It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and my mother-in-law gave me a biography of Nick Cave, specifically focussing on his younger years. I am a devoted fan of his, and I am consistently in awe that a town as 'normal' as Wangaratta could produce such an internationally renowned artist. Cave was raised Anglican, and sang in the Wangaratta Cathedral Choir as a young man. Images of Christianity pervade - almost dominate - his work, even though he is no longer engaged with formal religion.

Recently, a fan asked him what he thought the voice of God sounded like. What an interesting question!

"I hope the voice of God would be something other than booming, authoritarian and male," Cave answered. "Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise." He went on...

"Perhaps, God would have the combined voice of all the untold billions of collected souls, an assembly of the departed speaking as one -- without rancour, domination or division, a great, many-layered calling forth that rings from the heavens in the small, determined voice of a child, maybe; sexless, pure and uncomplicated -- that says 'Look for me. I am here.'"

Discussing faith is such a challenging and potentially overwhelming thing. How often do we think of something so simple but essential as the sound of God's voice? Are we able to let ourselves be surprised by the message?

Thank you so much for supporting our work at the College this term. We have had a lot of successes despite the enforced cancellation of a few different activities. I am ever-mindful that all of these students who work hard in class, enter Eisteddfods and play different sports have the backing of really hard working parents and other family members. Thank you so much for all you do!

There's a lot in this newsletter - but I want to draw your attention in particular to the College Fee restructure that we are looking to introduce for 2022. The proposal has been developed by the Resources team of the Parent Partnership Forum. The overall goal is to rationalise the fees so that families are paying less for attending the College.

I hope that you all have a really safe and enjoyable break with family and friends. Queensland has remained relatively safe thus far and I dearly hope it continues. 

Please take care.

Chris Gabbett
Principal

Hello Students, Parents and College Community,

The PPF hope this update finds you all well.

Wow!! This term has gone quick! We have accomplished so much in this term. All the students should be very proud of their efforts. This term has still been a bit unsettling due to Covid restrictions ongoing throughout our great nation. Not knowing exactly what is around the corner for us all when we hear the news every day can make for unsure times, but as a College community we have pulled together and got the job done as always.

We recently had "R U OK" day and the College did a very good job with explaining about mental health issues and affirming that it is OK to speak about it. Well done to all the students as well for this day. We understand students were very engaged and there was a real buzz around the College. The colour yellow was everywhere. These matters are very critical in our world today and we must talk about it and reach out to support those that simply may need a hand.

The Prep Pirate Day was a huge success in the Junior College. This is always a great event each year to see the younger students and their teachers involved. This is a great way for families and teachers to connect with students and have fun. Well done to the College for always delivering on events like this. We know the students love this day hearing the feedback from the children.

The Father’s Day event was another great success for the College. We initially had some rain and the weather was not looking good, but it cleared for us all to make this a wonderful morning for all the Dads and father figures. We had some great music from staff and students to entertain us all. The food and coffee were delicious and was enjoyed by all. Well done to the College for this and it was great to hear from Brad Griffiths and others about the Fathering Project. The Fathering Project is a great way to connect with fathers and get involved in upcoming events and to have some fun with our children. Please do consider joining:- https://thefatheringproject.org/ and connect with other Mary MacKillop Fathers.

In news from the Mission and Identity Group, watch for updates early next term with regard to the relaunch of the postponed Youth Mass. Also, there will be a contingent of high school students attending the Ignite Conference in the first week of the school holidays. We pray they have a very blessed journey and fulfilling experience. Finally, the Mission and Identity Group is seeking some extra team members. If you feel this might be something you are interested in and would like more information, please feel free to contact Emma Ehrlich at 0404 200 832 or Paula O’Rourke at Paula.ORourke@twb.catholic.edu.au.

In Term 4 the PPF will be working towards building new pathways to link with the College pillars and all the PPF teams – we will look at further ways to engage with parents to fulfil our mission, service and support in our areas being Teaching and Learning, Wellbeing, Relationships, Mission and Identity and Resources.

We will also be engaging with our broad and valued group of volunteers to discuss future agenda lists for College events and new ideas to excite the College and families to get involved. We will soon be announcing a thank you event for volunteers at the College.

We wish to congratulate all the students on their amazing achievements this term. We have had some spectacular sporting and academic results right across the College this term. We also wish those students who are competing or participating in events over the school holidays the very best!

