Dear Parents, Carers and Students, 

In last Sunday’s Gospel we heard of Jesus teaching his disciples to sell their possessions and give to the poor, storing up their treasure for heaven instead. He urges them to be ready for his return, like servants waiting for their master. Jesus uses the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants to emphasise the importance of being vigilant and prepared. He reminds us that God will reward the faithful servant who is found doing his duty, but the unfaithful one will be punished. The passage concludes with a warning that to whom much is given, much is expected. This passage is relevant to our lives as it encourages us to prioritise our spiritual lives over material possessions. It reminds us to live with a sense of urgency, constantly preparing for the Lord's return by using our blessings responsibly and in the service of others. 

Over the past fortnight, students in each year group across the College have been involved in a range of leadership programs which have been designed to compose the Student Representative Council for 2026.  As is the case each year, there has been yet another outstanding pool of candidates put forward this year, and it is a credit to the students for making the selection of this leadership team an incredibly difficult process. I thank all students who have had the courage and skills to be involved in this process and look forward to announcing these appointments towards the end of the term. I particularly congratulate the fine group of Year 10 students who have recently completed their application process to become Youth Ministry Leaders in 2026 and who will all represent Magdalene at the 2025 Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Melbourne later this year. 

Earlier this week, the College hosted the Term 3 Parents and Friends evening at the College. Among a number of items, we heard from two Year 11 students, Isibeal Abbey and Lachlan Campbell, who recently returned from Orlando, Florida as part of the Australian team at the International Space Station Design Competition. We are also very grateful that, as part of this meeting, the P&F committed to help fund a study skills program that will launch early next year aimed at assisting parents to support their children in their work here at school. The fourth and final P&F meeting for 2025 will be held on Tuesday 4th November in the College Library. Of course, all are welcome to join us. 

As many members of our community would be aware, our Year 12 students have been completing their Trial HSC Examinations over the past fortnight. These are the final assessments prior to them sitting their HSC Examinations at the start of Term 4. I take the opportunity this week to commend the students on the way in which they have prepared for these exams and wish them well when they return back to school next week for what will be an intense 5 week period of final exam preparation. 

All the best for the week ahead.

David Cloran

Principal

St Clare of Assisi (11th August - died 1253 AD)  and Saint  Maximillian Kolbe (14th August) and the Assumption of Mary (15th August)

This is a pretty busy week for saints and feast days.

St Clare was a remarkable young woman who turned away from a materialistic life and, together with St Francis of Assisi, built religious orders that continue to inspire our world today, especially with regard to their dedication to a life of poverty and caring for the environment. Both the Poor Clares and the Franciscans have monasteries on Narellen Road opposite the University. 

Maximilian Kolbe was another Franciscan Friar, although he is quite a new saint. He was imprisoned during WWII under the Nazi Regime for opposing the Nazis and promoting devotion to Mary and Jesus. When some prisoners escaped the guards gathered the remaining prisoners and told them that several of them would be executed. One of the prisoners asked for mercy, saying that he was a father and he needed to be with his children after the war. Maximillian Kolbe stepped forward and asked the guards to kill him instead, since he was a priest. The Nazis starved the prisoners to death but Maximiliian would not die and continued to sing hymns and encourage the others to be joyful. In the end, the Nazis killed Maximillian with a lethal injection. Maximilllian’s bravery was not born in a day but the product of a life lived in the service of Christ and others. 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed body and soul into heaven after her death, as a reward for never sinning and living an amazing life as the mother and carer of Jesus and the wife of Joseph. Mary has already received what we will all receive, which is the resurrection of our bodies after the final judgement. Mary continuously directs us, like a signpost, to “ ..do whatever he (Jesus) tells you..” (John2) as she said to the servants at the wedding feast at Cana. The Feast of the Assumption is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church and Catholics are encouraged to attend mass if they are able to.

