NEW UNIFORM

Firstly, do not panic! Even the word ‘uniform’ can send a shiver through the spine of anyone who has been involved in the past with any change of uniform - corporate, school, sports teams, etc… So yes, we know people will be very passionate about styles, fabrics, ease of wear, and just general thoughts on what our College uniform should, could or might look like.

We already know that there are and will be many different viewpoints and that we will not be able to keep everyone entirely happy. This stated, our aim will be for students to be comfortable, for costs to be kept around the same ballpark and for students to look stylish.

Also note, we will allow families to move over to the new uniform over a period of years - rather than enforcing a change immediately.

To assist with this, we will be:

• NOT introducing any new clothing items until 2021
• Providing a time period to allow parents/carers/students to transition into the new uniform. We do not want to place a financial burden on families.
• Sending out a survey to get your views on our current uniform and ideas for our future. Please complete this when it is sent in the following week (by email)
• Consulting with students and staff.
• Developing a Uniform Committee. See below.

PARENT/CARER UNIFORM COMMITTEE: CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

A small working party of parents/carers (approximately 6-8) will be established to consult with and assist with our movement towards a new uniform.

If you have had previous professional experience in such areas as fashion, running a uniform store, and/or even designing uniforms and you would like to be considered to be a part of this committee please email an Expression of Interest of no more than two paragraphs to info@mccdow.catholic.edu.au. Please outline in this email why you would like to be involved and what your experience involves.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION SCHOOL REVIEW: 

Every 4 to 5 years Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wollongong are reviewed to ensure that they are places of quality Catholic Education.

Our College Review will occur in August.

To assist with this a survey will be sent out in the near future to hear about the things we are doing well, things we could do better and areas we may wish to consider moving forward into the future.

I would ask that when you receive this that you try to be honest – and don’t hesitate to praise where you believe this is warranted.

CHINESE EXCHANGE STUDENTS

This year we are trialling a new initiative which will see Chinese students coming to our College in early August THIS YEAR.

These students will stay with a host family and then come along to classes/lessons during the school week.

I have met with the company organising this trip and they have confirmed one group of 12 boys and girls arriving in August. Information about being a host family is included below:

Traditionally June is the month of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

The “Sacred Heart” reminds us all that Christ is not God simply appearing as man; rather He is truly man, just as He is truly God. 

As the month of June is just about to close, we say together the following prayer to “unite ourselves fully to the Heart of Christ”, so that all we do is in line with Jesus’ will.

Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love.

Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, O my amiable Saviour. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed.

Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things, be conformed to Thine.

May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions.

Amen.

Literacy for Learning is NESA accredited Professional Learning delivered by trained tutors from within the Magdalene staff. The course focuses on the explicit teaching of Literacy across KLAs to develop the capacity of teachers to offer targeted, high impact literacy instruction. 

To date, almost half of all Magdalene teachers have completed the Literacy for Learning course, with an aim to develop their practice and better support students to effectively meet the literacy demands of the syllabus. The strategies developed through the course are having a positive and measurable impact on student learning from Years 7-12. 

Congratulations to the most recent cohort of staff who have completed the 30-hour Literacy for Learning course:

Mr Simon Quinn, Ms Michelle Walker, Miss Rachel Gavin, Mr Marco Cimino, Mr Tom Morrison, Mrs Blair Colella, Miss Sarah Manzin, Mr Steve O’Neill, Mrs Nicole Hulme and Mr Ian Gorrie.

Congratulations to the following students who competed at the All-schools Cross Country at Eastern Creek on 14 June as part of the Wollongong Team.

All competitors put in strong performances with Luke Small qualifying for the All-Schools event also to be held at Eastern Creek.

Wollongong (Magdalene) Team Representatives were:

Aleesha Austin, Blair Hopkins, Karley McVittie, Amalia Plummer, Olympia Plummer, Luke Small (qualified for All-Schools), Charlie Wagus, Savannah Young.

What a finish to a fantastic season! 

On Tuesday, 25th June, the Senior Netball Team competed in the Interzone Finals. We were still on a high after managing to beat a competitive St Patrick’s team to take out the MISA East Zone. 

Our first game was against Wollondilly Anglican College, the MISA South finalists. The game was locked goal for goal until the third quarter. Olivia Grabowski and Claudia Henderson managed to overcome some very tall shooters to reef back any missed scoring opportunities. Our midcourt was always strong and their ability to bring the ball down the court without breaking under the pressure of zone defence was impressive. Sarah Williams, Indiana Holland, Georgia Lovett and Elise Davey were interchangeable and seamlessly moved across from WA, C or WD. Thankfully our two very reliable shooters, Emily Tyler and Emily Harriott, were able to withstand the defence and consistently put the shots up. Finally, we started to pull away from WAC and managed to secure a substantial lead by the end of the game. 

Next, we took on the very capable team from Good Samaritan Catholic College (GSCC). They had just defeated WAC and looked like a team that had played together for some time. Tess Mullin was incredible in WD and didn’t allow her opponent to get the ball. This increased pressure in the midcourt helped us to maintain possession and convert any turnovers. GSCC made some changes to their team but we still managed to keep a two-goal buffer. In the final quarter, the score fluctuated between a two-goal advantage to even. After a very competitive and cleanly fought game of netball, we managed to win by 6! 

Aside from all the netball, the biggest testament to the team was their consistent display of sportsmanship and encouragement of one another - noticed and commented upon by the other teams and officials. 

Well done girls - you have made me proud of your efforts each and every week! 

Mrs Blair Colella - Coach

Congratulations to the Year 10-12 girls soccer team on winning both the MISA East and MISA Interzone Championships. As a result of winning the MISA East competition against Mount Carmel, St Benedict’s, John Therry and St Patricks, the team progressed to the Interzone finals. On Tuesday 25^th June, the girls travelled to Kooringa Reserve, Raby to compete against Macarthur Anglican and Freeman Catholic College.

I am proud to report that the entire team played to the best of their ability, demonstrating high levels of skill and competitiveness. The day started with a 2-0 win against Macarthur Anglican, with goals scored by Olympia Plummer and Aleskia Kola. The final game against Freeman Catholic College was a tough contest that went down right to the end, with Karley McVittie scoring the winning goal with only minutes to spare. Great effort by the entire team! A special mention to Olivia D and Aleksia Ostojic who both had outstanding performances in midfield.

Well done to the following students:

 Amalia Plummer, Jaimee Kitchener, Jessica Kourembes, Lauren Scullino, Kira Jenkins, Olivia, Aleksia Kola, Aleksia Ostojic, Kaitlyn Myers, Rachel Bagot, Alex Honan

Olympia Plummer, Monica Rixon, Karley McVittie, Sofia Bazdaric, Holly Rasmussen, Tiarna-Lee Magro, Mr Tim Manns - Coach

Last Wednesday, the Year 11 Society & Culture class was fortunate enough to interact with some of the local senior citizens of the Macarthur area in the College Learning Resource Centre. These citizens were clients of the Meals on Wheels charity and the lovely women who visited our class had a wonderful time as they discussed their stories from adolescence. The class split up in groups and interviewed their respective clients with plenty of laughs being heard. Refreshments were provided by the school canteen and the students learnt a lot about life in the early to mid-20th century. Thank you to Ms Gray and the staff at Meals and Wheels for providing this opportunity for our class, and to the wonderful women who came along to share their knowledge and experiences. This program is very important to the clients and to the students who participate; by learning from older generations, we can imagine what life was like, which creates the ability to appreciate all we have in the 21st century.

Harrison Mitchell

Yr 11