Welcome to our first newsletter of 2021.

Starting school, or transferring to a new one, is one of the most stressful things that we ever do. I can not remember every first day of school – I imagine none of us can. I do remember being filled with vague elements of nervousness and fear, along with real excitement. Even though I look a bit puzzled in this photo from 1984 when I was entering year 4, I seem to have captured some enthusiasm by my first day of secondary school in 1988. By 1992, when I was in year 12, I knew the ropes and was probably less fazed. 

How our young people feel on ‘big’ days like this is often influenced by two things; how welcome they feel and how well they are supported. As a P-12 community, we are in a fortunate position in that we can remove a bit of the fear of transition. We still though must be consciously and intentionally welcoming – we must make our new arrivals feel loved. As parents you have a key role to play as well; in the supportive and encouraging way you ‘present’ the school journey. As a team, if we keep working on getting this right, we are establishing incredibly positive building blocks for the future of our College. What a week of events it has been! We had our start of year Mass yesterday followed by the ‘clap-in’ of our new students. It was such a pleasure to see the whole College cheering the new arrivals to our community. Thank you so much to the parents who took time to attend on site and be part of this welcome.

The Commissioning of our College Leaders was also a beautiful event. I consider myself really fortunate to have such a strong bunch of students to assist in the leadership of the College. A particular mention for College Captains Mia Knapman and Raph Badman who have already represented us at some external events and have modelled wonderful leadership thus far.

Thank you so much to those parents who attended the Strategic Plan launch yesterday evening. I am very excited about the direction this enables – and the strength we will have once we formally constitute the Parent Partnership Forum. Thank you so much to those parents who have volunteered for this important role. 

At the commencement of our welcome back activities on Thursday, 4 February, we of course began with both prayer and the acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of the land upon which Mary MacKillop sits.  I want to apologise to  community members who considered that prayer and acknowledgement of country should also have occurred before the welcome back barbecue in the evening.  I am very sorry for any offence caused.

Chris Gabbett
College Principal

Term 1 College fees will go out to all families during Week 3. Toowoomba Catholic Schools has implemented a new finance software package, so please contact admin if you have any questions.

The due date for these fees is Friday, February 19 and if you intend to take advantage of the 5% prepayment discount, the due date is Monday, February 15. Please contact the office if you require assistance calculating your annual fees.

We have a large stock of quality second hand uniforms at our College Administration to giveaway should you require any additional uniform items. Please come check our stocks if you are in need of items before buying new or online. We are happy to give these away.

Kirsty Gillett
Business Manager

Standing in Solidarity

Our theme for the year at Mary MacKillop Catholic College is solidarity. A teaching of the Catholic Church, solidarity reminds us that we cannot live and exist well independently of others - we are interdependent beings. 

Pope Francis calls Catholics to commit themselves wholeheartedly to the good of all and to stand in solidarity with our one human family. As a Catholic community we aim to express solidarity by standing together to reach out to those who are most marginalised - the weak, the vulnerable, the disadvantaged. 

Mary MacKillop embraced partnership as a way of ensuring the Common Good. She did not let differences of faith, opinion or class be a barrier to her mission. As always, our Actioning Mary Mackillop Advocacy or AMMA group will be working hard by fundraising to support the vulnerable and to raise awareness of social injustice in our community. But this year, I challenge all of our Senior College students to consider how they can take action too. Serving the weak and vulnerable, both in our own College and in the outside community, is what our Josephite mission calls us to do. Year 7 to 12 students who are interested in social justice opportunities or who may have a great initiative in mind are always welcome to share these with me.

Within Pastoral Care groups this year, students will work together on PC projects. Such initiatives aim not only to promote a sense of PC and House community and identity but also contribute to an intentional formation of our Senior students. These PC projects will include a Lenten focus for Project Compassion in Term 1, service activities both within the home and our outside communities during Term 2, Socktober advocacy and fundraising in Term 3 and our St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Gift Appeal during Term 4. 

I truly hope that 2021 is a year when students in our Senior College learn to look to the margins and seek opportunities to speak out and stand up.

Year 12 Praxis Students

During 2021, our Year 12 Religion students, who have now completed their four units of Religion and Ethics, will complete the Living Water Praxis Program - a diocesan initiative centred on encouraging students to put their faith into practice through service to others. One element of this program requires students to accrue 40 hours of service to the community to promote meaningful social justice. This is a fantastic opportunity for this Praxis cohort to bring the the mission of Mary MacKillop to the fore - to work in partnership, stand in solidarity and seek to promote the Common Good by giving a voice to the marginalised and vulnerable. 