Prayer:

Lord , we pray that we may be inspired by the faith and life of Saints Clare and Maximillian and the devotion, love and obedience of our Mother Mary, as we strive to live lives of love and compassion in our world. 

St Clare: Pray for us

St Maximillian: Pray for us

Saint Mary Magdalene: Pray for us

Mother Mary: Pray for us

Recently, ten students from Magdalene Catholic College travelled to the United States to represent Australia in the prestigious International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC), held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This opportunity was secured following the team’s outstanding success at the Australian Space Design Competition (ASDC) National Final held in Brisbane earlier this year, where Magdalene was named national champion. Their performance earned them a place as one of only two Australian schools invited to compete internationally.

The competition simulates the work of aerospace engineers, challenging students to form fictional companies and collaboratively design a large-scale space settlement. They must respond to a formal brief, present their proposal to industry judges, and work under pressure in a three-day design sprint alongside 250 students from over a dozen countries.

The team that represented Australia and Magdalene included:

The students were accompanied by Mr Chris Ferry, Mrs Jodie Hort, and Mr Danny Avalos. Please see below a day by day run down of their trip.

Wednesday 23rd- Travel Day- SYD - LAX - ORL- Isibeal Abbey

Our ISSDC journey began with an early flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, filled with excitement and anticipation. After a long haul flight, we landed in LAX and had a brief layover, giving us a chance to stretch our legs, experience American culture and regroup as a team. The second leg of the journey took us across the country from Los Angeles to Orlando, where our final destination awaited along with our rental vans. Although it was a long and tiring travel day, the energy and enthusiasm of being part of ISSDC kept spirits high throughout. We ended our very long day with a late night take out dinner at Popeyes, where the staff surprised us by giving us everything for free!!!

Thursday 22rd- Universal Studios and Team Dinner- Sienna Beller

Thursday was an unforgettable day spent at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, where the team explored all the major attractions, from the adrenaline filled Hulk rollercoaster to the thrilling Jurassic Park River Adventure. We wandered together through the magical world of Hogsmeade and even went on the Dr. Seuss carousel. We ended the evening with a memorable Southern style team dinner at Cracker Barrel, sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company. Overall, the day was filled with unforgettable moments and set the perfect tone for the exciting journey ahead.

Friday 24th- Kennedy Space Center- Angelina Bampton

At the Kennedy Space Center, we explored the breathtaking Rocket Garden before venturing inside the complex to examine powerful rocket engines and spacesuits, interact with satellite simulations, and experience a Mars planetary simulator. A guided bus tour provided fascinating insights into NASA’s operations, offering views of active rocket launchpads and the massive crawler used to transport rockets, and culminating in the awe-inspiring sight of the colossal Vehicle Assembly Building; its sheer scale all the more remarkable knowing it must accommodate entire rockets. The day concluded with a ‘cultural’ meal at Wendy’s, perfectly rounding off the experience. We got our last ‘early night’ of the trip!

Saturday 25th- Space X launch and Competition Day 1- Lachlan Campbell

An early start for competition day one as we continually battled the effects of jet lag and excitement for the competition ahead. A 3:30 am wake up (1:30 pm AEST) for the viewing of a lifetime as a Falcon 9 Space X ship launched 24 Starlink satellites to low earth orbit. The earlier than expected sunrise was simply eye opening as nine rocket engines were seen, heard and felt miles away. After the early morning experience, we made our way to buffet breakfast, then back to Kennedy Space Centre for a long day of preparation. After various bus trips back and forth from KSC to the Hotel, we finally managed to begin work as the proposal was released at 4:30 pm (2:30 am AEST). As we organised roles, settled into departments and figured out our tasks we collectively had to overcome social and language barriers in order to work as a team. We had to prepare ourselves for the next two somewhat sleepless nights filled with academic rigour and physical exhaustion.

