whose economy is driven by the ocean, it is a topic most pertinent and important for our students as citizens of the future. During the year, Year 7s explored water and its sustainable use in both Science and Geography, and in English, they crafted narratives reflecting their relationship with water. Our young people know only too well, the threat our oceans face, and their role as stewards of our water ways not only to ensure economic prosperity, but the continued existence of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism.

Our oceans and waterways have historically been places of innovation, especially around trade and transport. Ship building and design for thousands of years has ensured security – of territory, food and resources. Prior to the evolution of air transport, the oceans and waterways were the only means of moving goods and people around the world – until very recently, it was the determining factor for the development of urban settlements.

In Year 7 History, our students have been learning about the Persian Wars in the fifth century BCE, where naval battles were won or lost on the speed and agility of the vessels. Earlier this month, on the 75-year anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War Two, the importance and significance of the oceans, and the navy, for us in Cairns historically was again demonstrated. The importance of our oceans and waterways cannot be understated. Our oceans face a very real crises: if we do not act to combat overfishing, pollution, and a changing climate.

When Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his narrative poem, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, in 1798, I doubt he foresaw the significance his words would have some two centuries later. Coleridge’s poem, which is now recognised as a classic, contains perhaps the most famous poetic lines about water in the whole of English literature: ‘Water, water, anywhere, / Nor any drop to drink.’ For the Ancient Mariner, destitute on his ship floating in the ocean with water everywhere, yet none he could drink, we are reminded of the pressing issues around the world of water quality and scarcity. In Australia we are very fortunate that despite being the driest inhabited continent on the planet, our collective wealth, stable government and infrastructure, which means that whilst we may not have reliable water, we are very rarely without access to clean, safe, drinking water.

As we are often reminded by various media campaigns, there is no Planet B. The students learning at MacKillop now, are those who will lead for change in the future. The innovators, scientists, policy makers, poets, tourism operators, economists and marine biologists of the future are in our classrooms today. I hope they take inspiration from the activities in Science Week and their learning across the curriculum and strive to be a changemaker of the future.

I would like to thank Mr. Ian Coleman, Leader of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and his team for a successful and exciting week of Science fun. Students were able to engage in a range of activities, and it was great to have students from across the College join us for Water Rockets and ice cream making. Congratulations also to Woods, who took out first place in the Science Week Quiz on Friday.

Sarah Coleman

Finance

A message regarding MCC school fees

School fees for term 3 are now due.

Thank you to our families who have made payment in full or who are contributing towards your fees with routine payment arrangements.

There are many ways you can contribute towards your fees.

• Direct debit arrangements
• BPAY payments
• Centrepay - deductions from your Centrelink payments
• Credit/Debit card or cash payments at the College Reception

We are happy to assist you to set up payment arrangements. You are welcome to contact Finance at any time.

The payment of school fees and levies is an important component of the operation of MacKillop Catholic College and contributes to the high-quality education enjoyed by your children. Together we place a high priority on giving MacKillop students the best possible start in life.

Correspondence from Finance

MacKillop Catholic College will soon release an update to our accounts system which will result in the term fee statements, invoices and receipts being emailed to each account holder where there is a joint fee responsibility.

Please ensure we have your most current email addresses. Please contact Finance if you have any queries.

Application for Concession

If you hold a health care card or pension card through Centrelink, you may be eligible for discount on your tuition fees.

Fee relief options are available if you are experiencing financial hardship, or if your circumstances have changed as a result of COVID-19. Application forms for fee concessions can be found on Catholic Education Cairns website at the link below: These can be lodged with College reception or emailed to the below address.

The College Business Manager, Daniel Giagnori, is available to have a confidential discussion if fee assistance is required. He can be contacted directly in the following way:

Daniel Giagnori, Business Manager
E-mail: dgiagnori@cns.catholic.edu.au
Mobile: 0428 504 169

For all other finance related queries, assistance or support, please contact Emma in Finance.

Emma, Finance Officer
E-mail: accounts.mountpeter@cns.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 07 4081 7600

Classroom News

Prep

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

College Notices

2020 Student Protection Officers

Twilight Open Event

MCC is Nut Aware!

Please remember that due to allergy and health reasons MCC is a Nut Aware College. Please be mindful of this when packing your child/ren’s lunches.

Your co-operation and support in this matter is appreciated.

Student Absence – Late Arrival – Early Departure

Student Absence

Parents/carers whose children are absent are asked to contact the College Office by Telephone 4045 5262, Email studentabsent.mcc@cns.catholic.edu.au or Parent Portal before 8:30am if possible. If a student has not arrived for class and the College Office is not aware of the student’s whereabouts, parents will be sent a SMS text message to their mobile phone (to the Main Contact as nominated on the Enrolment Form). It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to then inform the office immediately of the reason for the student’s absence. Parents/carers are asked to advise the College Office and Classroom Teacher via Email in the event of a multiple day absence, so it can be recorded prior to the date of absence. A medical certificate is requested for an illness absence of two (2) or more days.

Late Arrivals

If a student arrives at school after 8:30am, they must be signed in by their parent/carer at the school office and collect a late pass which is handed to their classroom teacher.

Early Departure

Students are not permitted to leave the College grounds during school hours unless accompanied by a parent/carer. Prior notification must be given if a student needs to leave the College during the school hours to the Class Teacher via Seesaw, email or written note and by telephone to the College Office. Parents/carers must report to the College Office to collect and sign out their child. If leaving for an appointment and returning, students must be signed back in through the College Office.

