OPEN AFTERNOON / EVENING 2019

This coming Monday we have one of the most important evenings for the College in terms of highlighting ‘who we are’ to potential students and families of the future. Current students have been invited to take part in the evening to be involved in displays, dance routines, presentations and the like or to act as Tour Guides.

We are hopeful we will have a large number of visitors and prospective students (current Year 5 and 6 students from around the Macarthur)

A BBQ will be provided on the night and all are welcome to attend. We encourage you to get the message out to neighbours, friends and family about the night.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS’ WEEK

Not only is our Open Night a key feature of Catholic Schools’ Week, but we also have our Diocesan Education Mass later in the week on Thursday. The Mass will be held at the Twin Cathedral at Fairy Meadow on Thursday 7 March at 6.30pm.

2018 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE HIGH ACHIEVERS RECEPTION

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Camden Mayoral Reception for the 2018 High Achievers at Camden Civic Centre.

Camden State MP, Mr Chris Patterson spoke on the night and a number of Camden

 Council dignitaries and significant people from the local area attended the night giving their respects to the talented group of students who achieved well in last year’s HSC.

It was a great shame that the night coincided with a number of university events and therefore, only 3 of our 40 students who live in the ‘Camden’ Council area could be recognised. However, to have 40 students receive awards is further testimony to the quality of the outgoing Year 12 2018 Year Group.

CEO WELCOME DINNER

Last night, Mrs Foldes and I had the pleasure of attending the Wollongong Catholic Education Office’s Welcome Dinner for staff new to teaching and/or new to the Diocese (since March 2018).

Magdalene had six ‘new’ staff attend the dinner: Ms Andrea Blok, Mr Chris Power, Miss Kathleen Angelopoulos, Miss Sarah Manzin, Mrs Lauren Brody and Mr Kip Veness. We are blessed to have such quality teachers join our community and we hope that they have settled into our community.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

In coming weeks I will be recommending various books either with a focus on quality parenting and/or student learning.

In this newsletter, I would strongly recommend Celia Lashlie’s He’ll Be Ok: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men.

The author brings much experience to this work having been a mother of teenage boys, a prison warden and a consultant to principals.

Lashlie presents a viewpoint about the vital role that fathers need to play in their sons’ lives, and in a confronting way posits that “over-mothering” (or overparenting”) and not allowing sons to grow, may actually hold children back. She provides useful advice to families with multiple parents and/or carers and to sole parents and especially families where a male role model is not around.

In one extract from the book, Lashlie suggests, from her experience with boys, that schools need to provide boys … “time to think, time to process new-found emotions and time to make decisions about their future. They need time to just be, to move freely between boyhood and manhood, returning several times, in the initial flush of adolescence, to a state of boyhood where they’ll spend time playing while reflecting at a deeper (and often completely invisible) level on the fact that they’re in the process of leaving that boyhood behind.”

As part of “The Good Man Project” Lashlie does not preach or dictate her views on growing boys into good men but rather provides a reflective lens to consider parenting, childhood and the teenage years.

Lashlie believes we really need to understand a boy’s pragmatism (i.e. “what’s in it for me, what’s the pay-off, why should I do this?”) and connect with them and their decision-making processes. As such, she talks about the dangers of ‘nagging’ and tries to emphasise building resilience: “When he knows it’s up to him and only him whether something is done or doesn’t get done, when he’s able to link action with consequences, then he’ll begin to make good decisions for himself.”

Therefore, for those looking for a reflective writer especially on how to raise boys well, look no further than this book. It is an easy read; each chapter has a summary page and I found it invaluable for my own self-reflection as an educator and parent.

GEORGE PELL VERDICT

Given the significance of the events earlier this week, it would be remiss of me to not direct you to the Catholic Education Office Website: https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/news/ to receive further clarity and confidence regarding our Diocesan stance.

Sometimes when we are seeking solace, we need look no further than some of the best and most traditional prayers within our Church.

Today therefore let us pray for peace, understanding and hope:

Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, 
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

- Amen.

Mr Matthew McMahon

Principal

ONE WEEK TO GO TO SUBMIT TO PLENARY 2020!

