‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40

Each year the St Vincent de Paul Society holds a national event, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, to raise awareness of the growing issue of homelessness. It challenges business and community leaders to sleep rough for one night and raise funds to combat the issue. Homelessness and the care of people who are homeless is a primary concern of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Later this afternoon and into the evening, a group of Magdalene students from Years 9 - 12 and Magdalene staff will stay at school to coincide with this event.

The Vinnies School Sleepout allows students and school communities to get a glimpse of the realities of homelessness, and encourages students and staff to gain a deeper understanding of homelessness, raise awareness of the realities faced by people experiencing homelessness and raise funds to support Vinnies homeless services in the local community. The Magdalene sleepout has been coordinated by Mr Peter Collins, Mission Coordinator, and I acknowledge his organisation and commitment to this event.

‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ...‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40 )

God of Mercy,

We know your call to feed the hungry,

to help the stranger,

and to find shelter for the homeless.

Stir our hearts to move more deeply in our walk with Jesus,

to respond to the cry of the hungry,

to welcome the stranger

and to house the homeless.

Help us to be disciples of action and service to all.

Amen.

Bishop’s gathering with Year 12

Bishop Brian Mascord will be visiting Magdalene next week to meet with Year 12 students. He will first meet with the student leaders before being joined by all of Year 12 where he will lead them in prayer and reflection. In preparation for this gathering, Bishop Brian has requested that Year 12 reflect on the following question: What is the Spirit saying to you as a young person in our world today?  Time permitting, the students will also be given the opportunity during this time to ask Bishop Brian any questions that they may want to present to him. Following this, Bishop Brian will take the opportunity to have lunch with available staff. We look forward to welcoming Bishop Brian back to Magdalene.

Mid Year Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews and Academic Reports

Our mid year Parent/Carer/Student/Teacher interviews commenced this week with Year 7 and 9 on Wednesday evening. Thank you to the parents and carers who were available to attend and receive important feedback from teachers regarding your child’s current progress and recommendations for further achievement as we move towards Semester Two. 

The remaining interview dates and times are listed below:

Year 8 & 10 Wednesday 23 June 3-8pm (CAPA)

Year 11 Monday 21 June 3-7pm (Mary Mackillop Centre)

Year 7-12 Catch Up Interviews (Optional) - Friday 25 June 8.30-12pm (Pupil Free Day)

A reminder that Semester One Academic Reports (7 - 11) are accessible via Compass. Please check Compass notifications for a link and details on how to access these. Contact the College Office if you experience any difficulties in accessing your child’s report.

Staff News

Mrs Alyce Maree Mamone will be on leave from the end of this Term as she and her husband prepare for the birth of their third child. We wish Mrs Mamone and her family all the best for this exciting period ahead.  

Ms Helen Said will return to Magdalene and the HSIE Faculty from maternity leave at the start of next Term, and we thank Ms Jaclyn Pettitt for her work and commitment with her classes in replacing Ms Said during this time.

As we head towards our mid year break, on behalf of Mr McMahon, I hope that all students and staff are able to spend time with family and friends and enjoy a period of rest. Most importantly, keep safe and well.

Ms Jennifer Foldes

Acting Principal

Term 3, Week 3, Monday 26 July - Monday 9 August

All students have received the Trial HSC examination schedule.  Students should be actively preparing for Trial Examinations by organising study notes, revising course content, and completing practice questions.

The Year 10 Food Technology classes recently completed their Assessment Practical 'Food For Special Occasions'. This task was challenging for most students as they had never really experienced making cakes before. Some people used fondant, some used buttercream icing, some used edible flowers and others used some really interesting decorations. Some of the special occasions that were chosen as themes for the cakes were Birthday, Christening, Baby Shower, Gender Reveal, and Graduation. There were so many beautiful cakes that were shown off and judged and contested by Mr. McMahon, Mrs. Phillips, and other teachers who also came to see the cakes. 

For this assessment, students were asked to choose a special occasion of their choice. Then were required to create a digital portfolio that represented all of the information needed to present the cakes. This included times for a party, prices, workflow plan, guest lists, menu items, and much more. For the practical part of this assessment, students brought an undecorated cake to school and decorated it during the Food Technology lesson. Some students found this challenging as they were not used to following a workflow plan while under the pressure to present their beautiful cakes. 

The students enjoyed this assessment and the cakes not only looked amazing, but tasted great too. Some of the awards given were Highly Commended, Most Creative, Best Decorated, and Most Original decorated cake. These were awarded to students who presented their cake thoroughly and that were standouts to the judges eyes. All students should be extremely proud of their efforts and the work that they displayed. 

Mrs Melissa Keith

I am writing to ask for your assistance in petitioning the New South Wales Government to reverse a decision to exclude faith and charitable groups from cemetery management.

Please find below the following:

1. A letter detailing the issue
2. An opinion piece from Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP on the matter published in The Australian on 27 May 2021

You are encouraged to share this information with your staff and school community over the coming weeks.

Save Our Graves Online Petition 

I give my support to Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP who has recently launched a Save Our Graves online petition to put pressure on the NSW Government to reverse its decision to exclude faith and charitable groups from the management of cemeteries in NSW that operate on Crown land. This also has the support of other faith leaders from the Muslim and Jewish communities.

The government’s decision is a serious attack on religious freedom and raises significant questions as to the appropriateness of handing over the management of cemeteries to a bureaucracy that has no experience in providing comfort to grieving families or the management of burial grounds. Caring for the dead and those who love them is a spiritual mission, not secular. Our faith teaches that it is one of our “corporal works of mercy” and this underpins the way we look after our cemeteries, which we have been doing for over 150 years.

An online petition page has been established at www.saveourgraves.com.au and you are encouraged to sign this petition and circulate it to your family and friends in NSW.

The third round of the Bill Turner Cup saw Magdalene take on Camden High School.

As the tournament continues the standard of football steps up dramatically. This was evident throughout our game. Unfortunately Magdalene went down 1-0 early. Credit to the boys they did not panic and really stepped up the intensity. With a slight change of formation and excellent adaptability shown from Joshua Senuik, Jake Lasogga and Koby King, the Magdalene boys started to get control of the midfield and create more opportunities to apply pressure. The boys bounced back with a follow up goal from Justin Motti followed by a second goal.

Further adjustments after the half saw the key players from Camden marked out of the game, credit going to Matt Ballantyne and Jai Cleary.

A third goal was scored for Magdalene by Koby King when the Magdalene boys put half a dozen passes together and played all around Camden High School.

Camden High scored a second goal late in the half which made for an intense last few minutes. The Magdalene students held on for a deserving 3-2 win.

Congratulations to all students involved with all substitutions making valid contributions.

Now the boys will play away at Thomas Hassell in the upcoming round.

Well done boys.

Kind regards,

Mr Matthew Bubb

Both the Noone Uniform Shop and the Second hand Uniform Shop will be closed over the school holidays, and reopen in Term 3.

Noone Operating Hours

Monday 7:30am - 12:30pm

Thursday 10:30am - 3:30pm

Second hand Uniform Shop

Friday 7:50am - 8:15am