I am tempted to start this update with the sentence, 'A Journal of the Plague Year... page 1'. 

What a strange time we are in.  Over the holidays, my wife summoned me to help with something and my response was, 'I can't right now... I'm learning German'.  I just cannot imagine any other experience where I have had so few distractions that my go-to was so productive.  I know that I am not alone in that; I have had a lot of conversations with others who, faced with an inability to pretty much do anything over the Easter break, focused on old passion projects, DIY, books they'd cherished, movies they'd forgotten and so on.  

School has been back for two weeks though, and all of us at the College are working harder than ever.  Staff have been as one voice in stating that this experience has seen them working extremely hard.  I know also that parents and carers are similarly working incredibly hard to ensure that learning is maintained.  As you will have seen from the blogs on https://mmcconlinelearning.com, learning and engagement from the entire P-12 community has been really good.  Thank you so much for that. 

Isolation has been hard, but we should be encouraged by Isaac Newton.  Although he made it into the University of Cambridge in 1661, he was by no means a great student.  That year, the university was closed and he had to return to his family home in Lincolnshire, and, whilst housebound and presumably bored he started doing experiments.  It was there that he watched an apple fall from a tree in the family orchard and first theorized gravity.  When he returned to Cambridge in 1667, he exhibited such commitment and promise that he was almost unrecognizable.  This momentum never left him, and when he was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705 he was the first scientist to receive that honour.  

In a similar way, we can take positives from this intensely strange time.  Whilst scrabbling up a steep learning curve, teachers at the college have developed new skills in developing on line resources, and I can see so many positives for elements of these that we will consciously keep post Covid.  It has been wonderful also to hear feedback from teachers of the resilience and positivity of our young people.  Thank you!

Finally, I want to acknowledge the Feast Day today of St Joseph the Worker.  This Feast Day was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to coincide with the celebration of International Worker's Day (May Day) in many countries.  As a College inspired by St Mary MacKillop it is right that we do so.

Thank you very much for all you are doing to support us.  

Chris Gabbett
College Principal
chris.gabbett@twb.catholic.edu.au

The introduction of online learning for Term 2 at Mary MacKillop Catholic College has meant many changes for our families.  Covid-19 has impacted us all in a variety of ways.  Term 2 College fees will be emailed during Week 4 this term as advised by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. 

In line with the circular provided by Toowoomba Catholic Schools, we will not be billing our tech levy for subjects in the Senior School.  In addition the P&F have generously affirmed their support for our Mary MacKillop families by waiving the $20 per family P&F levy.  This is an overall reduction of 3.55% to the Term 2 College Fee.

For those families who have paid in advance to access the 10% early payment discount, this amount will sit on your College fees account as a credit.  No one is disadvantaged by this reduction.

If your family has been affected by way of Covid-19, please contact kirsty.gillett@twb.catholic.edu.au so that the College may provide financial assistance where needed.  

One of the benefits of being in isolation is that I had time to watch TV. I was watching Bondi Rescue and appreciated the commitment and skills of the lifeguards. One story jumped out more than others. After rescuing an individual caught in a rip, one of the lifeguards makes it a habit to educate the people on what to do if they ever find themselves in the same situation again. When asked about why he takes the extra time to do this, the lifeguard simply replied, “Hopefully, he will not need me.”

This story reminded me of when I was in Year 11, completing a research assignment on Nationalism and World War 1. I was struggling and wished the teacher would help me out more and secretly wished she would write the paragraph for me. Instead, she posed further questions and told me to keep going. I remember feeling frustrated and felt angrier as the deadline drew near. After school, I went to the library to work on the assignment. The librarian loved history and told me the book that might be helpful. In class, I started to ask questions to seek clarity. I spent my evenings reading and taking notes. Handing the assignment on the due date was a huge accomplishment for me. I had learnt a lot about what I was capable of producing and the skills I had developed to complete the task. At the end of the lesson, my History teacher came to me and said, “Sometimes it is better to go through the challenges, rather than someone making it easier for you.”

One of my colleagues sent me a diagram on neural connections which is included in this article. It highlights what I always believed about learning. As a teacher, I want my students to take on the challenges of learning. In doing so, they develop skills which allows them to become better learners. As the diagram shows, when attempting things for the first time, it can be daunting. However, the more you persevere with it, the better you become. You start building the bridge across the ravine.

