Student numbers to increase!

It is official, Magdalene Catholic College will be taking 210 students in Year 7 2020. This has been an aim which has been in the planning for quite some time, but I would now like to thank Camden Council and Catholic Education Wollongong for their support in this matter.

Not surprisingly, interest in Magdalene, combined with exceptional population growth in the region, has seen enrolment applications significantly increase. Waiting lists exist in Years 7 to 10 and, so far, over 330 students have applied for places in Year 7 next year. This obviously says much about the quality of the education which Magdalene provides, our focus on the ‘student at the centre’ and the quality of our staff.

I am really delighted that by moving from the current number of 186 students in Year 7 to 210, 24 more students and families will be able to experience what our College has to offer. Bring on 2020!

Classrooms

The builders of our current classroom project, Steve Watt Constructions, are working extremely hard and producing a quality outcome. The completion date for our 14 new classrooms overlooking the Oval, has now been set for February 29, 2020! What a true leap forward this will be for learning and teaching at the College.

Camden Council Garden Competition

Last week I attended the Camden Council Garden Competition and was very impressed with all entrants across the multiple categories. It is clear many people in our district pride themselves on their gardens and the presentation of their homes and/or businesses.

I am delighted to announce that Magdalene Catholic College was awarded “Highly Commended” in the Commercial category. I especially thank and congratulate Mr Joe Trimarchi for his incredible work and leadership in this area and Mr Steve McVittie for his ongoing work and attention to detail. We are very lucky to be able to work, learn and teach in the grounds of our beautiful College!

This Newsletter’s prayer, “a parent’s prayer” is mindful of the great joy, yet also responsibility, which children bring with them:

A Parent’s Prayer

Loving God,

You are the giver of all we possess, the source of all of our blessings.
We thank and praise You.

Thank you for the gift of our children.

Help us to set boundaries for them, and yet encourage them to explore.
Give us the strength and courage to treat each day as a fresh start.

May our children come to know You, the one true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

May Your Holy Spirit help them to grow in faith, hope, and love,
so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.

May their ears hear Your voice.
May their eyes see Your presence in all things.
May their lips proclaim Your word.
May their hearts be Your dwelling place.
May their hands do works of charity.
May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ,

Your Son and our Lord.

Amen

Mr Matthew McMahon

Principal

A new Consent for Use of Student's Works/Images Form was sent home with students several weeks ago. It is important that these are returned as soon as possible. It is now required that the College must receive permission on an annual basis.

Unfortunately, if the form is not returned we are not able to display, publish, publically acknowledge or "use" any of your student's works or images. This includes but is not limited to our newsletter, social media, newspaper articles, Yearbook or in College displays/Open Days/Showcases (Magdalene Impressions, Office Displays), Diocesan publications or Catholic Education Office Publications.

Please see below if your child has misplaced their form.

On Wednesday 30th October, Year 10 Drama students performed their Children’s Theatre plays based on well-known picture books for students at St Clare’s Narellan.

The task for Year 10 Drama involved choosing a picture book and recreating the story as a piece of theatre. The students chose the Gruffalo, Who Sank the Boat? and The Bad Guys.

The students wrote their scripts, design costumes, set pieces and props. The audience comprised of students from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2.

It was a successful and enjoyable event, providing younger students with an opportunity to engage in live theatre. At the conclusion of the plays, the St Clare’s students asked questions about the process of devising and creating these performances.

In addition, Year 10 had to design either a costume or poster as part of their study on the elements of production in performance. The photos are just a select few of the performances and design tasks for you to enjoy.

Lisa Stevens

Drama Teacher

Congratulations Harper Crawford

Harper Crawford (10P) competed in the NSW Open Women's State Softball Championships over the holidays.  It's a three-day tournament held at Blacktown International Sports Park with ten teams competing from all over the State.  Harper played for the North Shore District Softball Association Rep team and they won the final 6-4 against Manly (who had won three years running).  This championship had a number of Australian Open women’s players competing who had just qualified for the Olympics in Japan in 2020 - two of whom were on Harper’s team.

On 18 October 2019, I had the honour of coaching the Junior Girls AFL Team at the Diocesan Gala Day. 

Some of the girls were quite hesitant towards the competition, as this was the first time they would be playing an actual AFL game. Although this was the case, we had a good balance of experienced players who helped the other students throughout the day. The Gala Day was a big learning curve for individuals and as a team As a team, the girls went from strength to strength with each game they played. 

The girls won their first couple of games against Corpus Christi and John Therry. We then had to face two hard opponents. In our third game, we played St Johns. Our team were up for the challenge taking the lead early and keeping the pressure on. Unfortunately, we would go down by 8, as St Johns pulled away. We then went on to play St Marys. The girls put up a valiant effort but St Marys were too strong on the day. It gave us some satisfaction, at least, that St Marys went on to win the day.

There were some big contributors throughout the day. None other than Jasmine McAllister who scored 7 goals throughout the day and was a key leader throughout the group. Jasmine was awarded MVP for the day. I was also proud to see the emergence of Mia Warby. Consistently playing a strong defensive role. I was also pleased to see Amber English, Bianca Dibella and Katarina Wojcik take to the sport so fluently. There were so many great performances and I congratulate all the girls on their efforts on the day.

The girls finished 5th overall (out of 10 schools), an amazing effort. Well done girls. I was proud to say how well you presented yourselves on the day and how well you represented our College.

Mr Matthew Bubb