29 March 2022

Newsletter Articles

News from the College Principal, Mr Luke Brown

Dear Parents,

As we approach the end of a remarkably busy Term 1, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all families for their ongoing support and positive contribution to the College over the past 10 weeks. A special thanks to our new Prep families. The start of school is always a significant time and can bring its own challenges. Layering the current context can make it more difficult. Your cooperation and support have ensured this period has been a positive one for young people starting this new adventure called school.

The term started with disruption due to COVID and this has continued throughout. I am immensely proud of the staff for their ongoing commitment to all children during this challenging time. Like the families of this College, our staff also have their family commitments and have certainly been impacted by COVID. There have been times where the College has had to adjust staffing because of the pandemic and I thank all parents for their ongoing understanding and support.

SPORT

Despite these challenges the term has been a great success with so many highlights both in and out of the classroom. In particular, the students have embraced new opportunities on the sporting field. We are all immensely proud of their successes but more significantly, seeing the College represented across so many sports has been a time of considerable pride for all associated with MacKillop Catholic College. A special thanks must go to all staff and parents who have taken the sporting life of the College forward. So much has been achieved in such a brief time and for this I am thankful. Mr Grant Lean and Mr Chris Bromell deserve personal recognition for their contribution to this part of College life. Thank you to all and well done.

THE ARTS

With things happening so quickly, it can be easy to forget that it was only a few short weeks ago that we occupied our new performing arts facility. This building has already provided so many amazing opportunities for students. The College is justifiably proud of its achievements in this area. The Arts are a significant part of College life and it has been wonderful to see these new facilities so readily put to effective use. Term 2 is a busy time in the College calendar and I know we are all looking forward to seeing the students shine. Mr Finlay and the team of staff who have worked in this area need to be applauded for what has been achieved in a brief time. With our first College theatre production coming up, I know MacKillop’s reputation as a high performer in this space will be cemented.

HOLY WEEK

The events of Holy Week remind us of our calling to be active Christians in the way we lead our own lives. If we are harbouring hurt within us, Jesus’ actions can encourage us towards forgiveness and away from grudges and bitterness. We have all experienced hurt through the actions or words of another and this hurt we might have carried for years and deprived ourselves of the opportunity to embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy by being unforgiving. Forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. As we let go of hurt and resentment and don't allow them to define our life, we open ourselves to find compassion and understanding. Jesus’ example to us on Good Friday, clearly defined for us the extent of God’s forgiveness and the encouragement for us to do likewise in our own limited human way. But Jesus’ example has an after effect as well, for on Easter Sunday he rose gloriously to a new life.

Finally, I would like to wish each member of the MacKillop Catholic College community a safe and peaceful time with family over the holiday period.

Peace and Best Wishes

Luke Brown

News from the Associate Principal Religious Education, Mrs Lyndal Rick

Families and communities are strengthened by the stories they share. Remembering the good times and commemorating the lows unites members. During the last couple of weeks, the students across the College have been learning about the events of Holy Week; the week prior to Jesus’ Crucifixion and glorious Resurrection.

The Resurrection of Christ is the foundational belief of Christians. Whilst each year level has a different focus of the narrative, at an age appropriate level, all students learn the message of hope and new beginnings that Easter brings.

Lyndal Rick

News from the Deputy Principal – Leader of Primary, Mrs Janelle Newman

We have had a very busy but very productive term. Students have been working hard at demonstrating their best learning and being their best person! Our students have also participated in many events and activities. Our Water Safety program through Queensland Life Saving taught our students some important skills to be safe in the water. Many students participated in the array of sporting and Performing Arts activities this term. We will finish this week with our Cross Country carnivals and Holy Week liturgies. Our Year 3 and Year 5 students completed a practice NAPLAN test this week. As the test is online, our students did have the opportunity to try all the different ways of answering questions. If parents are interested in looking at a sample of these question types, please go to the NAPLAN Public demonstration site and click on the appropriate year level.