While we are learning online, I am sure that there have been numerous challenges and obstacles. Rather than avoid these challenges, encourage your child to get through it. Encourage them to ask questions of their teacher. Ask them to show you what they already know. Ask them to complete the first activity. Ask your child if they can plan their learning day. The more they do it, the better they will become. Sometimes, it is better to go through the challenges, rather than someone making it easier for you. As our students overcome one learning challenge after another, they begin to build a solid bridge across the ravine.

Kris Naiker
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Senior
kris.naiker@twb.catholic.edu.au

What are your values? What matters most to you? Honesty? Humility? Fairness? Persistence? Family? Service? Life long Learner? Enthusiasm? Trust? Loyalty?  Transparency? etc. Do you consistently action these values and hold yourself accountable?

I am currently undertaking further study at the moment and I have been challenged to action my values. Do you feel empowered to action your values or do you feel discouraged or pressured to say one thing and do another? Do your values come into question when you are faced with adversity, such as mastering something new? Do your values fall short when someones behaviour annoys you?

"You can't control other people's behaviour, but you can control your responses to it'". - Roberta Cava

Let me use the analogy of a T-Shirt. If one of my values is Honesty, I would wear this proudly on the front of my t-shirt. When I walk away what do people see (or hear) on the back of my shirt? Do they hear me having honest and open  conversations asking for help with my learning?  Or do they see me pretending to know what I'm doing? Another example is Persistence on the front of my t-shirt. On the back of my shirt does it say, "as soon as things get hard with my learning, I give up?" or does it say, "I look for solutions to help me when I'm stuck?". If we call upon our values and truly action them we are authentic and true to ourselves.

What values do your children see you practising? Now more than ever, children need to see influential people in their life modelling their values in real time. Children need to see that being persistent is necessary when things don't work out with their online learning the way they had planned. Children need to see humility in action. Parents are the first educators of their children. What they see you doing and the values you uphold will influence their values.

Online Learning

Thank you for you patience and perseverance with online learning at home. It is a real learning curve for everyone involved. Your messages of support have really been appreciated.

As we know, learning at home is very different to learning at school. Please be assured that whatever you are doing is sufficient. We ideally wish for students to be engaged in some sort of learning. What that looks like in your household may be very different to what it looks like in the household down the road. All children learn and work differently. This will also impact on how online learning is occurring in your household. THANK YOU parents for 'hanging in' there. We know you are giving it your best effort.

Teachers are loving the opportunity to video chat with their students. It is imperative that this line of communication continues on a regular basis. It helps everyone involved to remain connected both on an academic and a relational level.

As always, your first port of call is your child's classroom teacher if you wish to discuss your child's learning or any difficulties you are experiencing with the online learning.

Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior
natalie.adler@twb.catholic.edu.au

Read Aloud

In Term 1 you will recall I spoke about reading aloud a number of times.

During the initial stages of isolation I set myself the challenge of reading aloud Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. Just as I had mastered it the 'Fox in Sox: Dr Seuss raps over Dr Dre Beats' appeared in my social media feed. It is well worth a quick look and has led me to re-evaluate my goals and add a little more spice to my challenge!

History in Making Journal

As you're aware I set the Year 7 - 12 students the challenge of keeping a writing journal during their time in isolation to record their thoughts, observations and feelings during this time. Last week students were encouraged to write a Haiku and submit it to the Mary Mac Haiku Anthology. A Haiku is a short form of Japanese poetry which consists of three lines. Each line has a set number of syllables:

Line 1 - 5 syllables

Line 2 - 7 syllables

Line 3 - 5 syllables

The final line often offers a 'flash of insight'.

All students received an email from me with a link to the anthology so they could upload their Haiku. Please encourage your child/children to submit their Haiku, if they haven't already done so. We would also love some representation from the Junior School. You can email your Haiku directly to me and I will add it to the anthology. We have had some great Haikus put forward to date, some of which I've outlined below, but I know there are many more to come. 

Mr Young summed up the essence of our online learning with his Haiku:

Oh no, a lock down!

