Students who suffer injury at school may be eligible to lodge a claim under a Student Accident policy, in place with Chubb Insurance.

A summary of the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong's Student Accident Plan can be found in the following Parent brochure: Parent brochure

Both the Student Accident Claim Form and Student Accident Medical Practitioners Statement are required to be fully completed for the successful lodgement of a claim.

• Student Accident Claim Form
• Student Accident Medical Practitioners Statement

You will see from the claim procedures included on the claim form that once downloaded and printed, all documents, including the Claim Form and Medical Practitioners Statement, should be forwarded directly to Chubb Insurance. This will streamline the claim process and alleviate additional administration.

If parents/carers have any questions regarding the policy coverage or the management of a claim, please contact Chubb Insurance, 1300 722 032.

Please note that in relation to coverage, the insurer is not permitted under Australian Law to reimburse medical expenses or any payment ‘gap’ for services which are eligible under Medicare. Only medical expenses that do not fall under Medicare are able to be assessed. All benefits, except for fee relief, are paid directly to the parents of the injured student.

This coming Sunday marks the end of the liturgical year, which falls the week before the commencement of Advent. The Gospel reading reminds us of how easy it is to become lazy in our life of faith, asking us to be wary of our “hearts becoming drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life”. Whilst there may be a relevant literal interpretation of this message, there is also a significant relevance that can be interpreted on a spiritual level. When daily challenges become overwhelming or burdensome, there is a natural tendency to look for a way out. This passage warns that such approaches can lead us to becoming spiritually drowsy, and encourages us to keep the truth in our minds, and our hearts and eyes on the will of God. 

Earlier this week it was with great pleasure that we welcomed the students and parents of the 2024 Year 7 cohort to the College for the first time, in preparation for their transition to Magdalene in the new year. Our new families were given an overview of the College programs, events and offerings, as well as some of the finer details in relation to the Orientation Day program that will be held in the coming weeks. We look forward to this new cohort and their families joining us at the start of February next year. 

As you may be aware, Magdalene has been an enthusiastic participant in the Duke of Edinburgh program for many years now. This year, our Year 9 Coordinator Mr Matthew Dowdell, reached a milestone of 15 years of dedicated service to the program. Fortunately, this milestone was reached in a period of time where the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, was in Sydney as part of a Royal Tour. As such, I congratulate Mr Dowdell on being presented with his service medal by Prince Edward at a ceremony at Government House on Wednesday evening, accompanied by our Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator, Mr Chris Whicker. 

Over the last few months, teachers and support staff have been busy preparing for the new school year in terms of various new curriculums being introduced, and numerous changes that are being implemented at a school level. One such change that I mentioned some time ago, was the significant move from a 4 period per day timetable of 75 minutes each, to a 5 period day of 60 minutes each. It is anticipated that the shorter periods will further improve student engagement in lessons, in addition to ensuring that all students will have each subject more often, albeit for 15 minutes less each time. We are also in the process of reformatting our processes and templates for semester reports with the intention of improving their clarity, ease of interpretation, detail and accuracy. 

As we enter into the last 3 weeks of term, I would encourage all students and parents to ensure that the focus and priority given to regular school attendance and punctuality is maintained. While the end of the year is certainly within sight, we are certainly committed to ensuring that quality teaching and learning experiences are maintained and that all students remain engaged until the end of the year. 

With best wishes for the week ahead, 

David Cloran

Principal

November 22 is the feast of St Cecilia, who lived in the 4th Century AD and is the patron saint of music. I think most people can appreciate that they may owe a debt of gratitude to God for creating music and giving people talents to entertain others. Cecilia was arrested by the Romans for preaching the Gospel and put to death for her faith. She apparently converted over 400 people to Christ. 

This also reminds me of Mary Magdalene, who by being the first witness to the resurrection and spreading the good news to the Apostles, started a movement that now includes over 2.5 billion people. What will we do to make the world a better place?

Prayer:

Jesus, help us to recognise how mighty is your love for us and that your compassion and mercy is beyond our understanding.During the month of November, we pray for all those who have passed on to the next life: our family members, our friends, our workmates, and all those who have died in tragic circumstances, including the recent deaths in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.

May we, like Mary Magdalene, bear witness to your life, your death and your resurrection by the way we live our lives and the way we love others.

Mary Magdalene,

Pray for us

Amen

On Wednesday the 15th of November we celebrated Magdalene Impressions, an annual College Art Exhibition. This year this event took place in our new College Hall. It was an incredible setup that displayed artworks from the incredible minds of students from Year 7 to Year 12. We were also able to join in celebrating award winners from each Visual Arts and Photography class, while also recognising some special Major Awards. Congratulations to these students on their achievements. 

During the night, we were honoured with the presence of our guest speaker, Annalise Jennings, who shared her experience starting a career in the creative arts field. Annalise is a past student of Magdalene currently studying teaching and it was wonderful to hear from her around how Visual Arts here at the College impacted her journey.

We would like to thank the P&F, Camera House and S&S for donating prizes for the students receiving an award on the night. We were also grateful for the atmosphere that accompanied the exhibition by beautiful music and food, courtesy of our Junior and Senior Music students and Year 12 Hospitality students and staff.

Thank you to the staff and students who helped prepare the hall and made this entire night possible. It was wonderful to see all of the students and their visual art pieces exhibited for family and friends to take a glimpse at what Magdalene provides for the Creative Arts. 

We look forward to seeing new artworks presented in the Magdalene Impressions exhibition again next year.

Emilia Leopardi and Myah Donohue (CAPA Counsellors)

I received the wonderful opportunity to represent Year 11 Legal Studies for Magdalene Catholic College.  Part of the process required me to complete a 500 word essay sharing  my personal opinion in amending the constitution and I was  accepted into the next round. On the 3rd of November I attended Parliament NSW with students from 200 other schools and applicants. We listened to a keynote speaker, Professor Emerita Anne Twomey of the University of Sydney and then joined colloquium groups discussing what we had heard. It was a wonderful day and a fantastic opportunity to expand my legal knowledge. I have made it through to the next round as a reserve for a three day convention in Canberra.