Our Year 12 students are coming up to a very important time in their last term of school, and we wish them the very best for all their upcoming examinations. We are very proud of you!

If you are at the Carnival of Flowers Parade this Saturday, 18th September, make sure you keep an eye out for the College’s Marching Band and dancers! We’d love to see lots of College families come along to wave and support the students.

A big thank you also to all the staff for their amazing work this term. We truly appreciate everything you do for each and every child at the College. Our children are so blessed.

We look forward to welcoming our College community at our next meeting on Tuesday 12th (Week 2) of October after the September school holidays.

If you have a topic or matters for discussions, please send through to the PPF email higppf@twb.catholic.edu.au and we can add it to our Meeting Agenda.

Take care and stay safe during your holidays.

Shayne Cleary and Rowena Voll
Co-Chairs PPF

Next Meeting:

Tuesday 12th October 2021. Room: Penola 6/7. Time: 5.30pm start.

Mrs Jess Burke is the Middle Leader of The Arts and Student Engagement and despite a year of ups and downs with cancelled events out of our control, Jess is getting excited to showcase the drummers and butterfly dancers marching in the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Grand Central Floral Parade this weekend. 

This week we interviewed Jess about her time at the College, so lets see what she has to say!

Primary School: Sunbury Primary

Secondary School: Maryborough State High

How long have you worked at Mary MacKillop?

I have been working at Mary Mac for almost 12 months now, will be one-year next term.

What do you like about working at Mary MacKillop?

Definitely the students! So many enthusiastic arts students who are willing to learn and to have a go at anything.

What are your hobbies/Interests?

I love to compose music, direct ensembles to create fun and entertaining music and I love to run.

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

I went to university to originally study Anthropology…. But now have been teaching for over 20 years! I enjoy running marathons and ultra-marathons and I was selected to play hockey for Qld this year. I would love to learn how to play the bagpipes…..Its one of the only ones I haven’t learned to play.

At the commencement of our first year as Senior School in 2015, an all inclusive fee structure was introduced at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. Prior to this, camps and excursions were billed separate to school fees, and P-2 incurred stationery and activity levies. This model has become outdated with the growth in enrolments in our Senior School and no longer caters for current families' dynamics.

The Parent Partnership Forum Resource Team has spent much of 2021 researching School Fee Models and analysing data. The model of choice moves away from the All Inclusive model in an effort to give more transparency for parents, and allow for more equity in year and subject levels on a user pay basis, in a bid to provide more affordable education to all families.

The new model consists of three fees; a tuition component, a resource levy (covering the cost of excursions, classroom resourcing, subject costs, textbook hire, materials for practical subjects, computer software and technology in P-3), internet costs, formations days and handbooks), and a capital levy.

The capital levy is an annual levy applied once a year to families accounts that will directly support the building and development of the school's infrastructure facilities and fixed assets. It will also provide for ongoing maintenance for the College – painting, carpets, general wear and tear of older sections of the College, and support the need for greater security around the College as we continue to grow. The levy will assist in the implementation of new technology as it emerges to assist better delivery of the curriculum.

The sibling discounts have been generously revised upwards, with a 33% discount for second sibling, 66% on third sibling and 100% discount on the tuition component for fourth and any additional siblings.

Camps, device hire, extra curricular sport and cultural activities, uniforms and booklists are not included and would be billed separately to families accounts. The figures given in the reckoner for camp costs are broad guides and should be taken as a ceiling amount.

The ready reckoner is available here for families to calculate their fees under this potential new model and provide feedback to the Business Manager - kirsty.gillett@twb.catholic.edu.au. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kirsty Gillett
Business Manager

SEASON OF CREATION

During the month of September we get the feeling that spring is arriving - annual flowers come out, new leaves on trees, grass is growing, hay fever sets in, days are warming up and they are getting longer as well.

Within the church it is also the Season of Creation. It is a time when we are invited to pray and spend time in our environment where we can enjoy God's creation as well as look for ways to care for it. Sr Colleen O'Sulllivan, rsj, writes "we are not masters or users but sharers and co-creators with the Beloved whom we call God". (www.sosj.org.au, Season of Creation: The world is our household, lets honour it, Sept 8, 2021)

Pope Francis wrote 'Laudato Si' encyclical in in 2015, challenging us to be stewards of creation rather than destroyers and abusers of it. We need to appreciate what we have but also ensure that it will continue to be here into the future in a way that enables generations to come to enjoy creation in its purest form.

