STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY

Magdalene Catholic College continues to be a hope-filled community supported by caring and knowledgeable staff.

Today (Friday 4th June) Magdalene staff have stopped to focus on our considerable Pastoral Care lens and our approach to how we care and show concern for our students.

As commenced at the beginning of this year, the College is developing a resource which outlines key components of what makes Magdalene unique and captures the essence of what we do and who we are. The college (students and the community) will increasingly hear more about “the Magdalene Way” – and I’m sure it will be a worthwhile process developing and then sharing this.

During the day, staff also completed ‘suicide prevention training’. Provided by the Illawarra Suicide Prevention Collaborative, staff completed the ‘QPR’ Course. QPR stands for “Question, Persuade, and Refer” and the training provided advice and guidelines about how to support young people who experience various levels of mental distress (or worse).

The Illawarra Suicide Prevention Collaborative is the body which created Youth Aware of Mental Health training – a programme (YAM for short) which our Year 9 students currently complete. 2021 will be the 3rd iteration of this training at Magdalene and the programme teaches young people how to look after themselves and their school mates.

MAGDALENE SHINES

Congratulations to all students and staff who participated in last night’s showcase of Music, Song and Dance – Magdalene Shines. It was such an impressive night and more will be written about this in future newsletters (including photographs).

In the meanwhile, I would like to commend our Year 12 students who were joyous in their Year Act – it looked like they had so much fun. Thank you to Ms Tolhurst and especially Miss Cupillari who not only helped choreograph this but also the MISA Dance Team’s Act. This Performance was fast paced, technical, skilful, and just great to watch! I wish the MISA Dance Team all the best as they participate in the MISA Dance Festival on Tuesday 15th June (to be held at the Campbelltown Catholic Club).

I thank and acknowledge our hosts for the night Year 12 students Marissa Williams and Matthew Dransfield who helped the night flow so well. I thank our music staff Miss Jenkins and Miss Slender, all our admin staff and all other staff who assisted on the night. I also thank our Brewarrina crew led by Ms Gray and Mrs Phillips. In particular, I thank Mrs Stevens for her overall coordination and running of the night. It was a big ask to run Magdalene Shines in the current COVID-19 environment in which we live – but the 31 acts were all fantastic. And she did oh so well – in fact, all acts did. Well done!

LONG SERVICE LEAVE

Please note that I will be taking two weeks leave at the end of this term. In my absence Ms Foldes will be Acting Principal, Mrs Forner will be Acting Assistant Principal and Miss Phillips will be Acting Pastoral Care Coordinator. They will ably look after the College in my absence.

PRAYER FOR RECONCILIATION

As you would all know, this week is National Reconciliation Week. As “Reconciliation Australia” reminds us: “National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The week commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” (https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-reconciliation-week/)

In keeping with this, this fortnight we have two prayers:

RECONCILIATION PRAYER

This prayer was written by Bishop Arthur Malcolm, taken from 'A Prayer Book for Australia':

Lord God, bring us together as one,
Reconciled with you and with each other.
You made us in your likeness.
You gave us your Son, Jesus Christ.
He has given us forgiveness from sin.
Lord God, bring us together as one,
Different in culture, but given new life in Jesus Christ:
Together as your body, your church, your people.
Lord God, bring us together as one,
Reconciled, healed, forgiven,
Sharing you with others as you have called us to do.
In Jesus Christ, let us be together as one.

And secondly, the Lord’s Prayer (also known as the Indigenous Our Father) from the “Missa Kimberley”, Diocese of Broome, WA:

You are Our Father, you live in heaven
We talk to you, Father you are good (repeat)
We believe your Word Father
We your children, give us bread today (repeat)
We have done wrong, we are sorry
Help us Father not to sin again (repeat)
Others have done wrong to us
And we are sorry for them, Father today (repeat)
Stop us from doing wrong, Father
Save us all from the evil one (repeat)
You are Our Father, you live in heaven
We talk to you, Father you are good (repeat)