Welcome to the final term of 2023!

This week, I have had a couple of wonderful experiences that reflect the diversity of experiences and wide age gap of our College.

Tuesday was the first of the Prep transition mornings for the graduating class of 2036. There is always a wonderful and casual atmosphere at these days as our newest students see their learning spaces for the first time. Please if you see our new families and new students over the next two transition days make a point of welcoming them to our community.

I also had the pleasure of attending the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office School Based Apprenticeship Awards breakfast on Wednesday morning. What a fantastic event! The School Based Apprenticeship program is something our family of schools should be incredibly proud of. This program enables students to earn whilst in year 12, but also to access qualifications and develop skills that are a positive step for their career goals. To parents of students in lower Senior or even Junior College, please do look at this option as your child approaches year 10/11.

Thank you so much to all parents, performers and staff who made last night's Arts review such a huge success. I find it so humbling to see the incredible talent of our students. The exponential increase in participation but also high achievement in the Arts is a real cause for reflection and celebration. Thank you also to parents and staff who supported the College participation in Futsal, Volleyball, 7s Rugby and All Schools Touch since the end of last term. Again, we are punching above our weight in these activities. This doesn't happen without a lot of commitment from parents, staff and students. Thank you.

The next time I write a newsletter, our year 12s will be in their exam period. Please remember them in your prayers - they are a very hardworking and committed year group and I know they will do well.  

Mr Chris Gabbett
College Principal

Leadership can come to each of us in different ways - we have chosen it, seeked it out or we have fallen into because of place and time. Our 2024 Year 12 students have chosen to accept a role in leadership after seeking it from the College's leadership and student body.

Our liturgy today started with a song by Bernadette Farrell - 'God has chosen me'. God has chosen each one of us to lead in some way. This leadership doesn't necessarily mean as the school captain or principal or the boss of the business. It means that we use our gifts to lead others on God's mission as a shining light for others to follow. And so we ask our leaders to do the same to use their gifts to lead the College on a journey that will fulfill God's mission - everyone is able to reach their potential. This idea was reiterated in the scripture read by Georgianna Reisinger. The reading spoke about not hiding a light under a lampshade but allowing the light to shine and reach our to all corners of the room.

This College leadership ritual has been revised to fit with our new student leadership process. Congratulations to the 2024 captains:

College Captains - Katelyn Burton & Will Connolly

Formation Captain: Lucy Hutchison

Academic Captain: Olivia Horrex

Sports Captain: Chelsea Brunner

Cultural Captain: Georgianna Reisinger

Cunningham Captain: Charli Botham

McCormack Captain: Aidan Lipp

Penola Captain: Charlie Crawford

Tenison Captain: Oscar Spies

Today during the ceremony, the students were asked to commit to the following aspects of being a leader in our College that are based on the 6 P's of the Josephite charism:

Will you strive to be your greatest self and work toward reaching your potential academically, spiritually, culturally and physically in bringing your PASSION to each of your areas?

Will you be open to the POSSIBILITIES that this role will bring - new experiences, challenges and opportunities that lie before you?

Will you PERSEVERE courageously, to look for new ways of sharing the Gospel within and beyond this community?

Will you commit yourself to bringing PRACTICAL ACTION so that living sustainably as a steward of the created world God has blessed us with, is a priority?

Will you work in PARTNERSHIP with others, to ‘celebrate God in all things’, to ignite hearts, engage minds and serve others throughout the year?

Knowing that Mary MacKillop believed in the power of PRAYER, will you model prayer as a means of transformation and communion with self, others and God?

Thank you to our special guest, Sr Diane Phillips, a Josephite nun who lives in Toowoomba. We are blessed to be able to share our special occasions with a member of Mary MacKillop's and Julian Tenison Wood's Josephite order.

So with our College choosing these students to lead the student body in 2024 we ask for God's blessing to be on them:

May God bless you with the light of insight.

May God bless you with the joy of commitment.