Let's embrace online learning

with help, we'll succeed

Connor Cranston in Year 8 and Isaac Williams in Year 11 offered a realistic depiction of the first day of Term 2:

The Covid-19

OneNote crashes on day one

Oh, how will we work?

- Connor Cranston

Sultry, no brisk time

Crashed notebook and Teams meeting

Should I wear my pants?

- Isaac Williams

Jarryn Rowlette, on the other hand, appears to be enjoying his time at home:

Coronavirus.

Schools are shut, online learning.

Home time has been fun.

- Jaryn Rowlette

Please continue to encourage your child to write in their journal and read for pleasure over the coming weeks.

Chris Bracken

Director of English and Literacy

On assembly each week, I speak to the positive learning behaviours that your children uses when learning. When your child applies these behaviours, their capacity to learn is greatly increased. Whether your child is at home, online learning at the College or supervised by another adult, I invite you to speak with your child about next week's PLB. Children can be awarded Joey Points  for demonstrating this learning behaviour. 

Week 3 Positive Learning Behaviours

PREP, YEAR 1, YEAR 2

Follow the instructions you are given for learning

YEAR 3, YEAR 4, YEAR 5, YEAR 6

Utilise feedback provided by your teacher

Keep up the positive approach to your work everyone!

FRIENDSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS

As both an educator and a parent myself, a common theme that is beginning to merge is that we are beginning to genuinely miss our friends. These may be class mates, playground friends, sporting friends and friends we make in different settings. School is a place of learning and it is also a place for socialising. 

If your child is beginning to feel isolated from their friends at school, here are some ways to help assure them that these feelings are normal.

• Reassure your child that missing their friends is normal and that when school resumes in a full time capacity, there will be ample time to catch up
• Contact the parent/s of friends and organise a virtual catch up
• Look through old photos (in an album, on phones) and enjoy talking about positive past experiences
• Look for the Weekly Well being challenge on the Online learning page and encourage your child to participate and upload a photo of video of their attempt. This will help your child to feel connected.
• Go for a walk/bike ride in your neighbourhood and encourage them to say hello to people they pass (with an adult present). This will create a sense of connectivity they are currently missing.
• Talk about your own experience and feelings of feeling disconnected. Assure them that we are all in this together.
• Write a letter of gratitude to family members and/or friends to create positive emotions in your child and the recipient of the letter. This can assist if they are feeling anxious or stressed.
• Create time to 'play' at home. Many children are missing the play aspect of being at school. Simply throwing/kicking a ball in your yard helps build a positive sense of play.
• Refer to the Guidance Counsellor section on the Online Learning page for useful tips and a referral form, if you feel your would like further support.

During our assembly last week I spoke about the senior school online positive learning behaviours. These behaviours will assist your child to achieve success and build independent learning skills. Posters outlining these behaviours can be found on the wellbeing page of our MMCC Online learning webpage. 

https://mmcconlinelearning.com...

Teachers are looking for these behaviours and awarding Mary Mac points to students who are consistently displaying these behaviours in their subjects. During our first 2 weeks of online learning, 120 Mary Mac Points have been awarded to students in Yr 7-12. PC teachers will be feeding back to your child during their PC catch-ups if they are awarded Mary Mac points.

Well done to everyone who has participated in the MacFit challenges and created obstacle courses for the House Challenge this week. It always puts a smile on my face when I get to watch the students from Prep-12 having fun and sharing positive experiences with their family. Get involved, earn points for your house and have fun while you do it.

I have had the pleasure of making some wellbeing check-in phone calls over the past few days and it has really reaffirmed for me what a supportive and positive community we have. Thank you for the way you have embraced the changes, keep communicating with your child and please reach out to us if you need support with any concerns that may arise. 

Sean Albion
Assistant Principal Wellbeing: Senior
sean.albion@twb.catholic.edu.au

Please take a moment to view our new Guidance Counsellor page that you can access via the online learning website. Here you will find some uploaded documents and videos, our support service request form, along with tailored wellbeing resources for the Junior and Senior students, as well as parents.

For Junior school students, be sure to view the wellbeing resources that have been uploaded to the Wellbeing channel in Teams (Prep - Year 5) and the Wellbeing module in Canvas (Year 6).