The Carnival of Flowers over these holidays, provides everyone with a perfect excuse to spend time in nature when all gardens are at their best due to spring. Go for walks through parks, national parks, around your street or neighbourhood. Enjoy the outdoors.

The Season of Creation does also challenge us though, to care for the environment which includes ourselves. Sr Colleen O'Sullivan, rsj, writes "This season offers a space for us to slow down, to rethink our value systems, to look at compromises we as humans need to make at a cost, to be able to live safely with all species." (www.sosj.org.au, Season of Creation: The world is our household, lets honour it, Sept 8, 2021) Over the holidays please allow yourself to slow down, enjoy the environment that surrounds you and ultimately enjoy some time with God in nature walking, hiking, resting, celebrating!

FOOD DONATIONS

A huge thank you to YOU as our community for your generosity in donating to Rosies and Healing Hands. The people who enjoy our biscuits at Rosies at the Harlaxton Park are always so grateful to receive and know that they are made with love. We would like to take another lot of home baking to our next Rosies, which is the first Wednesday back, so if you have time over the holidays we would really appreciate some biscuits on our return.

This week, our food tech teacher Kate Vanderplas and Cafe chef, Sarah Welsh, completed a huge cook up of a variety of meals and home baking, with students, ready for term 4. These meals are then available for families and members of our Parish who have experienced a dramatic event with their family. It enables them to have one less worry in terms of meal preparation during this time. Please ring the school office to let Carolyn Maxwell or Paula O'Rourke know about a family in need of a hamper.

RUOK /CHILD PROTECTION SUNDAY MASS WITH PARISH

Thank you to all families and especially the students who helped throughout our mass celebrations with the Parish last Sunday. The Parishioners are always appreciative of the effort and support that the students give to this. Thank you!

IGNITE CONFERENCE

Over the September holidays, five students will be attending and participating in the Ignite Conference in Brisbane for three and half days. These students are excited and apprehensive, at the same time, about attending such a big event that celebrates who we are as young Catholics in a contemporary world. We look forward to sharing their experience with you next term.

Thank you for everything that you do to support your child's education in our Catholic school and I wish you all an enjoyable holiday.

Paula O'Rourke
APRE

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.

Congratulations to all of the Term 3 Making Jesus Real award recipients.

Over the past eight months, we have been involved in the Ozanam Leadership Program which is run by the St Vincent de Paul Society. In the past the program was only available in the Brisbane district; 2021 was the first year that the program has taken place in Toowoomba. On the 7th of September, we officially graduated from the program! We are very fortunate to be amongst the first students selected to attend this program with seven others from various Catholic schools across Toowoomba.

The Ozanam Leadership Program is based on the legacy of Frederic Ozanam who founded St Vincent de Paul Society over 170 years ago. The society was formed by a group of like-minded people who strived to put their faith into action. The Program aims to empower young minds to be like Frederic and strive to make a difference in our society. Throughout the program, we have participated in various activities to further develop our leadership skills and learn more about the community around us.

Our first major event was at the Emu Gully retreat. We were fortunate to have the Brisbane Ozanam group attend this event with us. It was an insightful experience and there were many takeaways. An important message that we have learned is that leaders do not always need to lead from the front, which means that even if you are in the middle or back of the group, you can still help lead others.

We were faced with challenges that require working under pressure. In some moments, we found ourselves becoming frustrated with certain tasks. Often, we had to take a breather and get back into it; instead of giving up, we pulled through and completed the tasks. Additionally, communication was essential when working in teams, especially in a large group of people. We realised that if communication is not clear, then the established plan will fall apart.

Our next major event was Buddies Day during which we spent a day with children aged 8-12 to support families by giving their child a fun day out. We planned the day, from the activities to the food. Some of the activities planned were origami, handball, making pancakes, and playing games at the park. This experience was very enjoyable for us as we had a great time with the kids and learned the value of being an older figure in their lives.

The last major event for the program was our Sleepout. The purpose of this sleepout was to acquire more knowledge about issues in our community. During the night, we learned about homelessness and which places advocate for homeless people. There are many leadership opportunities outside of school and a variety of organisations that depend on volunteers to help serve our community. One such organization is Civic Assist which has have a variety of programs that aim to support many different people in our community. This event provided us with insight into how to assist in our community as leaders and helped us better understand issues in our society.

The Ozanam Leadership Program has been a great experience for us, and we feel more inspired to make a change in our school and the wider community. We have made many memories, new friends and have a lot of takeaways from this experience. We are very proud to be a part of this program and hope to see future leaders at Mary MacKillop Catholic College take part as well.