I would like to take the opportunity in this newsletter to explain our approach to reading (which also encompasses spelling). Learning to read and spell are two of the most complicated skills our children will ever learn. They are also ones that we need to get right! Our approach to learning to read begins with becoming aware of sounds and rhythm in words. This is called phonological awareness and a key aspect of early student learning in Prep.

Reference: thereadingadvicehub.com

In Prep through to Year 2, our students learn to decode sounds (called phonemes) and recode them with corresponding letter/s (called graphemes) to read and spell words. They have several decodable readers to practice the particular graphemes they are learning each week. They will also have camera words to memorise – words that frequently used in text or are irregular and unpredictable.

Students in Year 3 to Year 6 participate in Spelling Mastery lessons every day. Spelling Mastery is a highly structured, differentiated, direct instruction program for building students’ spelling skills. Students complete a placement test to determine their competence with sounds and patterns, and any gaps they may have in spelling. students are then placed in groups to review and practise targeted sounds and letter patterns (phonemes and graphemes). They will start with familiar words and apply these to simple sentences to then read and spell more challenging words. It blends the following three approaches:

• Phonemic – this sound-symbol method teaches students predictable spellings for different sounds.
• Morphemic – helps children to learn patterns for putting different word parts called morphographs together to spell words; this approach also exposes advanced spellers to word bases, prefixes and suffixes.
• Whole-word – spellers learn the meaning of word roots and to spell common high-frequency/ irregular words.

Students in all year levels will have curriculum-related words that they will need to read and spell correctly in their writing, and these come from the topics they are learning about in class. Home learning will only consist of readers and spelling words that students have already learnt in class, so that you can practise to read and spell them with you in a safe and encouraging environment, to develop mastery.

Learning to read and spell is like riding a bike; at first it is hard, and we are for wobbly for quite a while. However, with practice, we can become competent and confident bike riders.

Please stay safe and enjoy some quality time with your children over the holiday break. May God’s spirit be with you during the Easter season.

Janelle Newman

News from the Deputy Principal – Leader of Secondary, Mrs Sarah Coleman

Assessment, Reporting and Parent Teacher Interviews

Over the last few weeks, students have been completing their Term 1 assessment. This year we were able to complete these exams in the newly completed K block Theatre.

MacKillop Catholic College expectations for teaching, learning and assessment are grounded in the principles of academic integrity and excellence. Assessment is an integral part of the learning and teaching process as we strive to develop inquiring and reflective learners. Completion of assessment items means that students are required to complete all the work as set out in a subject. The work submitted must indicate every attempt has been made by the students to satisfy the specific assessment criteria and thereby meet course requirements by the advertised due date.

Students are given their formal task notification for assessment in class, and all key assessment dates are available via the Assessment Calendar and Canvas. Assessment tasks are delivered via Canvas, and this is also where major milestones, checkpoints, drafts, and where possible final tasks are submitted. This is also where students are able to access their feedback for assessment, both during the assessment process and at its conclusion when final work is marked.

The Term 1 and Term 3 reports are an interim report, and these will be available to parents via the College Portal in the coming days. The purpose of an interim report is to provide an indication of how a student is progressing with reference to the Achievement Standard for that Learning Area.

Your child’s report is an important indicator, not only of their academic progress to date, but also of their attitude to learning, as aligned with the MacKillop Way dispositions of Respect, Engagement and Personal Best. Use this as a time to reflect with your child on the term and the areas upon which they can improve. The Tutorial and Assistance Program will recommence in Week 2 of Term 2 for students to access additional supports for both assistance, consolidation and extension.

Following this is the Parent Teacher Interviews which will take place on Thursday of Week 2 next term. You will be notified of booking processes via email in the coming days. These events are crucial in developing relationships with your child’s teachers, and seeking feedback on their progress, but most importantly, what they can do to improve. I would strongly recommend that you book in as early as possible as places fill fast, especially for teachers of core classes.

Accessing Reports via the Parent Portal

Access to the Parent Portal is via the College website homepage

Your ‘username’ is your email address (the same email address as used to send this message). Enter the password previously set by you. On the Log-in page there is a forgotten password / first-time user facility if required. Please contact our office if you are having access difficulties.

