Welcome back (or welcome for the first time) to the Magdalene Catholic College Community. I particularly welcome back our new Year 7s and all students and families who are new to the College in 2019.

As I mentioned at our brief College Assembly the other day, I am very excited about the coming year. We have undertaken much preparation and planning for 2019 and there are many things which we greatly anticipate introducing and/or implementing.

The College conducted a number of reviews and robust conversations across 2017 and 2018 and this led to a broad range of outcomes (and in some cases changes) to the way in which the school functions this year.

Officially Magdalene became Magdalene Catholic College on January 1, 2019. While you will need to bear with us as we alter old signage, crests and remove any mention of ‘High School’ on various documents, there will also be opportunities for community involvement as we begin to reflect on such things as our College uniform.

NEW DAY STRUCTURE

No doubt one of the things which the students are talking about is the change to the day structure. The change to the day structure – with extended lessons (now 75 minutes except on Tuesday when they are 60 minutes), Pastoral Care Classes commencing after Period 1, and fixed Assemblies on a Tuesday, allows for greater consistency for the students and more focused learning. I encourage parents and carers to look at the new day structure which can be found on the back cover of the Student Diaries.

75 MINUTE LESSONS

In a 75-minute lesson, staff can genuinely focus on ‘learning intentions’ and ‘success criteria’, they can explicitly teach material, model learning and different approaches, students can collaborate with one another and report back their learning and the list goes on. It allows increased time for practical subjects, provides greater time to check homework and allow students to show further independence. In short, it provides for a genuine focus on ‘quality learning’.

NEW CORE VALUES

2019, and the move to a College, also sees our Core Values trimmed to only four – a move which helps us to emphasise who we are.

Our new Core Values are:

Core Value One: Discipleship and Service – this connects with our Vision and Mission Statements in emphasising the importance that we, as an institution, place on our Catholic faith and on each student “making meaningful contributions”.

Core Value Two: Love of Learning – obviously it is critical that students see learning as something which is lifelong and that it is something they can be genuinely passionate about. Lifelong learning will inspire curiosity and the building of analytical skills.

Core Value Three: Quality Relationships –these are central to everything that we do. By respecting one’s self and others we are living out Jesus’ values. Quality relationships can lead to better learning outcomes and more positive thoughts and feelings about being at school.

Core Value Four: Personal Best – we aim for each student to be the best version of themselves in mind, body, spirit and action. We make no excuses for insisting on high expectations with a view to allowing students to attain their individual aims and ambitions.

I have attached the new Vision, Mission and Values document which is a fantastic summary of what we stand for at the College.

STAFFING

I also formally welcome new staff to Magdalene this year.

• Welcome to our new teaching staff:
  • Miss Kathleen Angelopoulos (HSIE / English)
  • Miss Sarah Manzin (HSIE)
  • Mr Kip Veness (Science)
  • Mrs Lauren Broady (Maths)
  • Mrs Laura Hayden (Learning Support)
  • Mr Tony Burden (TAS/VET)
• Welcome to our new SSOs:
  • Mrs Louise McKenna (Bursar)
  • Mrs Belinda Dodd (Print Room)

YEAR COORDINATORS AND STAGE ASSISTANTS

The 2019 Pastoral Care Team is a strong one.

Pastoral Care Class Teachers are the contact people for parents and carers as it is the Pastoral Care Class Teacher who meets with students each day, works with your sons and daughters on our Academic Care and Pastoral Care programme, writes Pastoral Care Class Reports and serves as a mentor for your children.

For further communication and support, the Year Coordinator is highly important. The Pastoral Care Team for 2019 is as follows:

Year 7: Mrs Rosanne Taccone

Year 8: Mrs Denise Phillips

Stage 4 Assistant: Mrs Melissa Keith

Year 9: Mr Matthew Bubb

Year 10: Ms Meaghan Tolhurst

Stage 5 Assistant: Miss Tahlia Cupillari

Year 11: Mr Matthew Dowdell

Year 12: Mrs Blair Colella

Stage 5 Assistant: Mr Alan Chapman

Of course, our Pastoral Care Coordinator Mrs Ivana Forner, works closely with our students, Year Coordinators and oversees our Pastoral Care Program; as such she is a also a vital part in the chain of communication.

With the College’s enhanced focus on wellbeing initiatives in 2019; the year is set to be a successful one.

FINAL COMMENT:

I thank you for once again placing your trust in Magdalene Catholic College and I look forward to a wonderful 2019. As always, if you have any queries or if issues arise, I encourage you to contact the Front Office and/or the relevant staff member to assist you. That stated, here’s to a great year ahead and I look forward, as all our staff do, to working with your children in the aim of providing a quality Catholic education.