OPEN AFTERNOON / EVENING

As has been communicated previously, this year’s event will be different due to the need to be COVID-19 safe.

The evening will be divided into 3 sessions and, instead of a presentation from key staff, videos of key messages about Magdalene and the enrolment process will be viewed on various screens around the College. These will also be available after the night.

I remain very thankful to the hundreds (yes hundreds) of students who have volunteered to assist on the night.

Tours and various displays will still occur during the evening and our wonderful P & F members will again host a BBQ.

If you have children in year 6 2021 do register on our website to attend on the night and come and collect application forms. Application Forms for Year 7 2022 need to be submitted by 29 March 2021!

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

It was lovely to have a slice of (almost) normality with the College Swimming Carnival occurring on Monday. I write ‘almost’ as not all of our students were able to attend yet it was great that all competitive swimmers and students from Years 7, 11 and 12 could be there and get involved.

Final results are still being tallied and will be published in the near future. This stated, I can confirm that a number of records were broken this year and there were a large number of highly competitive swimmers in action on the day.

I thank Mrs Andruschko for her organisation of the carnival and all staff who helped in any capacity on the day. I also commend our Year 12 students who dressed up in Hawaiian theme and fully participated in the various races and activities.

UNIFORM UPDATE

In light of recent media reports, I have had a few queries in regard to non-traditional haircuts. As you know, we are quite conservative in our policies and expectations when it comes to uniform and appearance. Mullets have never been allowed at Magdalene, and, to make it crystal clear, we included the phrase “no mullets are allowed” in this year’s diaries. If students or parents/carers are ever in doubt about allowable hairstyles do ask us before attending barbers or hairdressers.

It was great to see jumpers arriving. If you have ordered a jumper, parents / carers / students will be contacted upon its arrival. Cardigans will be here soon!

A quick reminder that students in Years 8, 9 and 12 need to be in their correct uniform at all times. Items of the Year 8, 9 and 12 uniform can be purchased from the 2^nd Hand Uniform Store and/or Noone can assist you with this.

If students in Years 8, 9 or 12 wish to move into the new College Uniform - that is not a problem – students just can’t mix items of old and new uniform.

PRAYER

Prayer this fortnight is a courtesy of “Catholic Daily Reflections” (https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/) and focuses on both prayer and the season of Lent.

“One of the most important parts of true prayer is that it takes place deep in the inner room of your soul. It is there in the inner depths of your being that you will meet God. Saint Teresa of Ávila, one of the greatest spiritual writers in the history of our Church, describes the soul as a castle in which God dwells. Meeting Him, praying to Him and communing with Him requires that we enter into the deepest and innermost chamber within this castle of our soul. It is there, in the innermost dwelling, that the full glory and beauty of God is discovered.

God is not just a God who is “out there” far away in Heaven. He is a God who is closer and more intimate than we could ever imagine. Lent is a time, more than any other time of the year, when we must strive to make that journey inward so as to discover the Indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity.

What does God want of you this Lent? It’s easy to begin Lent with more superficial commitments, such as giving up a favourite food or doing an extra good deed. Some choose to use Lent as a time to get in better physical shape, and others decide to dedicate more time to spiritual reading or other holy exercises. All of this is good and useful. But you can be certain that the deepest desire of our Lord for you this Lent is that you pray.

Prayer, of course, is much more than saying prayers. It’s not only saying the rosary, or meditating upon Scripture, or reciting beautifully composed prayers. Prayer is ultimately a relationship with God…”

My divine Lord, I give myself to You this Lent. Draw me in so that I may come to know You more. Reveal to me Your divine presence, dwelling deep within me, calling me to Yourself. May this Lent, dear Lord, be glorious as I strengthen my love and devotion through the discovery of the gift of true prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.

Please be aware that supervision of students commences at 7.50am in the Top Quad. After school - students should be collected no later than 3.30pm from the student pick up area (with the exception of extra-curricular activities the student may be attending). Students should not be on the College grounds outside of these times.

On the 10 February, Year 12 Society & Culture students had an excursion to the State Library.

They were guided through research skills by library staff and then given time to read through award winning Personal Interest Projects from previous years that are stored at the library.

Year 10 Textiles are exploring the focus area of Textile Arts and engaged in a workshop with Miss Caitie Oldfield, our Aboriginal Education Assistant. Miss Oldfield outlined the traditional colours, symbols and techniques used in Traditional Aboriginal Textiles and students participated in a workshop in raffia weaving techniques to make their very own wrist bracelet.