Academic Awards and Sports Assemblies

This term we have had the opportunity to recognise both our sporting and academic succeses. We officially presented the College Sporting Academies for Semester 1 sports, and recognised the academic success and growth of our students across Semester 2, 2021. Finally, we commissioned our student leaders for the 2022 school year.

Sport

Student Ambassadors

A Student Ambassador is a student leader who will represent the diversity of MacKillop Catholic College and will serve as a liaison, spokesperson, school leader, and advocate for the College. Student Ambassadors have strong leadership skills, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to MacKillop Catholic College.

Loyola House

Leah O’Neil

MacDonald House

Tiara Thao
Sholange Briones

McCormack House

Ethan Daley
Sakura Smith

Woods House

Elijah Kanagaratnam
Rylan Dennis

Identity and Outreach

Bella Leotta
Shayla Jones
First Nations
Georgina Laifoo

Performance and the Arts

Emilee Priest

Sport

Brandon Carreno
Paige McQueen
Elijah Ahnon-Bello

Academic

Shae Cochrane
Zachary Jeanes

Student Representative Council

Starlah Romeo
Mia Nesbit
Ashton Fahlstrom
Seth Coleing

Academic Awards

Academic awards are issued following each semester reporting period, and recognise the efforts of students across all learning areas.

Year 9 Academic Excellence

Kanagaratnam, Elijah
Smith, Sakura
Priest, Emilee
Cochrane, Shae
Jeanes, Zachary
O'Neill, Leah
Weston, Ella
Briones, Sholange

Year 9 Academic Merit

Carreno, Brandon
Cullen, Tahlia
Spalding, Milly
Moroney, Shayla
McQueen, Paige
Thao, Tiara
Laifoo, Georgina
Munro, Maison
Moritake, Taiga

Year 9 Growth

Fourmile, Taya
Christy-Martin, Kiera
Govier, Laylah
Whitby, Rylee
Carreno, Brandon
Gardener, Owen
Cullen, Tahlia
Daley, Ethan

Year 9 MacKillop Way Excellence

Leah O’Neill
Tiara Thao
Layla Young
Sholange Briones
Brandon Carreno
Georgina Laifoo
Shae Cochrane
Taiga Moritake
Sakura Smith
Ella Weston
Tahlia Cullen
Elijah Kanagaratnam
Bella Leotta
Milly Spalding

Year 9 MacKillop Way Merit

Emilee Priest
Ethan Daley
Shayla Moroney
Paige McQueen
Lachlan Godden
Zachary Jeanes

Year 8 Academic Excellence

Woodley, Zahra
Burton, Zoe
Jabien-Stone, Kristina
Coleing, Seth
Ellery, Taylor

Year 8 Academic Merit

Nesbit, Mia
Card, Rahni
Carlisle, Tarin
Hanley, Janae
Bacalakis, Jack
Bligh, Tahliya
Fox, Ryan
Jeanes, Dylan
Romeo, Starlah

Year 8 Academic Growth

White, Harrison
Virgo, Lily
Bennett, Brayden
Spiro, Harry
Coudounellis, Boston
Coleman-Maloney, Karly

Year 8 MacKillop Way Excellence

Kristina Jabien Stone
Starlah Romeo
Seth Coleing
Kasheika Fourmile
Heleana Kuhn
Chloe Buckley
Savannah O’Donoghue
Zoey Coyle
Taylor Ellery
Rahni Card
Mia Nesbit
Zoe Burton
Claire Kyle
Janae Hanley

Year 8 MacKillop Way Merit

Zahra Woodley
Harrison Werder

Attendance

As the term comes to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our students for their efforts in the year thus far. Many of our students who turn up and do their personal best on a daily basis are seeing rewards for their hard work. We recognised many of these students at the Academic Assembly in Week 7, some of whom demonstrated personal academic growth of 200%. The common thread for all our achievers is that they are consistent attenders. The relationship between student attendance and outcomes is well documented; by being at school you have access to your teachers, lunchtime assistance and additional supports. Catching up on your own is invariably much harder.