May God bless you with the spirit of Wisdom.

Amen

Paula O'Rourke
Assistant Principal Religious Education

Mary MacKillop Parish is currently supporting children and their families to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The sacrament will be celebrated on Thursday, 9 November.

Last weekend and again this weekend children and their parents to commit to the journey that they are undertaking. Please continue to prayer for these children as they embark on continuing their faith journey in the Catholic tradition.

Mary MacKillop Catholic College is once again partnering with Catholic Mission by participating in Socktober on Friday, 20 October. We invite our students to connect with young people experiencing challenges in the developing world through education and the world game of soccer.

This year, our collective fundraising efforts will support vulnerable families in Timor-Leste. You can find out more via the Socktober Website.

MMCC asks students to contribute to Socktober by:

wearing colourful or crazy socks on Socktober Day (we invite you to please make a donation to Catholic Mission if your child/ren choose to wear bright or colourful socks on Socktober Day)

participating in some soccer skills activities and games

holding a sausage sizzle, run by the AMMA Group during First Break on the day.

Last year, the profits of the sausage sales were used by the AMMA group to purchase gifts and gift cards for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. AMMA will again use the profits from the sausage sizzle to support the vulnerable in our community.

The form below enables families to order and pay for sausages and replaces the need for students to bring a gold coin donation on Socktober Day.

Please note:

Sausage sizzle orders will close at 9:00am, Wednesday 18 October 2023.

Donations for wearing socks will be accepted until 9:00am, Friday, 20 October 2023.

We look forward to all students in our College supporting the AMMA group's Annual Socktober Day at MMCC!

Leisa Radley
Director of Formation and College Culture (7-12)

The upcoming "Reclaim the Night" event and walk is an opportunity to raise awareness of domestic violence and advocate for women and youth who are affected by domestic and sexual violence. The Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC) is hosting "Reclaim the Night" on Friday, 27 October.

As a College, we strive to embody our patron Saint, Mary MacKillop through practical action and partnership. As incoming Senior leaders, we would like to bear witness and stand in solidarity with those affected by domestic violence.

Some students attended a similar rally earlier in the year.  Year 11 student, Rachel Williams, considered this a very worthwhile event.  Of the event, she said, “Earlier in the year, myself and some other students went to a domestic violence march in Toowoomba. It made me more grateful for what I do have as well as being more patient with people in the day to day. You never know what people are going through and this march taught me that it pays to stop and listen. 

We made posters and badges, heard from domestic violence help groups, met students from other schools, and showed Toowoomba that domestic violence is not ok.  Overall, it was a fantastic experience and has encouraged me to be a better person. It would be truly beneficial for any one and I recommend it to all the senior students.” 

Our goal is to encourage a group of Year 10 and 11 students to represent our College at "Reclaim the Night" to model practical action within the Mary Mackillop Catholic College community. 

While parent transport to and from the event is preferred, there is an option to take the 11-seater College Coaster if required. At the end of Week 1, Lucy Hutchison emailed all Year 10 and 11 students about the event. This email included a form students can complete to register an expression of interest.

Details:  

Reclaim the Night Event and Walk 

Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC) 

Friday, 27 October from 5:00-7:00om

Village Green, Toowoomba Library.

Year 11 students
Will Connolly, Lucy Hutchison, Rachel Williams, and Katelyn Burton. 

With our Year 12 students that are intending on going to university focusing on their external exams we thought it wise to share some information on scholarships to enable their families to support their applications.

All universities advertise scholarships and we have included links to some of these below. But we also see scholarships provided by local and state industry in a wide variety of fields. The Your Pathway Team send these out to students as soon as we are advised of them. an example that was sent to Year 12 students last week is the Toowoomba Regional Council - Engineering Scholarship 2024.

Scholarship Engineer 2024 (1560) | Toowoomba Regional Council (bigredsky.com)

We also encourage students to complete their own research for scholarships making sure they consider how their circumstances may change next year, particularly if they are moving out of home.