Competition Format- Zachariah Belanszky

For the competition, we had to create a professional engineering tender to design, plan and build a floating and/or propelled settlement within the atmosphere of Venus in 2075. The objectives of the settlement included:

• Extraction of Oxygen and Nitrogen from the atmosphere, at an altitude of 50km above the surface. These gases will be used to provide essential support to settlements in the inner solar system
• Additional exploration and mining on the surface using exploration drones or EVAs.
• Development of novel technologies for future proofing space settlements.
• Safe and comfortable housing and recreation for 600 workers.

To do this, we were organised into four companies, which included

• 64 students, a four student senior executive leadership branch, 2 volunteer CEOs (past participants) and 5 departments- Business, Operations, Structural Engineering, Human factors and Mission Systems. 
• Students from National and Regional Finals from across the USA, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, China, Australia, India, South Africa, Portugal and the UK.

The companies had to not only design the station and how it would work in a 49 slide deck, but present a 30 minute proposal with a business vision and answer questions for up to 10 minutes from a panel of expert judges

Sunday 26th- Competition Day 2- Isla Attard

The second day of the competition was in many ways the most stressful. Starting at Kennedy Space Centre, day 2 marked the point in the competition where we really got into the body of the work: designing the station, producing layouts and figuring out the details of our design. 

The hardest part came late at night. With the tender due at 7 am the next morning, the night was the make-or-break point in our project. On top of that, we were tired and had started realising all the areas that needed more work (or to be reworked) despite the approaching deadline. In the end, many of the people from our school ended up leaving for bed in the deep hours of the morning... 

Monday 27th- Competition Submission and Presentation- Lachlan Chadwick

After countless gruelling, sleepless hours, and a quick early morning kip, we basically worked right up to the 7:00 a.m. deadline to submit our final proposal. A wave of well deserved relief swept over us, but there was no time to rest. The day had only just begun. We shifted gears into professional mode, ready to deliver our presentation and face a panel of tough, scrutinising questions. As the winners were announced, tension gave way to celebration- despite not winning we were excited for our Aussie colleagues James Ruse who we had partnered with at Nationals. We were all winners after that effort. Together with our diverse and very talented partner companies and fellow students, we ended the day exploring the awe-inspiring NASA Kennedy Space Center, a fitting reward for a journey like no other.

Tuesday 28th- Return Travel- ORL - SFO -SYD - Luca Saprun

Our final day saw us experiencing world renowned ‘Wallmart’ and The Florida Mall before we had to board our flights back to Australia. The Florida Mall was very big with a lot of large retailers where we could explore and buy anything that we wanted. In our last 3 hours, we headed towards the Orlando Domestic terminal to board our flight to San Francisco which due to the weather our landing time was delayed, totalling 6 hours.  This gave us one final problem in that we only had 30 minutes to get to our international flight! It cut it very close but we made it powerwalking through terminals. Our flight back was very smooth sailing until we were an hour or so from the coast of Australia. We had some very ‘entertaining’ turbulence till landing so inflight breakfast wasn't served. Once we landed and cleared customs we could all see our families which were waiting eagerly to see us. What an amazing experience!

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was only made possible by the tremendous support of our Parents & Friends Association, who have provided significant and vital financial backing. We also gratefully acknowledge a significant grant from the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer. The Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer is committed to encouraging students to consider a future career in a science-, technology-, engineering- or mathematics-related (STEM-related) field. The Office offers funding to NSW high school and tertiary students participating in STEM-related courses, competitions and events through several programs including the Science & Engineering Challenge, the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program and the STEM Student Competition Sponsorship Program. 

This extraordinary opportunity would not have been possible without the incredible backing of our sponsors. Stile Education, our Premier Sponsor, has been instrumental in fostering STEM excellence at Magdalene, both in the classroom and now on the world stage. Their commitment to empowering young innovators is deeply appreciated. We also proudly acknowledge Midcity Group and Trade partners, our Platinum Sponsor, whose support extends beyond generous funding, Midcity has been a trusted partner in shaping the very landscape of our campus through their construction work. 

