Welcome Back to Term Two

We look forward to a very exciting term with, apart from ongoing learning and teaching happening across the College, many varied events planned. These opportunities include such things as a new MISA season, various curriculum excursions (across multiple years and/or classes), LIVE events, our Athletics Carnival, the MISA Dance festival, Public Speaking and Debating Competitions, Diocesan sporting events and gala days and in Week 9 – Magdalene Shines (in our new Hall!)

Given the prevalence of COVID-19 cases, we continue to ask for your support in following CEO and NSW Health directives and being as sensible as possible. The College continues to strongly recommend vaccines and, for those who are eligible, being up to date with booster shots. Please see my recent Compass announcement which outlined recent NSW Government changes to self-isolation rules for household contacts. Effectively, staff and students who are close/household contacts and have no symptoms may continue to attend school in line with the following requirements:

• They must notify the school that they are intending to return under this provision.
• They should conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and return a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 school days (results do NOT need to be provided to the school).
• Impacted staff and/or students must wear a mask indoors except when eating or exercising.

We thank you for your support and continue to maintain our approach that students or staff exhibiting visible flu or cold-like symptoms must not be at school.

ANZAC DAY

You can read our Vice Captain’s Report later in this newsletter, but I am very thankful to the numerous Magdalene students who participated in the Camden ANZAC Day March on Monday. By all reports, students looked very presentable and took the day seriously, and with real reverence, as befits this important National Day of Remembrance. Thank you to Mr Bubb for organising the students on this day.

On Tuesday we commemorated the day with our own College ANZAC Ceremony. The College had its own Catafalque Party and even a bugler participating in the College Assembly. Speeches and prayers were said, a wreath laid, the National Anthem sung, the Last Post played, the Ode recited and there was a Minute’s silence. Thanks to Mrs Phillips for her organisation of this ceremony.  I also note how meaningful it was to see various Magdalene staff and students being remembered on the ANZAC Day Honour Roll. Lest We Forget!

PINK STUMPS DAY

Photographs of today’s event will be shared in our next newsletter. In the meantime, I commend our students and staff for participating wholeheartedly in this important fundraiser; a fundraiser which included novelty games, a BBQ, the sale of “Pink Stumps” merchandise and a staff versus student cricket match.

I include the following information from the official Pink Stumps Day website: 

“The McGrath Foundation raises money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses who provide invaluable support and care to women and men experiencing breast cancer. From diagnosis right throughout treatment, McGrath Breast Care Nurses are available to help individuals and their families for free and with no referral.

No cancer treatment is without its challenges, but this is where a McGrath Breast Care Nurse can help. They listen, guide and support people with breast cancer and their families every day through meaningful conversations, advice and quality care.

A McGrath Breast Care Nurse builds an important relationship with each person they support. They become a trusted, consistent and knowledgeable point-of-contact. As professional and qualified nurses, they care for people with both early and metastatic breast cancer, across both public and private health services. They are available for free and without a referral. It’s as simple as checking our website and finding your nearest nurse.” 

As you can see, it is an incredibly meaningful charity and one which I believe is worthy of our support. More information can be found on https://www.pinkstumpsday.com.au/ and we will share our fundraising efforts in the next newsletter.

ALIVE and TWILIGHT event

Tonight, the first LIVE Twilight Retreat (Youth Ministry Event) in nearly a year at Magdalene will be occurring.

Over 120 students from Years 7 to 12 have already registered for the event and we fully expect it will be a most worthwhile evening.

Details will be shared in the next newsletter. In the interim, I thank students for their broad support and especially Mr Collins for his organisation.

PRAYER

In light of ANZAC DAY occurring earlier in the week we submit the following prayers:

A prayer for peace: 

Almighty God may your grace enable us, in honour of ANZAC Day, to dedicate ourselves to the cause of justice, freedom and peace; and give us the wisdom and strength to build a better world. Let us pray to the Lord. 

A prayer for our Defence Force Personnel: 

Eternal God, the only source of peace, we pray for all our defence and auxiliary personnel, those who have laid down their lives for us in the cause of freedom, especially members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps with their family and friends, that they may always know God’s closeness to them, and live forever with the peace that only Christ can give. Let us pray to the Lord.