Whilst these scholarships are only open to our current Year 12 students, we don't see a huge change in them from year to year so it is wise for all of our senior students that are considering a tertiary pathway to familiarise themselves with the scholarships they may qualify for in the coming years.

Should students wish to apply for a scholarship the Your Pathway Team is always available to support them with their application or completing any of the required documentation.

University Scholarships

UniSQ - Future students | University of Southern Queensland (unisq.edu.au)

UQ - UQ Scholarships – University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

QUT - QUT - Scholarships

Griffith - Scholarships (griffith.edu.au)

ACU - Find a scholarship (acu.edu.au)

JCU - JCU Scholarships | University Scholarships QLD - JCU Australia

CQU - Scholarships - CQUniversity

Your Pathway Team
Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson

On Wednesday, 11 October the annual SBA Thank you breakfast was held. This event is arranged by Toowoomba Catholic Schools to thank all of the employers for providing our students with the opportunity to participate in a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. It was also an opportunity to congratulate the 87 students in the Toowoomba area for the hard work and commitment they have shown while engaging in their apprenticeship or traineeship.

The SBA program managed by Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office School-based offers a multitude of benefits to both students and the broader education system. Firstly, they provide a unique avenue for students to gain practical, real-world experience in their chosen field while continuing their education. This hands-on learning not only equips them with valuable skills but also fosters a deeper understanding of their subjects. 

Additionally, school-based apprenticeships can lead to smoother transitions into the workforce after graduation, as students already possess a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical expertise. Furthermore, these programs often promote a strong work ethic, time management, and problem-solving skills, which are essential for personal and professional growth. Overall, school-based apprenticeships bridge the gap between academia and industry, enhancing students' employability and contributing to a more well-rounded and skilled workforce.

Students are able to apply for an apprenticeship or traineeship the day after they finish Year 9, if your child would like more information, please ask them to come and have a chat to the Your Pathway Team at school. 

Your Pathway Team
Jennifer Stevenson and Christie Richardson

The first week of Term 4 saw the Year 6 students and teachers venture to Moreton Island and Brisbane for four days of fun activities for Year 6 camp. The bus rolled out of our College at 7:30am on Tuesday and headed straight for the wharf in Brisbane. An hour later, we were at our destination – Tangalooma Resort on sunny Moreton Island. On the ferry ride to Moreton, we were fortunate enough to encounter a humpback whale frolicking in the tranquil waters. 

This set the tone for the amazing adventure we were going to experience whilst on camp. These experiences included wild dolphin feeding, fish feeding, seeing a dugong swimming in its nature habitat, sand tobogganing, and beach games. The final day took us to Queensland Parliament House where we learnt about the inner workings of parliament. We were able to sit in the seats of the Legislative Assembly where our current politicians work from and role played the passing of a bill. What an experience!

All students had an amazing time, pushing their limits, learning new things, and sharing these experiences with their best mates.

We need to thank the efforts of all our Year 6 teachers and their support crew – Mrs Adler, Mrs Carter, and Mrs Gurr. Without their engagement and support, our camp would not have been the success it was. 

Craig Hubbard
Year 6 Teacher

This week Queensland celebrates Mental Health Week as it runs from Saturday, 7 through to Sunday, 15 October 2023. The theme of the week is ‘Awareness, Belonging, Connection’ which highlights three key factors in maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing.

Awareness signifies the importance of understanding about mental health and wellbeing in general, and thinking about how we embrace and acknowledge this for ourselves and others in our day-to-day interactions.

Belonging encourages us to reflect on our understanding of community and what this means for us. Community might look like friends and family, school or work environments, and then wider circles too – such as sports teams, those we see daily on public transport or groups we meet with regularly for other recreational activities.

Connection is included as an important reminder to be present with those around us and to create space for conversations about mental health and wellbeing. Having a strong connection with those around us allows us to, not only celebrate the wins and usual day-to-day occurrences, but to notice when early warning signs for low mental health and check in.