Abigail Brooks and Isabelle Preston
Year 11 Students

This weekend Mass will be celebrated on Saturday evening at 6:00pm. It will be followed by Pot luck dinner with guest speaker Kate Venables from Catholic Care. Everyone is welcome.

Masses will resume to Sundays at 8:00am after that.

Please register your attendance with this link or at the door when you arrive.

Please use this link to register your attendance

This week, the families who are going to continue the sacramental journey met with the Parish Sacramental team about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Folders were given out or sent home with children with all the information. During the holidays would be a great opportunity to start working through the book with your child.

Please ensure that all paperwork is returned to the office during WEEK 1 of Term 4.

Sacrament of Reconciliation will be on Thursday, 11 November at 6:00 pm. Practice for this event will be on the Monday before straight after school.

If you have any questions please email one of the team or Paula.Orourke@twb.catholic.edu.au

There are many factors which will contribute to the overall writing strength of a student’s writing.

For instance, the variety and number of sentence types used, the precision incorporated into the writing and finally the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence feedback in conjunction with the teacher feedback.

Our most recent data analysis uncovered many areas to celebrate. Our overall College Writing Strength is at 74%. We have set ourselves the target of reaching 80% by the end of 2021. The use of the AI feedback is slightly down and will become a focus area for the remainder of the year. We can celebrate the overall number of words written, comprehension, along with the number of Daily Challenges accessed across the week.

Fluency and precision have been identified as areas which will grow our Writing Strength. Writing is a complex task. When students plan, draft and publish texts, they use applied topic knowledge, vocabulary, word and visual knowledge to make considered and deliberate choices about text structure and organisation to coherently express and develop ideas and communicate information in formal and informal social contexts.

To compose a text that effectively communicates meaning, the writer must:

Consider the purpose of communicating and the type of text to be used

Conceptualise ideas

Select, combine, arrange, and develop ideas into effective sentences and paragraphs

Review and evaluate their writing

Apply the convention of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

It is important to note, that each student is on their own writing journey and will develop at different rates. We believe in meeting students where they are at and celebrating student success along the journey.

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning

You may have heard teachers talking about HaSS, but do you know what they are referring to? It is an important Learning Area in the Australian Curriculum.

The Australian Curriculum for the Humanities and Social Sciences plays an important role in harnessing students’ curiosity and imagination about the world they live in and empowers them to actively shape their lives; make reflective, informed decisions; value their belonging in a diverse and dynamic society; and positively contribute locally, nationally, regionally, and globally.

Through the Humanities and Social Sciences, (HaSS) students become well placed to contribute to Australia’s ideas of a cohesive society, sustainable environment, productive economy, and stable democracy.

In a world that is increasingly culturally diverse and dynamically interconnected, it is important that students come to understand their world, past and present, and develop a capacity to respond to challenges, now and in the future, in innovative, informed, personal and collective ways.

Humanities and Social Sciences aims to ensure that students develop:

• a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures, and systems throughout the world, past and present, and an interest in and enjoyment of the study of these phenomena
• key historical, geographical, civic and economic knowledge of people, places, values and systems, past and present, in local to global contexts
• an understanding and appreciation of historical developments, geographic phenomena, civic values and economic factors that shape society, influence sustainability and create a sense of belonging
• the capacity to use inquiry methods and skills, including questioning, researching using reliable sources, analysing, evaluating and communicating
• dispositions required for effective participation in everyday life, now and in the future, including critical and creative problem-solving, informed decision making, responsible and active citizenship, enterprising financial behaviour and ethical reflection.

(ACARA)

In the P-2 area of the school, HaSS makes up one hour of the curriculum across the week. In Years 3-4, 2.5 hours and in Years 5-6, 3 hours. The Teaching and Learning of HaSS provides the necessary knowledge and skills for the 21st Century.

If you wish to know more about what your child is learning specifically about in HaSS, please get in touch with your child’s teacher.

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Over the course of three days, grade 10, 11 & 12 students have participated in an Espresso Machine Operation Skill Set Course through Aurora Training Institute.

Valuable skills such as customer service, coffee making and food safety provide real-life applicable benefits like employability and people skills.

Year 10 students, Sarah Norton and Michael Luscombe comment on their most valuable takeaways from this course.

"I'll be able to make myself coffee!" says Norton.

