GOALS & FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Do your sons and/or daughters have clear understandings about what it takes to succeed?

Recently I attended a conference on Contemporary Education and the notion of excellence in schools was raised. A presenter spoke at length about the importance of a students’ engagement in the classroom. This topic caught my attention because the speaker talked about, amongst other things, parental/carer engagement with their children. The presenter asked educators to estimate the percentage of parents/carers in their school who had recently (in the last month) spoken to their children about: a) their academic goals, and b) their career aspirations.

To be honest, I was a little perplexed by the question/s and had to think hard about an accurate response. I would like to hope that there are regular conversations happening about topics like these between parents/carers and their children. However, I’m also aware that the busyness of life can certainly impact on the quantity of time that families have available to discuss such issues (and let’s face it, some teenagers do tend to save their energy for conversations with their peers.) In the end, I estimated over 80% of our parents/carers have had those conversations. But how accurate am I?

At the start of each year students at Magdalene are given the opportunity to create their own academic goals. Often these goals are then tweaked and refined at the start of each term, yet I do wonder how willingly students share these goals with their families? So, for those who’ve already had these conversations what responses are you receiving and are these answers consistent with where you thought your children were at? I look forward to continuing to write about and discuss this matter in future newsletters.

OPEN DAY

Thank you to everyone involved in our recent Open Day. Here is a brief rundown of key numbers:

• We had in excess of 900 visitors on the night (even in spite of the need for bookings and stricter Covid-safe arrangements)
• Over 250 student volunteers gave up their time to assist, run tours and/or be involved in activities
• Over 70 staff were in attendance
• Well over 100 student-led tours occurred during the night
• Over 400 application packs were distributed
• Countless Sausage sizzles were handed out and well received by our guests (thank you to our wonderful P & F volunteers)
• Over 300 donuts were made by our Hospitality students. Not surprisingly, 0 were left at the end of the night.
• Almost 100 Science experiments were carried out during the event.

STAFF VERSUS STUDENTS’ OZTAG & SAUSAGE SIZZLE

On Wednesday 10 March the second of our staff versus student matches of the year occurred on our Main Oval. Thank you to all staff and numerous students either involved in the match and/or preparing the sausage sandwiches; hundreds were sold! In terms of the match, the students went out to an early 3 tries to nil lead but the staff fought back admirably to end up with a hard fought 5-5 draw. Other staff versus student matches – an initiative of our 2021 student leaders – will occur throughout the year.

On this occasion all funds went towards CARITAS and Project Compassion. Well done all!

NAPLAN ONLINE

Parents/Carers/Students of Year 7 and 9 please note:

Please note that NAPLAN Online will return this year. Students in both Year 7 and Year 9 will complete practice tests in Weeks 9/10. There is nothing to worry about or prepare for in terms of these practice tests, but they do help us test our online systems and students get a chance to see how to complete these tests on their laptops.

Each Year Group has been. and will continue to be spoken to, about key steps from here. See Ms Phillips’ further information in this newsletter.

PRAYER:

Lord, at this time of Lent we need our hearts to be continually renewed. This is Your work. We invite You to make our hearts Your home. May Your life in us attract others to You.

PSALM 121: Song of Ascents

I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where is my help to come from?

My help comes from Yahweh who made heaven and earth.

May He save your foot from stumbling; may He, your guardian, not fall asleep!

You see - He neither sleeps nor slumbers, the guardian of Israel.

Yahweh is your guardian, your shade, Yahweh, at your right hand.

By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.

Yahweh guards you from all harm, Yahweh guards your life,

Yahweh guards your comings and goings, henceforth and for ever.

This Psalm fits in very well with Bishop Ambrose’s 4^th Century call for atonement and renewal:

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,

Take away from me my sins,

And mercifully kindle in me

The fire of thy Holy Spirit.

Take away from me the heart of stone, 

And give me a heart of flesh,

A heart to love and adore Thee, 

A heart to delight in Thee

And to follow and enjoy Thee.