For Senior school students, it's not too late to get involved in the Learn to Breathe  program. This is a self-paced and online mindfulness-based stress reduction program we are delivering. Please send us an email if you have any questions. 

Take care!

Easter has come and gone but we still continue to celebrate Christ's rising for seven weeks as part of the church's liturgical season of Easter.  In this time of Covid-19, we could also consider it as being a time in a tomb (not able to do things as we would normally) and waiting for the new life, rebirth or freedom.  We expect that when we emerge from the tomb, emerge from Covid-19 restrictions, we will be seeing new ways of working, communicating and connecting with people.  So, we continue to pray for everyone affected by the virus, for those that are completing the work into a vaccine and for our own community, that this will soon pass, and for us to be able return to normal. 

Message from Bishop Robert McGuckin

Bishop Robert and some of our diocesan priests have shared a message with us all during this time.  Please click on the link to view the video. 

Weekend Mass Streamed Live

In our current situation where gatherings is against Covid-19 regulations, gathering as a faith community to pray together is not possible. So, mass will be live streamed from St Patrick's Cathedral Toowoomba each Sunday at 9:00am. Links are available through - Facebook , YouTube , Website . Please join in your home as a family to continue to pray as a virtual community.

Mission and Identity Online Space

Our school's online learning space is growing.  As part of this site, Mission and Identity is an area that is available to support the faith life of our community.  We continue to provide resources for you and your family around meditations, daily prayers and virtual liturgies.  If there is something else that you would like to see please let me know so that I can support you with it.  Thank you to so many of our families who have viewed our liturgies since Covid-19 restrictions started.  Thank you, also, to those families who have created prayer spaces in their home as a reminder of Christ in our life every day.  We have had some wonderful photos of family prayer spaces with crosses made from stones, poppies for ANZAC day, the bible and flowers.  Now is the time to also have a white cloth on it - to represent the church's liturgical season of Easter - Christ's light.  This prayer space is an ever changing space as well so encourage your child/ren to contribute something of their day or week to it or a symbol of a particular event that is occurring.  Well done, everyone!

During this time of social restriction and learning from home, we are asking families to participate in prayer however it suits them.  We are posting ideas for you all the time.  During May, there is another prayer mat, similar to the April one, that has daily suggestions.  We will be adding these to the site as well as sharing with your child's teacher and the senior students.  They are a simple but great way to engage is prayer.  Enjoy! 

COVID-19 Crisis Appeal

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is amplified for those who are in communities who are already vulnerable to poverty, disease and malnutrition. I include some material for you about how this is occurring and thus are looking for donations as well to support their work. Please click on these links to access information: https://www.caritas.org.au/donate/covid-19-crisis-appeal Donations can be made through: https://www.caritas.org.au/donate/online-donation

Prayer from Sr Annie Bond

Today's words of wisdom from Mary MacKillop, actually are in the words of a prayer written by Sr Annie Bond...

St Mary of the Cross,

you faced difficult times with a heart filled with trust,

always believing in the watchful presence of God.

Walk with us now in this difficult time,

and may we be for others, examples of hope and trust.  Amen

Blessing

I finish today with this video from three Year 1 students signing "God bless you".  

As a mum, as well as a teacher, I cannot help but comment on the number of my friends and colleagues who have reflected recently that the current restrictions amidst COVID-19 have afforded them more quality time with their families. For me personally, I know I often do not always have the time to exercise with my children, to cook with them or spend quality time reflecting on their day. Over the past few weeks though, as we haven’t been able to go to dancing lessons, swimming lessons, friends’ houses, our local restaurants, (or even Kmart), I have also felt benefits of this extra with my family. Although I have been busy getting my classes and my daughter ready for online learning, as we often do in times of adversity or the unknown, I have had more time for self-reflection and engagement with my faith. Undoubtedly, when there is uncertainty in the world, we often turn to God for answers.