Our heartfelt thanks also go to our Gold Sponsors, Melanie O’Connell – Mortgage Choice Camden, Rotary Club Gregory Hills- Next Gen, Rotary Club Macarthur- Sunrise, Allenza Architecture and PAN Spray Booths, long-standing allies with strong roots in our local community. And finally, a big thank you to Cherry Apparel, our Apparel Sponsor, for supplying the team with custom polos that reflect our pride and identity as representatives of Magdalene.

We congratulate our team and thank all who supported them on this exciting journey. 

ISSDC_sponsors.pdf

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Tickets to the Council of Catholic School Parents Conference 

The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) has announced that tickets to the 2025 CCSP Parents and Carers’ Conference on Saturday 25 October 2025 are now on sale.

This year’s conference celebrates 30 years of CCSP supporting and advocating for parents and carers of children in Catholic schools. It also marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee.

The 2025 conference theme is Supporting Families: Working Together in a Modern World.

Keynote speakers at the conference include:

• Dr Justin Coulson – one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. He is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9’s Parental Guidance, and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au.

• Michelle Mitchell – author and speaker, sought after for her compassionate and grounded advice for parenting tweens and teens.

• Daniel Principe – passionate youth advocate and educator. Through his work, Daniel encourages young people to recognise and resist distorted attitudes towards bodies, relationships, and sex.

The conference, which is being held at the Novotel, 350 Church Street, Parramatta, is a one-day event and is only $30 to attend. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear and engage with some of Australia’s leading experts on raising young people in our complex society.

Year 11 Legal Studies recently visited the Supreme Court in Sydney, where we had the unique opportunity to watch some of the most engaging and high profile cases currently being heard. It was fascinating to see experienced barristers present their arguments and to observe the judges deliver their decisions with such precision. The visit gave us a deeper understanding of how the legal system works in practice and allowed us to connect what we have been learning in class to real life situations. The day sparked a lot of discussion among us students, and many agreed that it was not only really insightful but also one of the most memorable and many called it the “best excursion we have ever been on.”
- Isibeal Abbey 

Victor Chang School Science Awards – Celebrating Excellence in STEM

The Victor Chang School Science Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of Year 11 students across NSW in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Established by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, these awards aim to inspire young people to pursue future careers in STEM..

On Monday evening, at a ceremony hosted by Camden Council, Isla Attard and Christina Jeffries were proudly presented with their awards.

Isla was recognised for her outstanding contributions to Science, including her participation in the Australian Space Design Competition and representing the College internationally at the International Space Settlement Design Competition in Florida. Her commitment, creativity, and critical thinking skills reflect her deep passion for science.

Christina was acknowledged for her exceptional work ethic across multiple science subjects. She consistently strives to expand her knowledge, refine her problem-solving abilities, and demonstrate exemplary critical thinking. Christina’s dedication makes her an inspiring role model for her peers.

Both Isla and Christina are to be commended for their exceptional achievements and their commitment to excellence in Science.

On Friday 1st August, the Year 8 students were treated to a vibrant Italian incursion, featuring an authentic Commedia dell’Arte performance. The talented performers brought this traditional theatrical style to life with humour, energy and colourful characters. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the show as highly entertaining and very funny.

The cultural immersion continued with a delicious morning tea, enjoyed alongside lively Italian music. The event was a wonderful celebration of Italian culture, giving students the opportunity to experience its theatre, cuisine and traditions in a fun and engaging way.

Opportunities like these are invaluable for our students. They bring learning to life, help develop a deeper appreciation of different cultures and show how language learning opens doors to new experiences, friendships and ways of seeing the world. In our globalised world, knowing only English can be limiting, while learning another language, such as Italian, broadens possibilities in travel, study and careers. Italian is particularly valuable in professions such as law and medicine due to its close connection to Latin, the root of much technical and legal vocabulary. It is also beneficial in careers including international business, tourism, diplomacy, design, music and the arts. By learning Italian, students gain not just communication skills, but also cultural understanding, adaptability and confidence, qualities that will serve them for life. 