This Friday, Praxis students will be involved in their second Intensive Day which will occur at the College. During this day, students will learn about preparing and facilitating liturgy and retreat experiences, and will also work with Julie Inskip from St Vincent de Paul and David Tutty from the Toowoomba Social Justice Commission, to learn more about service learning. This day contributes approximately six hours to the Praxis students' overall 110 hours expected this year. I am positive that the students will gain much from the experience, including the ability to seek advice from Julie and David regarding service learning opportunities.

Saint Valentine's Day

While Saint Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year, there will still be an opportunity to spread the love! Next Friday, 12 February, students in the Senior College, through their Pastoral Care group and Religious Education classes, will be invited to write positive affirmations to their peers. At first break, bundles of red, heart-shaped chocolates may be purchased by Senior College students for distribution to their peers and family members. More information, including the cost of the chocolates, will be communicated next week.

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation and College Culture

Warren MacKenzie aged 92 years has been at his craft almost his entire life. He is a celebrated potter. Earlier in his life he tried his hand at a variety of artistic ventures. However, it soon became clear that doing something better and better was more satisfying.

“…. A good potter can make forty or fifty pots in a day. Out of these some are good, some are mediocre and some are really bad. Only a few will be worth selling, and of those, even fewer will continue to engage the senses after daily use”. (Grit by Angela Duckworth)

Over time, with effort, resilience and passion, MacKenzie’s skill improved. In the beginning what he thought was good, was in reality really awful. The pots lacked quality and richness. Over time, it got easier. As things got easier, and as he improved, he produced more good pots a day:

Talent X Effort = Skill

At the same time, the number of good pots he produced increased:

Skill X Effort = Achievement

With effort, MacKenzie kept on improving. With continued effort, he became more accomplished.

Why do I share this story with you? The answer is very simple. If students can apply the same principles of MacKenzie’s to their learning, they too would be masters of their learning. With persistent effort students can become master learners. Even the most talented students are at risk of not reaching their potential. That is, the learning of new content comes readily to them, so they require very little effort to acquire the knowledge, (Talent X Effort = Skill) which results in minimal achievement. Both skill and effort are required to achieve. 

Students need to show up every day and be prepared to do the work. To put in the effort, and not just for the short term, but for the long term. This type of stamina is known as ‘Grit’. 

As the new year begins, I encourage you to discuss talent, effort, skill, achievement and grit with your chid/ren. What are their goals academically for the year? What grit is required to achieve them?

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

Good writers vary the types of sentences that they use. It makes the writing more interesting, powerful and has greater impact.

Over the next 3 years, Years 4 -12 teachers and students will participate in Write That Essay – a program based on research and writing by Dr Ian Hunter. It is a whole school method of teaching writing. It is founded on the principle that writing is a teachable skill. In Years Prep to Year 3, teachers will provide an adapted version of the Program.

Over the course of Term 1 we will be focusing on introducing students (and parents) to a variety of Sentence Types. See below an explanation and examples of The Very Short Sentence and The Simple Sentence.

The Very Short Sentence - Knock your readers over. The very short sentence is the most powerful sentence ever invented. The rule is 5 words or less. It is great for immediate impact – but overused loses its impact.

• Flames engulfed the castle.
• Danger lurked in every corner.
• The door slammed shut. 
• The roof collapsed.
• Rainforests should be saved.
• Sports should be compulsory.

The Simple Sentence – Simple sentences are not sentences which are made up of easy or simple words. Simple sentences are a particular style of sentence, where the subject of the sentence is always at the start. (e.g. he, she, they, I, someone’s name, or a place), and say something about the subject. They just say something straightforward about the topic in a matter-of-fact way.

• The battle between the pirates and the dragons raged on for three days.
• Harry quickly stuffed down the chocolate cake.
• He waited by the side of the road for the car to arrive.
• An alligator is similar to a crocodile in many ways.
• Deforestation is a major problem in south America.

I look forward to sharing and celebrating student success with you over the coming weeks.

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior

For the next 3 years Mary MacKillop Catholic College has committed to becoming an Inspire Maths School. All teachers in P-3, (and a Champion in 4-6) will receive regular training and Professional Development in this initiative. 

What is Inspire Maths? Within the Inspire Maths Framework, there are 4 elements which support mathematical learning and inspires curiosity.