"It will be great for employability opportunities while I am studying at university and looking for part-time jobs" Luscombe says.

Year 12 student, Jaymee Suliman says there are many reasons why she participated in the Barista Course. "I can add it to my resume, along with my Responsible Service of Alcohol and my Responsible Gaming Services that I completed earlier this year."

The course also included teaching students how to make an array of popular cafe beverages such as Long Blacks, Cappuccinos, Lattes, Flat Whites, Affogatos, Espressos, and Mochas.

As well as a practical component, students also worked through multiple assessment booklets about food safety, finance, customer service and coffee making.

The completion of the course gives students two QCE points towards their graduate certificate.

From conversations with other students, the 2021 Barista Course has been successful in training and informing about hospitality, and providing students with employment opportunities, and real life experience.

To see more from this three day course, head to our instagram reels.

Kyra Bartlett
Year 10 Student

This week for Year 9 students, we organised to have Ashlee from Life After School return to the College to provide her skills and expertise in work readiness and resume writing.

The aim of the workshop is to provide information for Year 9 students to develop their understanding of the key components of a successful resume in the current world of work. This affords students the opportunity to explicitly learn further knowledge and skills in the realm of employment preparation, with a focus on resume development.

These workshops are crucial for student success in pathways beyond school and geared toward supporting our students in their search of and application for future work experience and employment opportunities.

Here's what some of our students had to say...

I found the resume course valuable as she taught you what kind of things you need to know when you’re going for a job interview, and it help us understand what you need to have written down to show the employer what you can do. – Molly Haig

I liked that it taught you how to write a resume. – Connor Cranston

You learned how to write a resume and it was easy to follow as we were given a useful template. - Katelyn Burton

I found the structure of the resume helpful for when I need one. I learnt a lot about resumes and work, overall I found it interesting. – Charlie Botham

Year 12 students register below for Free QCE Revision and Head Start Lectures with ATAR Notes.

Monday 27 September 2021, 9:30 am - Friday 1 October 2021, 3:00 pm

Online

ATAR Notes are delivering their legendary revision/head start lectures, presented by elite past students, can give you a huge advantage going into Term 4.

Sessions in this series cover a huge range of subjects.

Why register?

Tune in to heaps of lectures delivered by recent elite year 12 graduates

Ask questions live and get immediate answers

Come back and rewatch any time, download slides for your own study and more

Find out more: https://atarnoteslectures.com/qld

USQ | Aviation One Day Experience, Tooowoomba and Springfield

Springfield: Monday 20 September 2021, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Toowoomba: Tuesday 21 September 2021, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

The Aviation One Day Experience is designed for those year 11 and 12 students who have a high interest in the aviation industry and future aspirations to study a Bachelor of Aviation (Flight Operations) or a Bachelor of Aviation (Aviation Management).

Register for Springfield: https://usq.edu.au/study/faculty-events/2021/06/student-experience-days/aviation-springfield

Register for Toowoomba: https://usq.edu.au/study/faculty-events/2021/06/student-experience-days/aviation-toowoomba

USQ | Film Two Day Experience

Tuesday 21 September 2021, 9:30 am - Wednesday 22 September 2021, 4:00 pm

University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Campus

The Film Two Day Experience is designed for years 10, 11 and 12 students who have an interest in the film industry and aspirations to study a Bachelor of Film and Screen Production with USQ.

Places are limited to 25 school students, who will have the opportunity to engage with USQ academic Dr Daryl Sparkes, current students and our industry partners. This two day experience will outline some of the opportunities and future needs the film industry is facing while giving attendees a chance to experience the creative arts first-hand.

Find out more: https://usq.edu.au/study/faculty-events/2021/06/student-experience-days/film

USQ | Television and Radio Two Day Experience

Tuesday 21 September 2021, 9:30 am - Wednesday 22 September 2021, 4:00 pm

University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Campus

The Television and Radio Two Day Experience is designed for years 10, 11 and 12 students who have a high interest in the industry and future aspirations to study a Bachelor of Communication and Media (Television and Radio) or a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Film, Television and Radio).

Places are limited to 35 school students (25 Television and 10 Radio), who will have the opportunity to engage with USQ academics, Dr Ashley Jones and Spencer Howson, current students and our industry partners. The event will outline some of the opportunities and the future needs the industry is facing, and give attendees a chance to experience the industry first-hand.