For Christ’s sake, Amen

• Ambrose of Milan, 4th century bishop

NAPLAN 2021 will be completed through Week 4 of Term 2. Students in Years 7 and 9 will also complete a NAPLAN Practice Test in Term 1. The purpose of this test is to ensure students are familiar with the online structure of NAPLAN 2021. Please see the timetable below for the dates and times of both NAPLAN Practice Tests and NAPLAN Tests.

What equipment is needed for NAPLAN tests?

On each NAPLAN test day (including the practice test), students will be required to have a fully-charged, functioning laptop as well as earphones/earbuds for use during the test. Student laptops require the NAP Locked Down Browser to be installed. No calculators are required for the Numeracy test as calculators are accessible when needed through the online browser.

What do I do if my child is absent from school on a test day?

If your child is absent from school on a test day,  please contact the College office and leave a message for Miss Stephanie Phillips. Students who are absent will complete a catch-up test with a test administrator upon their return to school. All NAPLAN catch-up tests must be finalised by Friday, 21 May. 

If you have further questions about NAPLAN, please contact Miss Stephanie Phillips.

What's happening in Art this term?

Year 11 - Still Life Drawing

Unit of Work - Inanimate Objects 

Medium - White Chalk Pastel on Black Paper

Year 11 Visual Art students are currently studying Still Life, Inanimate Objects. They are focusing on developing form and space in their sketches, integrating a variety of different tonal rendering techniques to create depth. These white chalk pastel drawings of animal skulls are reminiscent of the Vanitas art movement; a style of art depicting objects that are symbolic of the inevitability of death and the transience and vanity of earthly achievements, reminding the viewer of their mortality.

Benjamin Ballantyne

Liam McClafferty

Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science Excursion- Georges River and Chipping Norton Lake

As part of the year 12 Earth and Environmental Science course students are tasked with completing fieldwork to investigate environmental impacts of a human activity.

The students also study a resource and how it is extracted, managed, used and environmental impacts managed and land, water and air rehabilitated. 

A visit to the Georges River Environmental Education Centre was a perfect opportunity to study the effects of sand mining in Chipping Norton, alongside the Georges’ river, where sand was mined alongside farms since the 20th Century. 

Sand mining contributes to the construction of buildings and development. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in concrete. In the west of Sydney, Sand is mined from floodplain deposits on the Nepean River and Georges rivers. Locations such as Menangle, Camden, Cranebrook, Chipping Norton and Penrith have been or are the home to many commercial quarrying operations where the rivers cuts through Hawkesbury Sandstone and deposit sand nearby the river. Quarry workers remove sand and drill into the partially broken bedrock to further extract gravels and crushed sandstone.

Students explored the effects of sandmining of the river, by collecting abiotic and biotic measurements from locations along the river and the artificial lake. The measured soil and water pH, soil nutrients, slope measurements, temperature, wind, humidity and species abundance and diversity. This significantly increased their skill with instruments and confidence with understanding the impacts of science on understanding the world around them.

Students were also able to explore physical geography using augmented reality, through the use of a real-time topographic map, that they could alter by adjusting sand height and formations. They studied sand particles under the microscope to relate their features to their formation and also for their commercial use. This day further espoused the importance of out of classroom learning experiences.

International Women and Girls in Science day Poster Competition

On February 11th, International Women and Girls in Science day was marked by several events at Magdalene Catholic College

Among the events, a competition was launched. Students in Year 7 - 10 were invited to create a poster, either by hand or digitally, about a famous female scientist OR a poster that motivates girls to study and pursue science as a career.

One winner was selected from each of Stage 4 (Year 7-8) and from Stage 5 (Year 9-10). Winners will have their poster enlarged, framed and put up in the Science Corridor, as well as receiving a gift voucher.

The standard of artwork was creative, inspiring and elegant. Thanks to every student who took the time and effort to submit an entry. 

I am pleased to announce the winners of our competition:

Year 7-8 Winner 

Abbey Currell (8B)

 

Year 9-10 Winner

Charlie Roberts (10S)

 

Their posters will make excellent additions to the Science Corridor. These students will be invited to collect their prize in week 7. Well done girls!