1. Mathematical Mindsets
2. Curriculum Concepts
3. Pedagogical Practices
4. Building Capacities 

Teachers deliberately make pedagogical choices that foster engagement and build mathematical mindsets. Teachers:

1. Emphasise visual, creative Mathematics 
2. Foster collaborative learning and flexible groupings
3. Cultivate productive mindsets
4. Use mistakes as a tool for learning
5. Pose questions that support challenge and understanding
6. Facilitate thought provoking Mathematical conversations
7. Make Mathematics challenging but accessible
8. Make connections and promote transfer into new contexts
9. Further reflections

The first step in having a Mathematical Mindset:

Step 1: Do math – any math

Step 2: Be a person!

You have probably heard people say they are just bad at math, or perhaps you yourself feel like you are not “a math person.” Not so, says Stanford mathematics education professor Jo Boaler, who shares the brain research showing that with the right teaching and messages, we can all be good at math. Not only that, our brains operate differently when we believe in ourselves. Boaler gives hope to the mathematically fearful or challenged and shows a pathway to success. 

Check out the link below to hear more.

Inspire Maths provides a conduit to achieving the necessary 21st Century Skills our students require moving into the future.

1. Critical Thinking – e.g. analytical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, decision-making
2. Communication – e.g. effective oral and written communication, using language, symbols and texts
3. Personal and Social Skills – e.g. leadership, citizenship, cultural awareness
4. Creative Thinking – e.g. innovation, initiative and enterprise, generating and applying new ideas
5. Collaboration and Teamwork – e.g. interacting with others, participating and contributing, recognising and using diverse perspectives
6. Information and Communication Technologies – e.g. operations and concepts, accessing and analysing information, being productive users of technology. 

Over the coming weeks I will be sharing what is happening in our classrooms and Introducing you to Number Talks. I’m really excited about this initiative and the results Inspire Maths promises to achieve.

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning; Junior

2021 is more than just another year for our College. 2021 marks the beginning of new challenges, new students and new opportunities in all things English.

The implementation of the Write that Essay programme is an exciting opportunity for every student from years 4 - 12 to enhance their writing skills and expand their use of constructive sentences, in improving their overall expression capabilities. This is an interactive, online tool that allows students the chance to learn about targeted sentence types, practise the use of these and incorporate this learning into everyday lessons and planning for assessment tasks.

Sustained individual reading and writing will also form important aspects of new initiatives, in English. Opportunities to read for enjoyment and read, uninterrupted, for a specified time will take place often and in a variety of subjects. Writing for enjoyment will also be linked clearly to the daily routines of English students, this year.

A weekly focus upon vocabulary skills will be enhanced via the Words of the week programme. Each week, students in years 7 - 9 will receive these terms in Pastoral Care time. Students in more senior year groups will assist and guide their peers in the usage of these words, aiding the vital process of vocabulary expansion. 

Two new courses of study are being offered to students in 2021. Creative Writing is a new course for students in years 9 & 10. It will take place in Semester 2 and will offer students the opportunity to explore a broad range of literary genres in both reading and written composition. English Literature is also a new course being offered to students in year 11. Exploration of the complexities of English literature, within the realms of literary texts and individual written composition, form the basis of this course of study.

The growth of opportunities for all students to access and explore the world of English is a clear theme in all of these new initiatives. It is with great anticipation that all students and teachers look forward to what 2021 has for us to learn and to achieve!

Tim Connolly
Middle Leader - English

The Your Pathway team has been busy building the college Careers Portal, and we are excited to announce that it is now live on the college website.

The portal provides a wealth of information and activities for students and the college community including:

• Work Values Evaluation
• Employable skills audit
• Career Planner
• Resume and cover letter templates
• Career Personality Quiz
• Skills and Abilities Evaluation

The portal can be accessed from our College web site, via the below link:

In the coming newsletters, we be creating useful tips on navigating this page with your children.

If you have any questions please contact us on HIGYourPathway@twb.catholic.edu.au

Kris, Jen & Christie
Your Pathway Team

Throughout 2020, a major wellbeing initiative was the development of a College Pastoral Plan. This plan has been designed to provide your child to develop full integration and support for their behaviour, emotions, thoughts, learnings, social relationships and catholic identity. The Plan is underpinned by the PERMA model, integrated through our College where we are called to ‘engage minds’ (head), ‘ignite hearts’ (heart) and ‘serve others’ (hands). It is guided by three catholic values that every human is born with and cannot be given nor taken away.

• Entitlement to a fullness of life 
• Human dignity 
• Unlimited potential 

The below 'Pastoral Wheel' is a snapshot of the plan.