Students will now design and make their own Textile Art piece using inspiration from our workshop and further research to reflect upon our cultural heritage.

We thank Miss Oldfield for her time and for sharing her knowledge and expertise with us all.  

Stay tuned for photos of our completed projects at the end of Term One?

Mrs Rixon and Mrs Violi 

MISA DANCE 2021

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

On the 2nd February a junior audition was held and saw an enthusiastic group of 30 students turn up and trial on the day. With the help of current year 12 student Amy Summers, the students were taken through a warm-up, technique consisting of turns, jumps and leaps and a commercial jazz style combination. The senior audition held on the 9th February saw a talented group of 17 students who performed exceptionally well and it was definitely a tough decision after the two weeks of auditions.

I selected a very energetic and vastly different group of 35 dancers ranging from years 7 to 12. 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 back in 2021 performing at various events throughout the year, starting off with our Open Afternoon on Monday 1st March. Be sure to catch them at Magdalene Shines and the Annual MISA Dance Showcase held at The Cube during Term 2. Whilst Term 3 will also deliver a competition with selected dancers and performances.

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

Miss Tahlia Cupillari

Dance Coach

Tuesday afternoon sport programs have continued throughout the term with very positive feedback from all involved.

MISA Competition

The MISA competition commenced with matches against John Therry Catholic College and Mt Carmel Catholc College. 

Round 1 - John Therry Catholic College

Round 2  - Mt Carmel Catholic College

Upcoming Matches

For the College sports program to be effective, the following information is important.

• All Tuesday afternoon sport permission notes for Years 7 to 11 must be returned by the end of week 5, Friday 26th February.
• All students are required to attend their allocated Tuesday Sport. If unable to attend due to injury, a note needs to be given to Mrs Andruschko before recess on the Tuesday.
• All students must have the College hat, water bottle and any required medical equipment with them to participate in the sporting activities. In addition to this and in accordance with NSW Government regulations, all students and staff are required to wear a face mask when traveling on a sport bus to a venue. Students must have their own face mask for Tuesday sport.
• All students have been given access to the Sport 2021 classroom page. This page will contain information about Tuesday Afternoon Sport, Sporting Trials, Diocesan sport information and CCC selection trials. The classroom code is jm6go7r.

Diocesan Events

Diocesan Boys Touch Football Carnival - Monday 15th February

Congratulations to all students for their participation and efforts at the recent Boys Diocesan Touch Football Carnival held on Monday 15th February. Students and teachers travelled to Dalton Park Fairy Meadow to compete in the day and all students represented the College with great sportsmanship. Results are listed below from the carnival and thank you to Mr Manns, Mr Potts and Mr Morrison for taking the teams.

Final Placings

Upcoming Diocesan events have been list below for Term 1:

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/events-secondary/

Students are encouraged to join the Sport classroom page and check the sport notices emailed via compass to keep up to date with the sporting information at the college.

NSWCCC

Registrations for individuals wanting to attend CCC trials must be completed online via the   CSNSW Sport website - https://csnsw.sport/. These trials are for individuals competing at a representative level or higher in their sport. An information sheet has been attached to assist in the registration process and please contact Mrs Andruschko if you have any questions.

Revised Dates are listed below for the following sports:

Swimming Carnival

On Monday 22nd February, the 23rd Magdalene Catholic College Swimming Carnival was held. Students attended with a great level of enthusiasm and house spirit, with many students entering races. Results from the carnival have been posted outside the LRC this week and students will be notified in Week 6 on their representation at the Diocesan Carnival. Students who placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their event were awarded College ribbons on the day, with this being determined by the overall time in the event, not by heat result. Congratulations to all students on their efforts with individual performances and final results from the carnival to be included in the Week 7 newsletter.

Upcoming Carnivals

The Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals will be held later in the term. The dates are listed below and unfortunately current COVID guidelines do not allow parents, carers or other spectators to attend. An update will be provided if this changes prior to these carnivals

Please contact Mrs Andruschko if there are any questions or information about Sport at the College. The sport email is mcc-sport-list@dow.catholic.edu.au

• If a student is required to leave school early a note needs to be written and signed by the parent/carer in their student diary explaining why and when they need to leave.
• Student to show their diary with the written permission to their class teacher who will allow the student to leave class and be signed out by the office and collected by parent.
• Students are to see their subject teachers regarding any work missed.

All Administration procedures can be found in the Student Diary.

The Canteen is in need of Volunteers! If you are able to help for just a few hours, once a week/month/term, please contact the College Office on 4631 3300 for more information.