ORIENTATION

Welcome Year 7 2020!

It was great to have so many new students here to show off our facilities, our wonderful staff and many of the quality learning experiences that occur at Magdalene.

With a mixture of nerves and anticipation, our newest cohort set about their day with much positive energy and enthusiasm. They involved themselves in such things as Drama, Sport, various classes, sat a couple of tests and enjoyed a BBQ lunch. Not surprisingly, students fitted in very well and were an absolute delight.

We appreciate the difficulty of holding a Morning tea when parents/carers live such busy lives, but it was also great to see so many parents/carers who were able to share a cup of Tea or Coffee and speak about their children’s experience thus far.

All in all, it was a great day and I thank our staff, including our wonderful Office Staff,  for their hard work on the day. We very much look forward to formally welcoming these new students on January 30 next year.

INCIDENT

Today I spoke with the student body about the highly unusual incident which occurred yesterday (as detailed to the College community by email last evening).

I spoke to the students about the fact that we did have an intruder trying to impersonate a Magdalene student and that, while illegal and potentially frightening, no student was endangered and/or threatened.

I also spoke to students about the world in which we live and how they themselves may one day experience and/or be the victims of rumour and/or misinformation. To this I provided a very useful test which students can apply when considering what they should or should not share.

1. TEST ONE: Is it true? Is the information being discussed accurate? Are you certain and do you have evidence that this is true?
2. TEST TWO: Is it kind? Even if the information is true, will the sharing of this information paint others in a positive light and/or be helpful?
3. TEST THREE: Is it useful? Does this information serve a purpose? If it is to paint someone in a poor light, then it has already failed test two.
4. TEST FOUR: Is it necessary? Does this information really need to be shared? How vital is this information and are you certain it passes the first three tests?

If students can ask these questions, then they can determine themselves whether what they tell their friend/talk to their friends about is shared for all of the right reasons.

Another thing which I emphasised to the student body is the importance of asking for assistance from staff if faced with unusual situations or difficult circumstances. Being a teenager is trying at the best of times, and we cannot expect teenagers to naturally know the right way to think, act or behave. Of course, we would hope students would act out of a Magdalene-inspired moral framework, but when uncertain it is critical students talk to staff, whether they be classroom teachers, Pastoral Care Teachers, Year Coordinators, the Pastoral Care Coordinator, the Assistant Principal or myself.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

It is quite timely that I remind all community members about the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong’s (CEDoW’s) Social Media Policy.

This Policy was launched in 2018 and covers all aspects related to Social Media usage and online information.

It can be located in full here: https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/policies/social-media-policy/

It is critical to note that all parents/carers, just as schools and students are, are bound by this policy. In particular, parents/carers need to be aware that information posted online (especially false and/or misleading information) which may negatively impact on CEDoW or any of its school communities may result in (in extreme cases) the cessation of a student’s enrolment.

If you have any queries about this, please contact me.

Bishop’s Excellence Award

On Wednesday Night I was delighted to attend the annual Bishop's Student Excellence Awards held in Wollongong.

This Award Gathering acknowledges one outstanding student graduating from each of Catholic Education Wollongong’s Systemic Secondary Schools.

This year for Magdalene this was awarded to Lauren Dady, the recipient of the 2019 Alan McManus Award for All-Round Excellence. Lauren exemplifies the best of Catholic education in a young adult that is graduating from school. The award consisted of a framed certificate and a gift (2 books specially selected by Bishop Brian) and was presented by Mr Peter Turner and Bishop Brian Mascord.

Lauren is a very worthy recipient of this award, from her broad involvement in College Life (including sporting, academic and cultural pursuits) to her wonderfully positive outlook on life.  Furthermore, Lauren was one of the students who attended the Vietnam Orphanage Immersion in 2018. Lauren is a most humble but most worthy recipient and we wish her well going into the future.