Formation Days

Throughout 2021, all students will participate in two formations half days/days (depending on their year level). Prior to your child participating, you will receive information about the day, along with parental tips and ideas. The first formation day is next Wednesday, where our year six students will focus on the theme- 'Reflect and Rise'. The focus quality (from our pastoral wheel) for term 1 is KINDNESS.

THRIVE AT MMCC

Next week, we launch our College social emotional program - THRIVE!!!

Twice a term, the junior school students will participate in 2 social emotional lessons. These lessons have been written by our staff, to tailor the program to the needs of our students.

Merit System

This week each class began a focus on the 'Positive Learning Behaviours'. When a student shows growth in these learning behaviours, they can earn a Joey Point. As Joey points accumulate, students are rewarded as follows:

10 Joey points = certificate

15 Joey points = ribbon

20 Joey points = badge (bronze, silver, gold)

The positive learning behaviours for Week 3 and 4 are:

Bridget Rillie
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Junior

Welcome back!

It has been a busy and exciting beginning to 2021. The Senior school has started extremely well and students are settling into to great routines. 

At the conclusion of 2020, the College finalised the development of our Pastoral Plan. The Pastoral Plan enables the full integration and support for student’s behaviour, emotions, thoughts, learning, social relationships and catholic identity. The Plan is underpinned by the PERMA model, integrated through our College.

When developing the Pastoral Plan, parents, staff and students were engaged to determine which qualities would best enable students to achieve their potential. We developed a statement, that we will aspire to reach for all students:

At Mary MacKillop Catholic College we offer an education embedded in the teachings of the Catholic church, based on the Gospel values and the Josephite Charism. We strive to empower students, developing qualities that enable them to be authentic and become the best version of themselves. Students who attend Mary MacKillop Catholic College will be people who live out the qualities of kindness, respect, honesty, confidence and resilience in their everyday life. These qualities empower students to build the skills necessary to be contributing members of society. 

As part of the Pastoral Plan, we have introduced formation days from Prep to Year 12. These days are one element of the Pastoral Plan to support the growth of our students. Information about the day including resources from our College counsellor will be distributed to all families when their child is involved in a formation day. 

Already two grades in the Senior School have had their first formation days with more planned throughout the year. Last week the Year 7 students participated in a day about connection and belonging that focused on kindness, bravery and understanding others. Throughout the day students participated in a number of group activities and shared some fears they have about starting high school. To support them with these fears the Year 11 and 12 students participated in a liturgy that focussed on being kind and supporting each other to conclude their day. 

The Year 8 formation day happened today and focused on forgiveness and rebuilding relationships when people make mistakes. 

If you have any questions about these days or other elements of our Pastoral Plan please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sean Albion
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Senior

We have commenced 2021 with a flurry of activity around the College and there are already a number of sporting activities and events underway, with the promise of many more to come. The following is a list of noteworthy initiatives currently underway or about to commence:

Swimming 

There were two swimming events at the College this week. Junior School members aged 9-12 had the opportunity to trial for the Toowoomba Catholic Primary Schools Sports Carnival to be held next week. It was wonderful to witness the sportsmanship and level of friendly competition between competitors. 

In the Senior College, the inaugural House Skins Competition was held and the feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. Penola was the winning House on the day, only securing the win in the last event of the day over a very competitive Cunningham outfit! Well done to all competitors on their enthusiasm. One student commented via email, "I had a great time at the swimming carnival today, and I know that I can say that on behalf of the majority – if not all – of the other students that attended. The events were run super smoothly and it was great that the house captains were responsible for organising the kids into their races. It allowed the swimmers to have an opinion on what they did and didn’t want to do, but it also encouraged decision making and strategizing from the leaders which is always a bit of fun."

Club Touch Football 

This activity recommenced last week. It is an expectation that those who played in Term 4 2020, complete their commitment to their team and continue this term. Please liaise with your coach regarding training, as some teams are now training at the venue prior to their game.

All-Schools Touch Football 

At the time of writing, 60 Senior College students had expressed an interest in trialling for All-Schools touch football which will be held on the Gold Coast in October. This number represents 20% of our current Senior College enrolment which is massive for the College. Parents will receive information to trials as there is a financial commitment for those that are successful at trials.

Friday Sport 

Friday Sport commenced in the Senior College today. Each even Friday of term, students will be engaged in a number of different sporting and lifestyle activities. Options this term include swimming, mountain biking, chess, lawn bowls, volleyball, ball sports, girl's fitness and cricket. We are looking forward to the continued development of this initiative throughout 2021.