Find out more: https://usq.edu.au/study/faculty-events/2021/06/student-experience-days/tv-radio

USQ | Creative Writing Two Day Experience

Thursday 23 September 2021, 9:30 am - Friday 24 September 2021, 4:00 pm

University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba Campus

The USQ Creative Writing Two Day Experience is designed for year 10, 11 and 12 students who have a passion for writing and have future aspirations to study a Bachelor of Arts (Creative & Critical Writing).

Aspiring writers will work with a professional writer and editor to develop their own ideas and hone their writing process. Participants will learn how to;

• Become an idea machine
• Literary & Narrative Techniques
• Introduce the trickster
• Bing Trickster Elements into your writing

Places are limited to 25 school students, who will have the opportunity to engage with USQ academics, current students and our industry partners. The two-day experience will outline some of the opportunities and the future needs the industry is facing.

Find out more: https://usq.edu.au/study/faculty-events/2021/06/student-experience-days/creative-writing

UQ | Gatton Discovery Day

Tuesday 28 September 2021, 10:00 am - Thursday 30 September 2021, 12:15 pm

The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus

Considering studying agriculture, agribusiness, plant or animal sciences?

Explore our vast, rural Gatton campus and visit a few of the facilities you’ll access while studying here. You’ll meet current students and educators who will share the social and academic opportunities available to you as a UQ student.

This is a great alternative if you are unable to attend Gatton Open Day on Sunday 12 September.

Find out more: https://future-students.uq.edu.au/events/gatton-discovery-day

Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson
Your Pathway Team

The Western Downs Regional Council currently have opportunities for school leavers in 2022.

Click the links below to see what's on offer.

Kickstart 2021 A5 Handout Flyer

Kickstart 2021 A4 Poster 

Thinking of a Career in Cyber Security?

If you’re thinking of a future career in Cyber Security, you’ll be glad to hear that:

Cyber Security is a growing industry

• According to Job Outlook future growth in this industry is very strong, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.7% from 2021 to 2026 (Source: Researchandmarkets.com) globally
• There were 50,500 Database & Systems Administrators & ICT Security in 2020 in Australia and this expected to reach 60,500 by 2025
• Australia is currently short of 2300 workers in cyber security, with an expected demand of at least 17,600 additional professionals in the sector by 2026. (Source: institutedata.com)
• The Worldwide Cybersecurity Industry is Expected to Reach $345.4 Billion by 2026 (Source: Researchandmarkets.com)
• In 2020 Australian spent approximately $5.6 billion on cyber security, expected to increase to $7.6 billion by 2024. (Source: Austercyber.com)

Work Life Balance

A role in this industry can be rewarding with:

• High salaries and lots of opportunities
• Being a high-demand job
• High career progression
• The opportunity to be self-employed
• Chance to work remotely anywhere in the world
• You’re always learning

The downsides to consider could include:

• High-stress and demanding hours
• Companies lack knowledge and/or resources
• Some repetitive or boring tasks
• Less room for mistakes
• Difficulty keeping up with fast-paced trends and emerging new information

How to get into Cyber Security

There are lots of pathways into a career in Cyber Security – training and qualification are often required.

Lots of universities offer undergraduate degrees, postgraduate degrees and all kinds of other qualifications in Cyber Security. Have a look at all of your VET options and other courses that are available, decide which could be the right path for you.

Build on your technical aptitude (yes you’ll definitely need to be tech savvy for roles in this industry) skills, including knowledge of security across various platforms. A foundation knowledge in computer forensics could be beneficial too, and you’ll need to learn some “ethical hacking” skills so that you can understand how a system could be breached, and in turn, create effective solutions for thwarting these attacks.

This is certainly a job of the future and having these skills and qualifications is high in demand.

Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson
Your Pathway Team

We'll leave you with a couple of maths challenges to solve over the holidays!

CHALLENGE #1 : Painted Cube

A 5 x 5 x 5 cube that had been painted blue on the outside, with cubes made up of smaller 1 x 1 x 1 cubes. Consider the questions:

• How many small cubes will have 3 blue faces?
• How many small cubes will have 2 blue faces?
• How many small cubes will have 1 blue face?
• How many small cubes will have no paint on them?

CHALLENGE #2 : The Tethered Goat

Imagine a goat tied to the corner of a shed by a rope. The shed is 4m by 6m. The rope is 6m long.

• What do you wonder about this situation?
• Draw a picture of this situation?
• What questions do you have?

The sun rises to the east of the shed and sets to the west. The goat would appreciate some shade. Where should you plant a tree? What tree would you plant?