The Queensland Government created the Dear Mind initiative as a way to promote information relating to increasing and maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing. As part of this initiative, the following building blocks of wellbeing were created:

Physical Health – being active and focusing on good nutrition.

Engage in Learning – learning new things can continue to engage your brain.

Show Kindness – being present, giving time or resources to others, or engaging in other ways to show someone you care can help you feel more satisfied with life.

Connect – spending time with others can boost your mental health and wellbeing.

Take Notice – invest time each day in being still to be present in the moment and observe the small things in life that make it beautiful and unique to you.

Embrace Nature – being outside in the fresh air is known to enhance mood.

There are so many activities and resources available that connect to these building blocks on the Dear Mind website: 

How can you include these building blocks of wellbeing more in your day-to-day life?

If you would like more information on the Queensland Mental Health Week or to see a list of registered events in our local area, please have a look on their website: 

Leah Moffett
Guidance Counsellor

We are excited to announce that Mary Mac is participating in the MS Swimathon for the first time this year. It is an 8-hour swimming relay event where people of all abilities can take part. The aim is to swim as many laps as possible but most importantly, it is to raise funds to support the research in Multiple Sclerosis.Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common conditions of the central nervous system. It may affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve and impacts more young people in Australia than any other chronic neurological condition.

It will be a fun day, where our teams can get together to raising money and awareness for people living with MS, while also building community and being physically active.

It is on Saturday, 18 November at the Highfields pool. The first group of swimmers will kick off at 8:00am and the last group will finish at 4:00pm. Come and along and cheer us on or even better send Mrs Campbell an email to get involved and join a team. We’d love to have you!!

Please support our teams as we aim to raise $1000 per team. It’s easy to donate, visit either team fundraising page below and help up us as we join the fight against MS. Donations are tax deductible.

Carmen Campbell
PE Teacher

The term has started with a bang! So many Mary Mac students engaged in a range of sports. It's pleasing to see the high participation levels and the degree of success we are enjoying as a College.

All-Schools Touch Football

Our 5th visit to All-Schools was certainly our most successful with all teams enjoying victories and 3 teams going close to making finals. Of particular note was the performance of our open Girl's team. Despite only having 10 players, the girl's played their hearts out to fall 1 try short of progressing to finals day. It would be easy to blame a couple of dubious calls, but we choose to focus on the positives of this result. This team will be together again next year and the bulk will play again in 2025. The possibilities are endless!

Many thanks to the staff who accompanied the teams. We took 70 students away over 5 days - a huge logistical operation that is only possible through the passion and commitment of amazing staff.

Queensland School Sport Track and Field Championships

Isaac (Year 11), Nicolene (Year 11), Piper (Year 6), and Calan (Year 5) all travelled to Brisbane to compete at the QSS Track and Field Championships this week. All students can be proud of their achievements and use these events as valuable experiences as they progress toward their individual goals. Special mention to Isaac who threw a big personal best in the 17 years discus and finished one step away from the podium in 4th place. Nicolene is competing today and we wish her well.

South West 7s

The College has entered 5 teams in the South West 7s tournament this term. Games are played at Highfields on Monday and Thursday nights. We look forward to following the progress of our teams throughout the term. A special shout out to our 13 Boys who won both games on Monday and our 15 Girls who won their 2nd game and played some slashing Rugby!

Junior Schools Cup Volleyball

#teammarymac contested the Junior Schools Cup Volleyball at Harristown State High this week. We entered two teams in the girls' competition and a boys' team. All three teams won more games than they lost with our MMCC 1 girls' team coming away with the bronze medal. The boys had a great day also. With only one student who has played competitive volleyball before, the boys called upon their basketball and football experience and successfully navigated their way to the final. In a close match, the lads overcame an early deficit to win an exciting final 25-22.