Prayer Journaling Activities

Through their Religion, Religion and Ethics and Study of Religion classes, the Year 7 to 12 students will be encouraged throughout the term to participate in prayer journaling and spirituality activities. While we may be physically disconnected from our students due to online learning, it has been wonderful this week to see students across the College taking the time for prayer and self-reflection. At a time when we are all overwhelmed by messages from the media, emails in our inboxes and inundated with excessive news on social media, it is easy to become preoccupied with what is going on around us. This is true for students as well. Mary-Francis Winters, an American CEO and writer advises: “Don’t become too pre-occupied with what’s happening around you. Pay more attention to what is going on within you”. These prayer journaling and spirituality tasks offer students some time to reflect on scripture, consider who they may like to pray for, contemplate what they are grateful for and a chance to meditate, paint or enjoy time in nature. Each Monday, a new prayer journaling document will be uploaded to CANVAS.

In the Junior College, prayer journaling and spirituality activities have been included in the Prep to Year 5 Teams pages and in the CANVAS Modules for each of the Year 6 classes. Week 1 activities encouraged students to create a prayer space in their home. Your child would be familiar with having a sacred prayer space in their own classroom—it is an area utilised for prayer, contemplation and can be decorated to reflect the liturgical season or significant events. For example, this week’s activities ask students to add rosemary from their garden to their prayer space in commemoration of the ANZACs. Well done to the Junior students who took the time to create their own prayer space in Week 1! I am proud to be able to share some of these in this article. Please continue to upload images of these prayer spaces for us to publish via the Newsletter, website and Facebook.

Prayer Journaling Self-Reflection

Although the prayer journaling activities are not compulsory and do not have to be uploaded for marking, there will be an opportunity in Week 3 and Week 6 for parents of Junior students to reflect with their children on their participation in these activities. Students in Years 7 to 12 will complete their own self-reflection through their Religion classes in Week 3 and Week 6 also. Please look out for further communication regarding this.

Mother’s Day Photos

Thank you to those families who have started to contribute photos for Mother’s Day, which is only a little over a week away! This year, Mother’s Day—much like Easter and Anzac Day—will be celebrated a little differently. So that we can honour our mums and grandmothers together, we ask P-6 families to upload a photo to your child’s Teams page or CANVAS page. Senior students can upload an image or a video to the HIG Senior School Mission and Formation Team. To give us adequate time prior to Mother’s Day, please do so by Monday, 4 May.

“Walk With Me: Loungeroom Sessions”

On Saturday, May 9 at 4pm, Christian songwriter Gary Pinto, will be hosting a free online concert for Project Compassion. The concert aims to bring Australian and International music stars from their loungeroom, to ours.

After composing ‘Walk with Me’ for #projectcompassion, Gary wanted to reach out and support communities who do not have the same healthcare facilities or access to soap and water as we do. He realised how COVID-19 might affect these incredibly vulnerable communities and wanted to act.

“Walk With Me: Loungeroom Sessions” aims to not only provide socially-distanced entertainment, but to also raise money for the Project Compassion COVID-19 Appeal, providing much needed support to some of the poorest communities who are fighting to stop the spread.

Students at Mary MacKillop Catholic College contributed generously to Project Compassion during Lent. To register for this event and be a part of ongoing fundraising efforts, go to: https://covid19-crisis-appeal.raisely.com/loungeroomsessions

Leisa Radley
Formation Director
leisa.radley@twb.catholic.edu.au

Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a statewide initiative for students from Prep to Year 9 that is aimed at encouraging children to read widely for pleasure and learning.

Students who complete the challenge will have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland.

To successfully complete the challenge, students must read or experience an allocated number of books based upon their year level during the reading period from 11 May to 28 August.

Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability. There is no compulsory reading list, however booklists have been developed to assist with book selection.

Participating students complete a Reading Record form (attached) listing the title and author of books read. All completed Reading Record forms need to be returned to the College by 28 August.

The following activities can be counted towards the challenge:

• reading independently
• shared reading
• being read to (Prep – Year 2 for books written in English; and all year levels for additional languages).

The following literature forms can be counted towards the challenge:

printed books, e-books, virtual books and digital publications, graphic novels and comic books, audio and braille books, newspapers, magazines and recipe books and books in additional languages (other than English).

Further information can be found at the official website.

We encourage all students to participate in the Premier's Reading Challenge.