Get inspired!

Mrs Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

A number of Junior school students recently competed in the Toowoomba Primary Schools Team Chess Competition that was held at Toowoomba Christian College (TCC) on Tuesday September 7. All students who participated represented the College, and themselves, to a very high standard, and put in a great effort!

Chess has been an extra-curricular activity at the College for many years, and continues to engage a broad range of students across both the Junior and Senior schools. In addition to providing students the opportunity to establish relationships with children across the College who share a similar interest, chess is known to support healthy brain development.

It is well established that chess supports the development of memory, concentration, problem solving, and creativity. Recent Australian research, however, has also highlighted the benefits to social, emotional, and academic processes through the reduction of risk aversion. Specifically, chess was found to teach children about healthy risk-taking, and given the benefit of calculated risks and informed decision-making as life skills that support wellbeing, this is a valuable by-product of this extra-curricular activity. The need for caution, foresight, cost-benefit analysis, and risk for reward considerations are reported to encourage and nurture positive risk-taking behaviour that support self-regulation and transfer to many contexts across the lifespan.

Junior students are welcome to attend Chess club each Tuesday during First Break. Junior and Senior students who are looking to further develop and refine their chess skills are also welcome to attend lessons that are held Wednesday mornings at 7:30am. Both of these sessions are held in 6 Stradbroke on the Junior School.

Mr Craig Hubbard
Year 6 Teacher and Chess Coordinator

R U Ok Day was celebrated last Thursday, September 9. You may have noticed the mass of yellow as you dropped off, or collected your child, with all students and staff encouraged to wear yellow, or a mental health related t-shirt to initiate conversation and raise mental health awareness.

The focus in the Junior school was to know how to ask if someone is okay and how to continue a conversation with someone. The students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2, learnt more about the importance of friendship and even made their own friendship soup. The students in Years 3-6 focused on the 4 steps to ask if someone is okay. These students also made a 'promise' as to how they can contribute to checking in on those around them.

Year 5 students also took the opportunity on this day, to check in on their year 1 buddies. Building connections with others is an important part of supporting each other. The school was a 'sea of yellow', raising funds for the R U Ok? foundation and Livin.

R U Ok Day is all about promoting the importance of checking in with others if we notice a change, or if they don't seem to be doing so well. It is about empowering everyone to be accountable for asking others if they are ok? But our role doesn't stop there! It is most helpful that we listen with an open-mind, encourage action, and check-in at a later time.

For more useful resource, head to https://www.ruok.org.au/

Bridget Rillie
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Junior

On Monday, 3 representatives from our College accompanied me to the Commemoration of the Battle of Meerwah at Picnic Point. This Battle was part of the frontier wars, the battle for land that took place across our vast continent. Leah Franklin, Darby Richardson and Ruby Anlezark also took to the ceremony dessert peas that had been made by some senior students this term. 

These peas were circulated amongst those attending the ceremony. As a College, our involvement in these significant events is a time for us to pay our respects and to acknowledge the traditional land owners, upon which we walk.

Bridget Rillie
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Junior

Lucy Hutchison (Year 9) is currently training at Revolution Boxing & Combatives in Toowoomba. Her focus is on weight training, stamina, and sparring in the ring. Lucy is looking to compete in some competitive fights in October this year and has been training for a little less than a year. 

Her involvement in the sport stems from members of her family having an interest in combat sports. Lucy tells me as much as she likes hitting people (jokes) that there is a special kind of respect that is developed between opponents in the ring and this is where she gains the most satisfaction. Anyone who has done any boxing training at all will tell you that it is a tough sport physically and mentally. Keep up the good work champ!

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader Sport & Student Engagement

WOW! What a huge term we have had in sport. Below is a snapshot of what has been going on and that's only in the last few weeks!