Big shout out to Tom for being named player of the tournament!

Brad Griffiths
Middle Leader - Sport

Congratulations to Week 1 Award Recipients.

During the exhibition period for Creative Generation 2023 in Toowoomba, 47 'specific' works were presented all radiating from a defined generation of artists. These individual viewpoints, expressions, observations, and intuitions, emanate from a source unknown to many.  Artists are unique in that way, they are privileged to access this source, to play with it, and allow themselves to be a conduit to create 'great' things. In this, their creativity and skill radiate's like solar flares. 47 individual flares of creativity.

amidst these 47 works, two 'great' pieces were created here at Mary MacKillop Catholic College. Noah Gunders and Ava Knihinicki both contributed works to the 2023 exhibition.  Their work was evaluated and reviewed by an independent panel of judges at the Department of Education in Brisbane and both received Commendation Awards for their work.  Congratulations Ava and Noah, this is a significant success.

To put their achievement into context;

• 459 submission were received from 177 schools statewide
• DDSW regional exhibition displayed 47 artworks by senior high school visual art students representing 19 schools from the Darling Downs and South-West Queensland.
• From the 47 submissions in DDSW, the following awards were announced: 1 Regional Encouragement Award, 13 Commendations and 7 Excellence winners.
• Excellence winners will be exhibited at GOMA 27 April to 25 August 2024 (marking the 30th Anniversary of Exhibiting with QAGOMA).

The Creative Generations Excellence Awards in Visual Art recognise and promte excellence in senior visual art education throughout Queensland state and non-state schools.

Since 1990, the program has helped raise community awareness of the degree of sophistication in concepts, diversity of technical competence, and the high standard of visual art education in Queensland secondary schools.

Matt Chivers
Teacher - Art

Congratulations to Year 6 student, Tom Williams, on his incredible achievement of representing Queensland at the School Sport Australia National boys netball championships. Tom has achieved the highest level of representation in School Sport for our College this year.

Tom shares his experience below:

In the last week of Term 3, I flew to Perth to play for Queensland in the first ever School Sport Australia National boys netball championships. My team went through the competition undefeated, winning the gold medal.

We had some very tough games, particularly against Victoria and South Australia. But my team played so well together. Other than playing, my favourite part was meeting new people from all over the country and hanging out with my Queensland teammates. I spent three days before we flew to Perth with my team mates in a training camp, and we became really close friends. It was such a great experience.

Tom Williams

Carmen Campbell
PE Teacher

Hello to all Mary Mac Families, Students, Parish and Community members from the Parent Engagement Network (PEN). We hope all students and families enjoyed a restful school break.

Welcome back to our final term of 2023. The term will be filled with many exciting events!

Congratulations to the Marching Band, Drum line and many students who represented the College at the Carnival of Flowers Floral Parade on the first Saturday of the school holidays. This was a fun and exciting day for all who participated. Many thanks to Mrs Jess Burke and parent volunteers who helped out to support this event. The students all looked amazing and again did the College very proud!!

A big congratulations to all our sporting students who have spent time over their holiday break and so far this term representing the College, or our region, across many different sporting codes. Keep up this tireless effort for the love of all sports and representing the College.

Event updates/reminders for the Term 4: -

World Teachers Day – Friday 27th October 2023

This very special day is fast approaching. This is the day we acknowledge the great work by all of our wonderful and devoted teachers. The morning will be celebrated around the Café with special cakes and coffee. If you have time to drop by on this day, we would love to see you all present to thank our teachers and staff.

Mango Drive

In Term 4 the Parent Engagement Network is excited to be running once again and partnering with the Mango Fundraiser offering families the opportunity to purchase trays of delicious, fresh mangoes for a competitive price.

An email was sent out from the College late in Term 3 advising families of details etc for ordering, costs and due date by Wednesday, 25 October 2023.