Netball 

A number of developments are in the works presently and include trials for our Laura Geitz (Year 7-9) team and also discussions surrounding Saturday Netball at HDNA, which presents a wonderful opportunity for the College.

Darling Downs Trials 

Please refer to email regarding DD Sport trials for 2021. Please complete selections asap if your child is interested in representative sport for the year.

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader: Sport & Student Engagement

Instrumental Music

What a fantastic start to the year! We have the biggest enrolment in the Instrumental Music department yet at the College. To accommodate this, we have some new staff joining us this year. I would like to introduce our staff for 2021:

• Mrs Monica Brennan - Piano
• Miss Hayley Chalmers - Voice
• Mr Morgan Chalmers - Piano
• Mr Ian Dixon - Drums
• Mrs Fiona Hamill - Woodwind, Brass and Piano
• Mr Jack Hickey - Guitar
• Mr Wee Wong - Strings

There are still availabilities for strings and vocals instrumental lessons. If you have any questions about the Instrumental Music at MMCC, please email me. 

Ensembles

Ensemble times for this term are:

• Drumline - Monday 7:30am. 
• Guitar ensemble - Wednesday 7:45am. 
• Primary choir - Wednesday first break. 
• Trick Flags - Thursday first break. 
• Marching Band - Friday 7:30am.

All are welcome to join however, commitment is a necessity and rolls will be kept.

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Eliza Skewes (grade 5) who has gained selection to the Toowoomba Ballet Theatre's production of Alice in Wonderland. This is a wonderful achievement for someone her age.

If your child has achieved something significant in the Arts domain, we would love to hear about it and acknowledge these students. Please email on jessica.burke@twb.catholic.edu.au

Jess Burke
Middle Leader: The Arts & Student Engagement

Junior Library

We were very excited to welcome all students, and particularly Prep and new students to the Junior Library this week. It is always heartening to see students discover new books (and find old favourites) to read and hear about what they have been reading during the holiday break. 

Students are encouraged to suggest new titles, authors and series which they would like to see added to the Library Collection and to facilitate this, a digital Suggestions Form will soon be available on the Library website.

All primary classes have the opportunity to borrow books weekly as well as during Library Opening times, listed below. We request that students from Prep to Year 4 use their Home Links folder for transporting books in order to minimise loss and damage.

The library offers activities during First Break, with reading, drawing, board games and lego to name a few. Promotional activities will also be scheduled throughout the year to showcase new library resources and highlight the importance of reading.

Senior Library

Welcome back to the school year and we hope that you enjoyed some great reading over the holidays.
We have some new changes and feel excited about the year ahead. We have moved buildings and are now located in a new air conditioned classroom (Penola 11). 

Everyday at First Break the library is open and we welcome the students to come in, use the resources and engage in the activities that we have to offer. Students have nominated Board Games, Dungeons and Dragons, Book Club and Chess Club as areas in which they are interested. The students are also welcome to use the Library Space for completing school work, research, study and of course, reading. 

Students are encouraged to provide suggestions for new books which they would like added to the Senior Library Collection.
There are many options for the students and we welcome any new suggestions of things to do that may interest them. One student is interested in writing a school newspaper ‘written for the kids, by the kids’. 

We are sure 2021 will be a great year for us at Mary MacKillop and look forward to engaging with your children in the Senior Library.

Angela Irvine & Dianne Tate
Teacher Librarian & Library Officer

Toowoomba Catholic Kindergarten and Care (TCKC) are excited to be applying for an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) service at Mary Mackillop Primary School in Term 2 of 2021. 

TCKC are currently seeking approval from the department of early childhood (ECEC) to register this service and transfer the provider approval from Camp Australia. The process to do this application takes from 30 to 90 days. We have applied for a Before school care, After school care and Vacation care license. The proposed times will be:

• Before School Care 6:30am - 8:30 am
• After School Care 3:00 - 6:00pm
• Vacation Care 6:30 to 6:00pm

 
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE TIMES MAY VARY DEPENDING ON DEMAND AND BOOKINGS.

In the meantime, our office will continue to prepare for opening in early term 2. We will advertise for employees to work at the service, order equipment and organize the learning space within the school environment. 

For families interested in using this service next term, please forward your contact details to HIGcare@tckc.qld.edu.au or call Donna Stahlhut on mobile 0429 449 772. 

Enrolment forms will be available for you to access on our website from Monday, 8 February

1. Click on the Outside School Hours Care tab
2. Click on the Mary Mackillop Outside School Hours Care tab
3. Complete the enrolment form. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and the TCKC team look forward to caring for your children in 2021.

Kirsty Gillett
Business Manager