Catholic Education Services Cairns set an attendance benchmark of 90% attendance 90% of the time. Students falling below this are at significant academic and wellbeing risk.

How to Encourage Punctuality

Studies have shown that using praise as a positive reinforcement is an effective strategy for student attendance. However, family participation is also key to good attendance. If getting to school on time is hard, you may wish to consider the following:

Establishing and keeping a schedule; children thrive on routine

Going to bed and waking up earlier

Removing devices from bedrooms and having all devices in a central place by 9pm

Preparing for the morning the night before by laying out uniforms, packing backpacks, and pre-packing lunches

If work schedules conflict, investigate other means of transportation, such as carpooling or the bus

If your family consistently struggles with school attendance, professionals suggest tracking the average time you’re late by and adding that time accordingly to your schedule. For example: if you are consistently 15 to 30 minutes late in the morning, set your alarm 15 to 30 minutes earlier. Doing this creates a cushion of extra time for unexpected delays.

On Time Students Are Successful Students.

Student attendance is one of the most common predictors of academic achievement. Students who consistently miss school hours develop habits that will lead into their adult life, affecting their education, career, and social connections. In contrast, students who participate fully in school activities will have more opportunities to achieve academically, make healthy and informed lifestyle choices, and develop Performance Character traits.

Uniforms

The school break is a good time to freshen up aspects of the uniform that may need attending to. This includes:

Hair cuts appropriate for the school term

Replacing clear studs

Ensuring any changes to hair colour, nails or lash extensions are remediated prior to school resuming

Appropriate footwear

Belts

Fixing broken buttons, etc

Shoes to be worn with the College formal uniform, are to be formal, polishable, lace up shoes, as per the uniform regulations.

Happy Holidays,

Sarah Coleman

Finance News

A message of farewell from Emma in Finance

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is with a heavy heart that I say farewell to MacKillop. I will finish at the end of Term 1. have loved being a part of the MacKillop Family and feel grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with the wonderful families in the MacKillop Community. I leave you in good hands. The Finance Team will be able to support you and answer your school fee queries.

God Bless.

Kind regards
Emma

When are School Fees due?

Term 1 Fees were due on 4 March 2021, unless a payment arrangement is set up.

If you have set up a payment arrangement to progressively pay off your fees, then you can disregard this due date as you are contributing towards your balance.

How can I pay for my school fees?

There are many ways you can pay your fees.

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

If payment cannot be made in full, we are happy to assist you to calculate a weekly amount to progressively pay off your fees. Please email accounts.mountpeter@cns.catholic.edu.au

I have a direct debit set up, why am I receiving a fee statement?

If you have a direct debit, BPAY or Centrepay arrangement in place, you do not need to do anything else. Each family will still receive a fee statement for their reference. Keep making routine payments via your direct debit, BPAY or Centrepay arrangement and you will progressively pay off your balance.

Why have I received two fee statements?

Each account holder will receive a copy of the school fees. For some families, this means you may receive two fee statements. This is because two parties have a joint fee responsibility and therefore will receive a statement of fees each.

Even though you may receive two statements, only one payment needs to be made.

I have a direct debit, why am I receiving a fee statement?

If you have a direct debit, BPAY or Centrepay arrangement in place, you do not need to do anything else. Each family will receive a fee statement for their reference. Keep making routine payments via your direct debit, BPAY or Centrepay arrangement and you will progressively pay off your balance.

I have a Centrelink health care card / pension card. Can I get a discount?

If you hold a health care card or pension card through Centrelink, you may be eligible for discount on your tuition fees. Please complete the application for HCC concession form and provide a copy of your health care card. Finance will let you know if your application is successful.

Your application for concession is valid until the expiry on your health care/pension card, or unless your circumstances change beforehand.

Note:- Please keep an eye on the date of your health care card and apply to renew your application when it expires.

I don’t have a health care card. Is other support available?

Fee relief options are available. You are encouraged to contact Daniel, MacKillop’s Business Manager, for a confidential fee discussion. dgiagnori@cns.catholic.edu.au

I want to have a private and confidential conversation about my fees, who can I talk to?