Mr Chris Ferry

Science Leader of Learning

On Thursday 18th February, Stage 5 Drama students boarded the train at Campbelltown station on their way to the Seymour Centre to experience the musical “FANGIRLS” by composer, lyricist and playwright Yve Blake. This Belvoir production encapsulates all the fun and agonising moments of ‘fan culture’ through the lives of teenage girls. The students were thoroughly entertained for two and half hours with exceptional performances, an amazing LED set design and the pure joy of audience participation during the concert scene. After the performance, the audience were able to engage with the cast and creative team for a question and answer session on how the production began and why it has been such a success since it’s initial opening in 2019. 

Our students were lucky to have a photo with the creator Yve Blake and one of the main characters after the show. There was a ‘fan board’ in the foyer for further photo opportunities. 

Overall the story of FANGIRLS enabled young women to see themselves truthfully and with unlimited power to achieve anything they set out to do. 

It was a wonderful production and a positive experience for our Stage 5 Drama students. 

Mrs Lisa Stevens 

Drama teacher

Term One continues to be a very busy time for sport in all areas including Tuesday Sport, Diocesan competition, College Carnivals and CCC selection trials.

MISA Competition

The MISA competition continued with matches against Macarthur Adventist College and St Benedict’s Catholic College. Congratulations to all teams for their efforts throughout the two weeks.

Round 3 - Macarthur Adventist College

Round 4  - St Benedict’s Catholic College

Upcoming Matches

Some reminders about Tuesday Afternoon Sport: 

• 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 Girls Touch Football Carnival - Monday 1st March

Congratulations to all students for their participation and efforts at the recent Girls Diocesan Touch Football Carnival held on Monday 1st March. The day was held at Dalton Park, Fairy Meadow and Magdalene was well represented by three teams. Results are listed below from the carnival and thank you to Ms Miller, Mrs Taccone and Miss Angelopoulos for taking the teams.

Congratulations to Amalia Plummer and Zoe Hollingworth who were selected in the Wollongong Diocesan team to compete in the CCC carnival later in the term.

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:

Further information can be found at: https://csnsw.sport/

Student Achievements

Congratulations to the following students for their successful efforts at recent CCC selection trials.

• Chris Fergie and Tyrone Fergie - Baseball
• Lilian Kremmer - Golf

College Swimming Carnival Results- Monday 22nd February

Congratulations to the Age Champions and Runners-up at the College Swimming Carnival held on Monday 22nd February.

Boys

Girls

Congratulations to Moore House, who were overall House Champions for the Swimming Carnival for 2021.

Swimming Carnival Records

Many new records were set at the College Swimming Carnival and congratulations to the following students for their achievements on the day.

Upcoming Carnivals

The Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals will be held in Weeks 8 and Week 10 of Term 1 as outlined below.

Information and permission notes have been emailed to parents and carers of students who have registered for the carnival via compass during Week 7.Consent is required by Monday 15th March.

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

College Winter Uniform

• Students return in full Winter Uniform from Monday 10 May.

Procedure for students leaving early

• a note signed by the parent/carer in students diary explaining why and when they will be picked up.
• students show class teacher then make their way to the office for pick up.
• students to see subject teacher for any missed work.

Year 7 Vaccinations

• Monday 15 March - students to wear sports uniform.

Pupil Free Day (Staff Development)

• Wednesday 17 March

College Uniform Shop Contact Details Phone: 02 7209 3736 Email: MCC@noone.com.au Trading Hours Monday 7.30am – 12.30pm Thursday 10.30am – 3.30pm

Second Hand Uniform Shop

Open Fridays 7.50am -8.15am

EFTPOS available

Our College canteen cannot funtion without the valuable help of parent/carer volunteers daily. It would be greatly appreciated if you could assist in any way - once a month, once a term or any other time that you specify. Each day, volunteers are required between the hours of 9:30am - 10:30am and/or 12:30 - 1:30pm. If you are able to assist, please contact the College office on (02) 4631 3300.

Upcoming Canteen Roster