Netball - the inaugural H-Series has come to an end with Mary Mac teams being involved in a range of finals match-ups. A huge thanks to HDNA for all of their organisation with this opportunity. The College hopes to support this competition again next year. A reminder that the College will enter teams into the H-Series Summer League again this year. Please click here for more information. Our results for the season are as follows:

• Mary Mac Intermediate - 3rd in INTER Challenge division.
• MM12 Maroon - 3rd in JNR Championship.
• MM12 Navy - Winners JNR Challenge.
• MM10 Maroon - Runners up JNR Challenge
• MM 10 Navy - Winners JNR Development
• MM 10 White - 3rd in JNR Development

South East Queensland Primary Football Championships - last Friday a group of 45 staff and students traveled to Maroochydore for a soccer tournament that saw the best teams from all regions in South East Queensland compete in a round-robin style competition. The weather was hot and the competition hotter! All teams faced some quality opposition, especially the Senior Boys team. Despite this, it was wonderful to see some fighting spirit with all teams enjoying the experience. A special shout out to the Junior Girls team who only had 4 of 13 players who actually play soccer. They improved with each game and held the eventual winners to a competitive 2-0 loss. Many thanks to the parents who travelled down to support the teams and thank goodness for icy poles!

Rugby - the Darling Downs Super Schools Cup ended last week with the boys from Mary Mac/HSSC playing against Downlands. All three games were closely contested with Downlands getting the win in all three grades. Many thanks to our coaches Mr O'Neill and Mr Hampson who gave their time to assist the boys this season. There were a number of first time players who made valuable contributions to their teams. Our focus now turns to the South West 7s series where Mary Mac will contest the 13s and 15s girls and boys competitions.

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader Sport & Student Engagement

Congratulations to to Senior Library Writing Club who have just released the second issue of The Mac Press.

Adele A., Ann D., Katherine P., Josiah B., Madelaine R., Sharleigh C., Emily G. and Chay B. have produced another informative, fun newsletter, which demonstrates their interviewing, reporting, creative writing and team collaboration skills.

Club Members showed determination and commitment to meet the release deadline, while managing completion of College assessment and participation in other extra-curricular activities. Well Done everyone. Special thanks to Mrs Tate for her guidance and motivational reminders.

The Mac Press | Issue 2

The Reading Hour

Australian Reading Hour was celebrated on Tuesday 14th September, a time to celebrate the joy of reading, the stories that matter, and the talented writers and illustrators who create them. Reading has been shown to make you smarter, healthier and happier – so we encouraged our staff and students to set aside some time and get stuck into a good book. As we come to the end of term and look forward to slowing down and spending holiday time with family and friends, you might also like to give yourself the gift of exploring a new or favourite book or sharing a story with those you love.

Overdue Reminders

Thank you to students and parents who ensure that books are returned by the due date or organise for loans to be renewed. This allows all students to access College resources. Overdue reminders are now sent via email so please encourage students to return items if a notification has been received.

Staff Thank you

There is a great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that Libraries are well-resourced, organised and engaging places for students and staff. Thank you to Ms Miiller, Mrs Calvert and Mrs Tate for their energy, creativity and can-do attitude in making our Library spaces welcoming and supportive for all.

MMCC Library Staff

Congratulations are in order for Anabel Austin whose artwork has been selected for the 2021 Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art. Her work will be formally displayed at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery between 2 October and 7 November. The gallery opening hours are between 10:30am and 3:30pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 1pm to 4pm on Sunday.

Anabel has produced a tremendous amount of work this year at an extraordinarily high standard. The opportunity to have her work professionally exhibited is a wonderful reward for the effort. Whilst we have showcased Anabel’s work previously in the newsletter this is a wonderful opportunity to review her artist statement once again and re-examine her sculpture.

More Than A Copy Of A Copy Of A Copy, 2021

68cm x 39cm

Handmade oxide-stained ceramic bisque fired figurines encased in resin.

Represented in art since the beginning of the human experience the female form intrigues, confuses, excites, and mystifies. Working in both the personal and contemporary context, my exploration of femininity has enabled me to experiment beyond the traditional 2-dimensional form of art. In my experimental works I discovered the ease in which the basic Venus form could be recreated however, I was astounded by the diversity and difference of my created figures. This replicates the diversity discovered worldwide of the original Venus forms. Buttocks - Hips - Breasts, the female form is reduced to core elements. Encasing the prehistoric styled hand-made ceramic figures in resin in a mannequin mould frames them in a contemporary recognisable form. The individuality and diversity of the figurines are showcased within the resin and through this I intend to manipulate audience perceptions and values on society’s perspective of women and femininity.

Mr Matt Chivers
Art Teacher

Our before and after school care kids have been having a blast being scientists throughout the term. We have engaged in experiments such as the skittles experiment, floating flowers, changing colour chemistry and the magic milk experiment. 

We have learnt so much from these experiments and it has piqued the children’s investigative skills and thinking. We also have upcoming before school care, after school care and vacation care programs packed full of more mad scientist experiments!

OSHC Team