MISA

As most would know, Magdalene is a member of MISA (the Macarthur Independent Schools Association). This association is the body which organises competitive sports on Tuesday afternoons as well as a number of other sporting events across the year such as Tennis, Golf, Chess and other cultural opportunities like the MISA Dance Festival, Public Speaking, Debating and the Youth of the Year Competition.

Started in 1986, the Association is now a body of considerable strength and very well organised. Gradually building over the years, it has 18 member schools in 2021 – with additional school applications for inclusion often arriving as schools grow.

From 2022 there will be two significant changes to this body. Firstly, the four Sydney Catholic School members (Freeman, Good Samaritan, Clancy & All Saints) will be required to join the new Sydney Catholic sports body being formed, and therefore will no longer be a part of MISA. Secondly, sports for 2022 and 2023 will be organised in Divisions. This will allow for sporting teams to be suitably matched against teams of similar strength. Excitingly, it also provides the opportunity for Magdalene to field even more sports teams on a Tuesday.

I would like to thank Mr David Fetterplace (Principal, Clancy College) for his tenure as Principal over recent years. Following him stepping down, Ms Naomi Wilkins was voted in as President at the latest AGM, Mr Wayne Marshall will continue as Treasurer, Ms Sue Lennox, (after many years of stellar service), will continue as Secretary and I was voted in as Vice President.

ENROLMENTS

Over 350 applications have been received for Year 7 2022. I would like to thank all staff who have been involved in interviews in recent weeks. First Round Offers of Acceptance will be sent out later this term.

YEAR 9 CAMP

Photographs and details of the many activities which students were involved in over recent days will be shared in subsequent newsletters. Students had a great time with opportunities such as a mud run, high ropes, giant swing, canoeing and archery.

I commend students on their positive attitude, and I thank staff who attended for both their commitment and efforts across the three days and two nights.

REPORTS

That time of the term has now arrived. Year 12 Reports have now been made available to students, parents and carers. In the coming weeks reports for other years will be made accessible.

The College strongly encourages parents/carers to sit down with their children to talk through the comments, grades and achievement indicators. Such a conversation can be very powerful in guiding students and highlighting areas for focus across 2021.

Such a conversation can then be strengthened with Parent/Care/Student/Teacher Interviews which will be organised for later this term. As always, we encourage parents/carers to communicate with teachers in the first instance. Contact can be made through the College Office or initially by email.

PRAYER

This week’s reflection is provided by Catholic Education Wollongong and centres on Sunday’s Feast of Pentecost:

The Spirit is with us as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this coming Sunday; the day when the Apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News to everyone. A clear purpose and mission. Pentecost presents us, as twenty-first-century Catholics, with an opportunity to consider how we are people of mission, recreating the world with God each day and to ask the Lord to embolden us so that we can be ‘Gospel witnesses’ to others

Pentecost is a time to recommit ourselves with ‘gusto’ as people of mission. It is a celebration of the beginning of Christianity and gives us the opportunity to continue the everyday journey of living as people with a ‘Christ-likeness’. It’s a chance to attune our actions and attitudes to the teachings of the human Jesus, empowering us to be people of action practising the Gospel values of compassion, integrity, justice, and hope. When we do this, the Holy Spirit will be free to use us for God’s plan in our world.

In keeping with this, the following prayer by Diana Ng-Sutherland captures the immense power of the Holy Spirit:

Come, Holy Spirit, come 

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Come, Lord, and take over my life

you are true love, love divine.

Flowing and glowing,

brightness in my darkness,

power in my weakness,

peace in my troubled life.

What beauty and purity,

sweet fragrance and harmony

what splendour and wonder,

such joy and glory, Lord.

You are so brilliant and illuming

so caring and comforting,

so gentle and renewing

so patient and liberating,

so motherly and wise.

You are true love, divine Lord,

come and take possession of my soul.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.                                     

• Amen.