The College Business Manager, Daniel Giagnori, is available to have a private and confidential discussion regarding your school fees. He can be contacted directly dgiagnori@cns.catholic.edu.au

I don’t understand my fee statement, who can I talk to?

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

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

Where can I get application forms from?

The College Administration Team can provide you with direct debit applications, health care card applications, Centrepay forms etc. Please contact our friendly team in person at the College Office or via the online parent portal.

Primary News

Prep

Year 1

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Secondary News

Heads of House

Living in a complex day

It has been a pleasure supporting parents and carers in the holistic development of their children. During the teenage years, each person is trying to understand who they are and how they fit into our complex society. A part of a complex society running smoothly is for the rules and responsibilities to be considered by each individual. This is evident when working on a construction site. For example, the responsibilities for wearing the appropriate safety gear is essential for everyone to consider. Furthermore, most tools and equipment are owned by an individual in the industry. To ensure gear is not lost, forgotten or mixed up, it is important for people working on the project to do the following:

• Put their name on every tool, sometimes in multiple places.
• Be responsible for remembering where their equipment is placed.
• Limit where items are stored.

The above points regarding a construction site is similar to the school site. The picture of the hats is evidence of approximately 2 minutes of walking in the student thoroughfare area once the school day had ended. The hats with names had already been given to the students respective teachers.

While some students may have a busy routine, having all clothes named will assist in missing clothes being found and hopefully returned in a timely manner.

God Bless
Kristina Armstrong, Michael Johnstone, Ben Smith

STEM

Maths

We celebrated π day in style. Perhaps your child will be able to tell you something about this amazing number, or at least that they enjoyed the Oreos.

Science

Mrs. Barclay’s little people joined us to investigate plant and animal cells up close.

Year 09 calculated the half-life of an atom using (eating) M&M’s.

Slightly more serious; investigating the acidic and alkaline properties of household substances with Mr Brown and Mrs Wilmott.

Definitely more serious; Year 08 completing the Science exam in the awesome K block hall.

STEM

The solar cooker project was completed. The aim was to design and build simple constructions that may improve water quality for people unable to access clean drinking water. We agreed that the project was a success with temperatures of over 100 degrees recorded.

The next project is to make Bio Diesel from waste oil and test its feasibility as an alternative fuel source.

TECHNOLOGIES

So much going on!

Mr Docking’s Master chefs

Construction with Mr J and Mr Birt

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s subject teacher or me with any concerns.

Mr Ian Coleman and the STEM team

Secondary Student Counsellor

Our Teenagers Need Resilience!

I know this is a buzz word but what does Resilience mean? In short, it’s the ability to ‘bounce back from a difficult situation!

We all need to learn to cope with challenges because unfortunately, sometimes the problem won’t go away, so the only option we have is to develop strategies to deal with the problem!

‘Coping’ describes any behaviour that is designed to manage the stresses and overwhelming feelings that come with tough situations. By learning and developing positive coping skills in their teenage years, your child will build resilience and wellbeing and be set up with an important skill for life.

A resilient person can:

withstand adversity
learn from their experiences
cope confidently with life’s challenges.

Psychologists have identified some of the factors that make someone resilient. These include:

having a positive attitude
being optimistic
having the ability to regulate emotions
seeing failure as a form of helpful feedback.

Resilient teenagers can control their emotions in the face of challenges such as:

physical illness
change of schools
transitioning from primary school to high school
managing study workload and exams
change in family make-up (separation and divorce)
change of friendship group
conflict with peers
conflict with family
loss and grief

Resiliency can be taught through practising positive coping skills.

So how do we help our teenager?

Listen to them and give them eye contact to show that you are truly interested in their story!

Don’t immediately launch into problem-solving mode and don’t be quick to lay blame on others.

Help them to see their problem from a different viewpoint or through a different lens.

Reassure them that they are part of a team, that they are not alone and ask them how they think ‘we’ can tackle this problem.

Honestly, if we help our young people to understand that life is not always perfect, not to compare ourselves with others and ultimately help them to help themselves, we will be setting them up for a successful future.