As part of our Italian course, we had the opportunity to experience Commedia Dell'Arte. It was an enjoyable play with an incredible cast and lots of laughter throughout their performance. After the play we were given morning tea which included woodfire pizza, a cannoli and a can of italian soft drink. Overall it was an entertaining day and we were so lucky we had the opportunity to be involved and experience this aspect of Italian culture. Elise Turner, Year 8

Results

Hip Hop (MISA Dance Troupe) - Highly Commended

Lyrical (MISA Dance Troupe) - 3rd Place

Musical Theatre (Dance Elective and Elite Troupe) - Score: 89/100

Lyrical (Elite Dance Troupe) - Highly Commended

Jazz (Elite Dance Troupe) - 2nd Place

Jazz (MISA Dance Troupe) - Highly Commended

Our Hip Hop item was praised as creative and sassy. The Lyrical (MISA) routine impressed adjudicators with its acrobatics, teamwork and energy. The Lyrical (Elite) piece earned commendation for an effective opening and a good level of difficulty in the choreography. Jazz (Elite) was noted for a confident entrance, great music choice and excellent timing, which was also a favourite of the students and mine on the day. Jazz (MISA) was recognised for a creative start and strong energy in the unison section. In Musical Theatre, judges highlighted the great connections between dancers on stage, strong characterisations and good energy in the unison. A big shoutout to Leila Saliba, who exhibited fine creative and choreographic skills across a number of entries showcased at the eisteddfod. Her contributions strengthened the artistic vision and polish of several routines.

Our troupes and elective class will continue preparing for Term 3 performances and College events. We look forward to recognising our dancers' success at the Week 5 College Assembly and a special performance from the Elite Troupe performing our second place Jazz item ‘Abracadabra’. In Week 7, they will compete at the Inspire Arts Challenge, and we look forward to applying the adjudicators’ feedback and showcasing the wonderful talent our dance students exhibit. 

Thank you,

Miss Tahlia Cupillari - Dance Teacher

Magdalene Catholic College had a strong showing at this year’s MISA Golf Championship at Campbelltown Golf Course, with students delivering impressive performances across multiple divisions.

In the Senior Boys Cup, Oliver Birkin secured runner-up in the stroke event, while Ayden Kokeck, one of the most skilled golfers in the field, was unlucky not to place. Ayden still claimed 2nd place in the Nett competition, a testament to his consistent play.

Our Senior Boys Plate team dominated, taking out all three podium spots:

• 1st – Owen Hart
  

• 2nd – Jake Sawyer

• 3rd – Luke Severin
  
  

In the Junior Boys Cup, Owen Moss earned 3rd place in the Nett competition, a fantastic achievement against strong competition.

Well done also to Callum Daniels, Charlie Napier, Koby Hamilton-Jones, Jackson Burrows and Ryder Bradbury, who all played strong, competitive rounds and represented the College with pride.

It was an excellent day of golf for Magdalene, showcasing both depth of talent and great sportsmanship across the day.

Mr Chris Ferry 

Acting Sport Coordinator 

Year 12 students considering a career in teaching

“Teaching is a noble profession that shapes the character, calibre and future of an individual.”
— Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Applications are now open.

Year 12 Students may apply for one of the following:

• CEDoW Step into Teaching Scholarship Program
• CEDoW Step into Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship Program

For more information, students are encouraged to speak with our TAPs Coordinator Mrs Dallene Jones. Further details are also available on the Catholic Education Office website.

Applications close on Friday 19 September 2025 (Week 9).

We know that parenting a teenager can be both rewarding and challenging, especially when it comes to their mental health and wellbeing.

That's why we're inviting parents and carers to attend our upcoming free mental health webinars, designed to provide practical tools, strategies, and insights to help them support the young people in their lives.