More than 68,000 people have engaged with the Plenary Council during the Listening and Dialogue stage. The contribution of Wollongong Diocese has been significant. As this time comes to an end, there’s only one week to contribute your story, your experience of faith, Church and God in your life to help shape the Plenary Council agenda. The Listening and Dialogue stage will close on Ash Wednesday 6 March 2019. We would love to hear from you before then. The website is plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au

Our Children – Engaging and Growing in God’s Love

Our children are precious to us and to God – made in his image.  As parents, grandparents, catechists and sacramental program leaders, how do we encourage and nurture our children as they grow in this awareness?  These sessions will reflect on the process of growth in faith, how children are actively involved in their own social and spiritual development – sometimes for the good and sometimes through suffering and hardship.

When and where:

Tuesday 26  March 2019, 7:30pm-9:00pm
Ingham Room, Xavier Conference Centre, 38 Harbour St Wollongong

Wednesday 27  March 2019, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Phillip Room, Campbelltown Catholic Club, 20 Camden Rd Campbelltown

RSVP: To Helen Bennett by Friday 22 March on 4222 2403 or helen.bennett@dow.org.au  

Year 7 have been working towards achieving their Bunsen burner licence.

Year 8 have are looking at cells as the building blocks of life, and have just received their first assessment notification: the Student Research Project.

Year 9 are continuing to look at cycles of ecosystems.

Year 10 are starting to look at different chemical reactions and the compounds that form.

Year 11 Biology are investigating cell membranes.

Year 11 Chemistry have begun their first depth study on different types of chemical bonds.

Year 11 Physics are looking at motion equations and performing investigations to explore motion in one dimension.

Year 11 Investigating Science are developing catapults which are maintained without contact.

Year 12 classes are busy preparing themselves for their half yearly exams! Best of luck to them all.

On Monday, 4th March, Magdalene is having the Open Evening. Come by the Science labs for an explosive and gruesome demonstration every 15 minutes! Some activities include:

• Explosive hydrogen balloons
• Gruesome heart dissection
• Awesome elephant’s toothpaste
• Magical flame tests
• Disgusting glucose snake

Ms Rachel Gavin

Science Teacher.

It was that time of year again when MISA trials were held to select representatives for our MISA Dance Team. MISA Dance has always had an enormous amount of interest and this year was like no other.

On 12th February we saw an enthusiastic group of 82 students, both male and female, turn up and trial on the day. With the help of ex-student Lacey Boss (Year 12 2018), the students were taken through a warm-up, technique consisting of turns, jumps and leaps and a Jazz style combination.

The students worked hard and definitely made the decision harder than imagined and callbacks were held on the 15th of February. Students ranged in various styles of Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Acrobatics and Cheerleading. All those who auditioned are commended on their efforts.

Due to the constraints on numbers I had to cut 82 students down to 34. It was a hard decision but I want to congratulate both the successful dancers and everyone who took the time to trial and anyone who stepped out of their comfort zone or decided to try something different.

The MISA Dance team will be performing at various events throughout Terms 1 and 2, starting off with our Open Afternoon on 4th March. Be sure to catch them at Magdalene Shines and the Annual MISA Dance Showcase held at The Cube during Term 2.

I am looking forward to working with such a talented bunch of Dancers at our College this year.

Miss Tahlia Cupillari

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact Alison Shortridge (Learning Support Coordinator).

2019 Swimming Carnival

On Wednesday 13^th February the annual Magdalene Swimming Carnival was held at Campbelltown Swimming Centre, Bradbury. There was a welcome reprieve from the heat with the weather perfect for a swim competition. From the outset, a high level of competition resulted in records being broken. Great participation along with outstanding individual performances resulted in Houses gathering points quickly. Students also enjoyed extra activities inclusive of inter-House Oztag competition which contributed to House points. Cheering and costumes also added to House point tallies. Students are to be commended for their positive approach to the day which resulted in a great carnival atmosphere. Well done also to Luke Small for his outstanding efforts in the Multi-Class categories.

Congratulations to our students who achieved Age Champion and broke records – see below.

The house points battle was hard fought. The results will be revealed after they are announced at our next assembly.

Magdalene Catholic College
Swimming Carnival Records
Highlighted records were broken at this year’s carnival.

MISA RESULTS : Magdalene v St Benedict’s