Catherine Garrone
School Counsellor (Years 7-9)
cgarrone@cns.catholic.edu.au

College News

2022 School Photos!

Our school photos will be held in Term 2, Week 1.

Primary photos will be on Wednesday, 20 April and Secondary on Thursday, 21 April. Sibling photos are open both days before school from 7:30am.

This year our photos are being taken in our new K Block auditorium.

Order forms are being sent home with students this week. We ask that you please ignore the date on the order forms as these are dated with our original dates from February.

Orders can be placed by completing the forms sent home. Alternatively, you can watch this short video explaining how to order online:

NOTE: Order forms are to be given to the Photographers on the day, NOT handed into the office.

Thank you.

MCC is Nut AWARE!

Please remember that due to sever 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 4081 7600, 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.

Student Protection Contact Officers

Holy Week Ceremonies – Edmonton and Gordonvale

P & F News

Welcome

Well, what more can we say? Where has that 7 weeks gone?!

We held our first meeting of the year on 8 March, 2022. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen late apology for the meeting from your P&F President, a fantastic Team effort was shown by the rest of your P&F Committee in attendance to hustle and carry on the meeting in true MCC style. Some nerves were pushed through, worked as a true Team and got it done, with swagger! Thanks Team!

The updates shared by our MCC Leadership Team in attendance, Mr Luke Brown (Principal), Mrs Janelle Newman (Deputy Principal - Head of Primary), Mrs Sarah Coleman (Deputy Principal - Secondary) and Mrs Annmarie Arnold (Leader – Community and Staff Engagement) were extensive, interesting and very informative. As is the case with our first meetings of each year, there is always a lot to catch up on as we launch into the new year. And let’s face it, the beginning of 2022 has certainly been a ‘different’ one …

It was wonderful to welcome so many new faces around our table, with great discussion and contribution. We look forward to welcoming many more of our families at our MCC family table at our future meetings.

Exciting News: Your P&F was recently awarded a Grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund for $31,818.18 to assist us to 'Construct Shade Shelter'. Watch this space for the new Shade Sail. Thanks to our Grant Officer (Katie Pope) for securing this grant for our MCC children and College.

As we embark on the final days of Term 1, when chatting with many around the grounds, overwhelmingly the mood has been that although it has been a short Term, it has felt to be somewhat of a loooooong Term, particularly mentally. The Easter School Holidays will hopefully provide time to take stock and ‘reboot’ for a fresh start in Term 2.

We must applaud our hard working College Leadership and Staff who have been navigating the challenges posed due to the constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic and what that throws into effect, both with our MCC children and their learning as well as our valued Staff. Some of you may or may not be aware that due to COVID-19 Isolation induced Staff absences, our Leadership Team, particularly our Principals, have re-entered the classrooms in an ‘all hands on deck’ approach so as to ensure our MCC children are receiving their education. THANK YOU to ALL of our MCC Staff for of your efforts!

During these unprecedented and somewhat still uncertain times, it has been wonderful to see our MCC Community coming together to support one another, in many shapes and forms. Whether that be by supporting friends and family during COVID-19 isolation periods that many have experienced thus far and are currently experiencing, or just by talking to one another and sharing school life experiences and advice. This is the epitome of true community spirit.

Resilience is something we have all been needing to really dig deep for over the past two years and it is such an important life skill that we, as parents, must be striving to instil in our MCC children to assist them in dealing with whatever life throws at them.

We wish our MCC Families and Staff a safe and very happy Easter!

Coming Up in Term 2

Mother’s Day Stall: This year’s Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Thursday, 5 May 2022 (Secondary mainly with possibly some Primary) and Friday, 6 May 2022 (Primary and Secondary), therefore available to ALL of our MCC children.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your P&F feel it is very Important that our College Community understand that our annual Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls are not ‘fundraisers’ as such (we merely try to just cover the cost of the gifts), but rather a service we provide for our families to allow our MCC children an opportunity to ‘go shopping’ for Mums/Dads/Grandparents/Carers, as a small token of their love and appreciation for all they do.