Angela Irvine
Teacher Librarian
angela.irvine@twb.catholic.edu.au

Choir meetings

• 2/3 Choir - Wednesday 11am
• 4/5/6 Choir - Tuesday 11am
• Senior Choir - Wednesday - currently negotiating a time that suits most singers

These meeting are held in Teams. At the appointed time just go to the relevant choir team and I will call in anyone that I see waiting to join.

Anzac Liturgy

Five of our singers from the Mary MacKillop Catholic College choirs were able to record a solo vocal track for our song. These were Grace Ward, Kaley Jones, Ava Franzmann, Courtney Lord and Emma Brittain. I attempted to record a group vocal track with the choir members that were at school but unfortunately when it came to mixing it down into the final audio this track proved problematic and I was unable to use it.

Thank you so much to all the singers and to those people who sent in the photos and stories of their relatives in the armed services. These combined to make a moving ending to the liturgy. Thank you also to Carolyn Richardson who took my PowerPoint and turned it into something truly special.

Instrumental Music

Lessons are continuing both remotely and at school. Please contact your teacher with any inquiries. 

“My child wants to quit music Lessons.”

2. Choose the right instrument

Music tuition can go wrong quickly when the wrong instrument is chosen. One study suggests if children select the right instrument (determined by simple aptitude tests and a preference for the sound of the instrument) they will keep on with lessons longer.

The choice of instrument can depend on the child’s preference, a parent’s suggestion or the availability of the instrument. Parents should take advice and, where possible, rent an instrument prior to making a financial commitment.

Gender expectation can influence instrument choice. Research shows guitarists, saxophonists and drummers are overwhelmingly male while violinists, flutists and singers overwhelmingly female.

Particularly where a parent’s preference differs from that of their child, it is wise to reflect on what is motivating the preference. Children should not feel they have to conform to a stereotype.

Susan Fredline
Music Teacher
susan.fredline@twb.catholic.edu.au

SMC Meals is a new initiative to help the many families doing it tough right now due to the current health and economic climate. St Mary's College would like to give back to families within the Toowoomba Catholic Schools community who are experiencing difficulty. You can also help by purchasing SMC Meals.

The chefs in the St Mary’s College Tuckshop have been busy cooking a range of delicious dishes to provide families with healthy, convenient and cost-effective meal options at this time. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten friendly meals are available. All you need to do is place your order online at www.smcmeals.com and collect from St Mary's College Tuckshop from 7.00am to 9.00am and 12.00pm to 2.00pm business days. If you are collecting an order prior to 8.00am please phone 07 4631 7336.

The College will also be running a 'pay it forward program', giving you the ability to purchase meals for families within our community that are experiencing financial difficulty. If you would like to participate, please place your order online and leave a note at checkout saying 'this is a pay it forward meal'. St Mary's College staff will distribute the meals to families on your behalf.

If you know of someone in need of a free meal, please email St Mary’s College Marketing Officer, Tyhla Larkin at larkint@stmaryscollege.com and it will be arranged for you.

Due to the cancellation of our local Crows Nest Show, a new online initiative has been organised in order for the community to participate in show activities. This is still to engage families in the 'show week buzz'. Each day you can upload photos or a video of your creation, with absolutely no judgement, simply for fun. 

It is not too late to join in the fun, just jump onto the Crows Nest Show facebook page and join the #12daysofcrowieshow private facebook group. The link to this page is below!

The Annual Landcare competition is in its 5th year, and the organizers would love every School in the Toowoomba region to enter this year, with the competition also open to families.

 The Landcare Photographic Competition is up and running. Entries are now open, and the closing date is August 20.

Boredom Busters - Free Activity Booklet for Children, Young People & Families

Council’s Youth Connect team has been working with the CHANGE Project and other youth agencies to create a Boredom Busters activity booklet for children, young people and families, especially those with limited internet access.

Please see attached.

This booklet is completely free for the use of any organisations in our region working with children and young people. Please feel free to disseminate the booklet through your networks and share with your teachers, students and families.

We are planning this to be the first volume in an ongoing project and warmly welcome any ideas or content contribution! If you have any feedback, please contact us directly:

Lisa Byers & Rory Towler

Youth Development Officers

P: (07) 4688 6315 P: (07) 4688 6358

E: lisa.byers@tr.qld.gov.au E: rory.towler@tr.qld.gov.au