MacKillop Way Awards

Our weekly awards presented at every Friday’s Assembly recognise students, who in their demonstrated attitudes and behaviour choices, have a lived understanding of the Mackillop Way.

Our College values are based on core Christian values and form the basis of the MacKillop Way:

• In the spirit of Christ and following the example of St Mary MacKillop
  - Living community in the way of family
  - Learning for life
  - Expressing solidarity through service
  - Nurturing Catholic spirituality and faith

Congratulations and thanks to these students who show us their living of the MacKillop Way!

Curriculum News – Primary

In English, we use a program called ‘Get Reading Right’. When children are learning to read it is best practise to implement a program that follows a synthetic and systematic approach to teaching reading and spelling. Synthetic phonics refers to the blending or synthesising of sounds to make a word. The emphasise on the structure of the written language and teaches it in a systematic and thorough fashion.

The program is broken up into three parts – Basic Code, Advanced Code and Complete Code. In each part of the program children are taught the different ways to represent phonemes (is the smallest unit of sound in a word) to support learning to read and spell from simple to more complexed words. Through this program our children are learning to read so that once they are confident and capable readers they begin to read to learn.

Author visit

He is known as ‘The Story Doctor’ and he has inspired our students to read and write. Dr Cameron visit gave our students an injection of creativity! All workshops leaped into an adventure of colour, creativity, and imagination with an interactive approach. The students were highly engaged and all produced an illustration or piece of writing.

Science Week

During week 6 the College has been buzzing with enthusiastic students participating in several Science experiments and investigations. The 2020 National Science Week theme is ‘Deep Blue: Innovations for the future of our oceans’. The activities have ranged from:

Artwork inspired from the book ‘The silver Sea’ By Alison Lester

Water Rockets

Who sank the boat

Designing an underwater exhibit

Elisa Kello

Counsellors Corner

In the last newsletter, we stated that we regularly refer students to Kids Helpline or Headspace for support outside of school hours. This newsletter, we will provide information about these services and how they can help our students.

• Fact sheets for different age groups (including parents and guardians) on a range of different topics related to mental health.
• 24/7 online chat with a trained counsellor. This chat function is safe and anonymous - no record of a child’s details or personal information is kept.
• 24/7 phone chat with a trained counsellor. This is also anonymous and confidential.
• Should the counsellor determine that a child is at risk of immediate harm, they will work with the child and their parents and guardians (if appropriate) to get help.

Here is similar to Kids Helpline and also provides resources and online support as detailed above.

Accessing these resources allows students and parents to receive appropriate information about metal health concerns and support to develop coping strategies. If required, both of these services will refer to appropriate ‘in real life’ services.

A referral is not needed to access these online services. Any student who would like coping strategies, or someone to talk to about their mental health, can access these services. Similarly, parents and guardians who would like to learn how to support their child’s mental health can find resources and tips for helping their child.

College Library

Alison Jackson
Teacher Librarian

Outside School Hours Care and Vacation Care News

P & F News

Piccones Supa IGA Community Benefits Program

Did you know that each time you shop at Piccones Supa IGA, you can nominate Mackillop to receive points?

Please use the code 5154 to allocate your points to our school. Each year, we receive a generous donation from Piccones Supa IGA based on the amounts of points generated.

Upcoming Events

Next Meeting:

11 August 2020 6:30pm via Zoom

Please join us at our next meeting from the comfort of your own home.

We have a few events to discuss such as the Father’s Day gifts, Fun Colour Run and Sausage Sizzle. We will require volunteers to assist with the running of these events.

Fundraising

If you would like to become more involved in assisting with events or having a say in our fundraising activities and allocation of funds, we would love to hear from you. At present we only have a very small number of volunteers and we are really hoping to see some new faces with some new ideas come along to our next few meetings.

Please email PandF.mountpeter@cnsstu.edu.au to express your interest and we will ensure that you receive the zoom link to the next meeting. Everyone is always welcome.

The AGM is also coming up soon and we need your help to plan the fun activities for the children for 2021. Please let us know your ideas! We would really appreciate any input you have.

Recent contributions your MCC P&F have provided for our children and families:

• Mother’s Day Gifts provided to families $4,000.00
• Books for the Library $2,700.00
• Sports Equipment $1,400.00
• Roger Touch Screen Microphones for Prep $8,200.00
• Keyboard, Stand & Pedal Unit for Music Department $1,100.00
• MacqLit Program Books to assist with reading $550.00
• Soccer Goals $1,150.00
• Contribution to Stage for MPC $4,000.00

THANK YOU to our MCC Community for helping to make the provision of these funds/resources possible!

Kind Regards,
Michelle Lee Long & Katie Pope
Email: pandf.mountpeter@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Events

Community News

Our Lady of the Chain

Due to the constraints imposed by the Industry COVID Safe Plan, it is not possible to hold the traditional Parish celebration of Our Lady of the Chain this year. The Committee of Our Lady of the Chain has, however, decided that it would be still most appropriate for the Parish to honour Our Lady with private devotions and a special Mass in St Thomas’s Church on the weekend of 12/13 September. Regretfully, because of strict limits on the number who can now gather in the church, attendance at the Mass will have to be limited to Committee members only. The Committee sincerely apologises to the many other people who would wish to attend the Mass but, given the current Government regulations, this seems to be the most practical course of action to adopt.

The Committee is investigating the possibility of Live Streaming the Mass to a wider audience and we will advise if this eventuates.