These funds will go towards supporting more resources within the College. An exact delivery date will be communicated closer to the time, but expected to be in week 9 or 10 of Term 4. Friends and extended family are welcome and encouraged to place their orders also.

Please refer to link below to place your order:

If you have any questions at all please contact us via the email address listed below.

Ham Drive - Coming Soon in Term 4

The PEN and the College are running again at the end of the year a Ham Drive supplied by Bannock Brae local family meats.

Traditional wood smoked hams

• 100% Australian pork
• Full and half legs available
• Bone in or boneless available
• Regular, Nitrate free and salt only options available

We will notify you all of possible order and delivery dates. This is another great way of fund raising and supporting the resources for the College. WATCH OUT FOR THIS COMING SOON WITH ORDER DETAILS LATER IN TERM 4.

COLLEGE AWARDS PRESENTATION EVENING

This year we are looking forward to celebrating and acknowledging all academic, sporting achievement’s, improvement awards and other achievements. This is going to be a great evening on Wednesday 15th November. We hope to see you all present.

YEAR 12 GRADUATES:

We wish all our Year 12 Students the very best for their preparation of the External Examinations beginning on Monday 23rd October. The Year 12 students will have their final day of school here at the College on Friday 17th of November. If you see our Year 12’s around, please make sure that you take the time to wish them the very best for their future endeavours! We will miss them all.

SBA- School-based traineeships and apprenticeships

We wish to congratulate and acknowledge all MMCC students who have worked this year on traineeships and part time apprenticeships. Congratulations all students for your dedication and commitment.

Coffee Catchup at The Café – Every Tuesday morning 8am till 8.30am.

To all College Parents, students and staff. Please don’t forget to join us for a chat with the ELT (Executive Leadership Team) to discuss any College matters or general questions which you may have, or just a check-in with each other on how everyone is doing. This is a great opportunity for us all to meet. We always welcome existing and new families to attend. We’d love to see you there!

Grant Writing to support of College –PEN Resources Team

Does this interest you? we are still in need of assistance in this area. If this is of an interest to you, please make contact via the below email. There are many grants available and we need your help!

Future Fundraising Possibilities – IDEAS NEEDED FOR 2024!

Looking to run some more fundraisers for 2024 for resources for students at the College. Please reach out if you have any ideas. Refer to our email address below for any feedback or areas which you feel may need attention throughout the College.

The Parent Engagement Network wish the College students from P-12 the very best for Term 4. May everyone enjoy this term and be in the moment to enjoy all successes and achievements.

Thank you to Mr Chris Gabbett for his leadership, All ELT, our wonderful teachers for their unwavering efforts thus far and all remaining staff across the College.

Our end of year PEN Meeting is on the 24th of October. All parents and the student body are always welcome to attend. This will be our end of year meeting.

If you have a topic or matters for discussions, please send through to the PEN email and we can add it to our next Meeting Agenda.

Take care.
Shayne Cleary and Rowena Voll
Co-Chairs PEN

Next P.E.N. Meeting for 2023:

Date: TERM 4 WEEK 4 – Tuesday October 24th.

Room: Senior Admin – teachers’ lunchroom.

Time: 5.30pm start – 7pm conclude.

Volunteers Thank You Morning Tea: Tuesday November 21st – time to be confirmed:

Our Spring Vacation Care was an absolute blast! There were so many exciting things that happened over the last two weeks. We went on two excursions; one to The Strand to Watch the new movie Teenage Kraken, and the other to Cobb & Co Museum where we got to explore culture, science and history! We even walked across to Queens Park to have some Pizza. 

We had Nerf Gun battles, designed our own Tie Dye shirts/bags, road around on our bikes and scooters, created our own teddy bears, grew our own flowers, made fruit kebabs and a whole lot more! Please see below for a bunch of awesome photos of some of the things the children got up to these holidays!

Email us at HIGCare@tckc.qld.edu.au to provide us with feedback on the Spring Vacation Care program.

Garth Rochford

Coordinator