This year’s Stall will see the introduction of a few new price brackets for gifts. The prices for gifts this year will be $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $5.00 and $6.00.

Primary: Our Primary children will be brought through the stall throughout the day in their classes on the specified day/s.

Secondary: Our Secondary children can attend the stall during their second lunch break or after school.

**We will advise of the exact days for Primary and Secondary once the schedule has been finalised.**

HELPFUL SUGGESTION: For our families wishing their children to take up this opportunity, we ask that each child of a family is provided their own money to attend the Stall. Sending large denominations with older siblings to purchase their gift/s and then trying to get money to younger siblings across the College throughout the day becomes very problematic and upsetting for the children, especially if they haven’t had the opportunity to catch up with their older sibling before their class is brought through to the Stall. Our wonderful College Staff work hard to assist in accommodating each Primary home room class to attend the Stall throughout the day and factoring in each year level’s classes to cause the least amount of disruption to the children’s learning time.

If any of our parents/grandparents/carers would like to help with our Mother’s Day Stall during afternoon (from 12.15pm to 3.00pm/3.30pm) on Thursday, 5 May 2022 or during the day on Friday, 6 May 2022, please email us to let us know as soon as possible at: pandf.mountpeter@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au

It is always such a thrill for us volunteers to see the excitement on the children’s faces as they ponder and carefully consider what they would like to purchase for their Mum/Grandma/Carer.

Our next meeting is scheduled for 6.00pm on Tuesday, 10 May 2022 in the Secondary Library, College Office Building.

Please ensure RSVP’s for attendance are sent to the P&F at: pandf.mountpeter@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au

We welcome all members of our College community to join us.

Catholic School Parents Queensland - Parent Engagement Event – Saturday, 28 May 2022: Everyone is welcome and this will be a ‘not to be missed’ event. Please stay posted for further details to come.

Parent Volunteers - We need you! Come and have some fun with us!

Our events would not go ahead without the amazing help of our parent volunteers. It’s a great way to connect with the school, meet other parents and be a part of your child’s school journey.

In order to be a volunteer, you are asked to participate in a short online induction (link below) along with the provision of a few forms to the College (which can be emailed to you or collected from the College Office) which covers you for the year.

Please email us if you are interested in volunteering to assist your P&F with anything at all, no matter how big or small, and/or at one of our events or even to assist the College in general. Email Address: pandf.mountpeter@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au

Below is the link to the Volunteer Induction Quiz for anyone wishing to assist in any way. Once completed, please email the P&F and College to let us know and you will be sent the supporting forms to be completed and handed in or you can collect copies from the College upon request.

**All volunteers MUST be double vaccinated for COVID-19 and have completed the 2022 Volunteer Induction Session.**

Everything we do is for our MCC kids and we love it!

Locals Supporting Locals

Don’t forget to shop at Piccones IGA and have your points allocated to MacKillop. The generous team at Piccones donate to your MacKillop P&F through the points collected in their Community Benefit Fund.

When you shop at Piccones IGA Edmonton, please consider nominating your points to:

MacKillop Catholic College – Code 5154.

This is how locals support locals.

THANK YOU Piccones IGA Edmonton for helping the MCC P&F Association help support our MacKillop Kids!

Kind Regards,
Michelle Lee Long & your 2022 P&F Committee
Email: pandf.mountpeter@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au

Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) & Vacation Care

Mackillop OSHC have had an excellent start to the 2022 year and settling well into our routine. We have introduced some new faces to the team, who share the same passion and dedication to supporting the children and implementing an inclusive and fun daily program.

Excitement is building for our vacation care program, which we are set to have some Easter themed days, crafts and cooking, and having incursion visit from MiniBeasts, Learn2Learn programming and pedal karts. We have very limited spots left – so if you are interested, please contact Lucy at oshc.mtpeter@ccelc.catholic.org.au as soon as possible to discuss further.

Upcoming Events

Community News

Catholic School Parents Queensland

St Gerard Majella – 2022 School Fete

Cairns Basketball