A prayer for those who suffer because of war: 

Father of Mercies, we pray for all those who suffer through the wars of nations. Comfort their hearts, uphold their faith, and grant them peace. We especially pray that common sense and the cause of humanity will dictate what ultimately happens in Ukraine. We pray that the greater good will be at the forefront of the discernment of World Leaders. Let us pray to the Lord. 

A prayer for refugees and those in need:

Dear Lord, we pray all people who have been driven from their homelands because of war and terror, may they find safety and lasting refuge. Let us pray to the Lord. 

[Adapted from: https://www.banyonundahcatholic.org.au/]

On Monday 25th April, students gathered together for the Camden ANZAC Day March. 

2022 marks 107 years since the ANZAC soldiers landed on Gallipoli in WW1 and without the restrictions of COVID-19, Camden was finally able to honour the legacy of selfless courage they represent in full. Walking through the streets, the large crowds of families and other local schools created an atmosphere that was both wholesome and reverent.

Magdalene walked as a community behind our banner and beside local groups like the 7th Lighthorse Regiment, the Military Brotherhood and the Camden Community Band. At the commemoration ceremony, students stood and our College Captains placed a wreath at the foot of the Memorial Garden. We all stood as a community for the minute's silence, with some wearing proudly the medals of loved ones. Ultimately the service was incredibly respectful and held the ANZAC spirit with complete integrity.

Thank you to the students and families that attended the march and the ceremony. Thank you especially to Mr Bubb for organising us on the day and trying to teach us how to march properly, left foot first and all.

Kind regards,

Kyna Kelly

MCC Vice Captain

CHOIR

Gospel for Easter - John 20: 11-18

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene Reflection

I love in this reading how Mary Magdalene recognises Jesus when he calls her by name. Do we recognise Jesus when he calls our name? 

Here are some examples of how we may hear Jesus calling us by name:

• Church services, such as Sunday Mass. Can we enter into worship at church and listen to Jesus in the Eucharist?
• Personal prayer, such as Bible Reading, Meditation or the Rosary? Do we make time for prayer - do we listen to God in prayer?
• Seeing the needs of others: Ukraine, Workmates, Schoolmates, Family, Friends.  Do we see and hear Jesus when we see and hear the suffering of others? How is Jesus calling us to respond?
• Our own suffering. Are we open to hearing God call our name through our own suffering. After all, we don’t believe in a God who is far removed from the concerns of this world, but rather a God who suffered and died on the cross and rose from the dead at Easter, providing salvation and hope for the world. 

Mary Magdalene listened and she recognised that Jesus was calling her name. Can we do the same?

Mr Steve O’Neill

Religion Leader of Learning

On the 31st of March, year 10 participated in Careers Day to help us build skills and gain a greater insight into life after school. We rotated through a series of four sessions: mock interviews, speed careering, my strengths and resume writing. We had the opportunity to talk to many different people about different career options to help us find a job we can feel passionate about. 

Mock interviews allowed us to meet with people outside of school and conduct an interview. Various questions were asked, like our weaknesses, strengths and interests. All students were given feedback based on their responses, appearance and the way they conducted themselves during the interview. Speed careering gave students a great understanding of different career options. We had 15 minutes in a small group to talk to each person, we could ask any question which allowed us to get the most out of each session. There was a whole range of careers, from a Lawyer to a Real Estate agent to a hairdresser. My Strengths was the year's personal favourite due to it being an extremely energetic and an enjoyable experience. The members from My Strengths provided an immensely fun experience while we participated in a personality quiz. This quiz provided us with 5 strengths, we each had a one on one chat with each member from My Strengths and gained knowledge of each of our strengths. This session gave us all reassurance that some things we deem as weaknesses are actually strengths and can help us in the future. Resume writing gave us the skills to create our own professional resume as well as a cover letter. In resume writing, we were given a scaffold and put in our own information and skills. 

This day helped us to realise that we have the option to change our career paths after school and that our senior subjects do not define us. Careers day gave us clarity letting us know that the HSC and our ATAR scores won’t predict what we do when we graduate but can aid us in the direction of our choosing. We also gained and improved important skills to help us in the future as well as recognising our weaknesses and turning them into strengths.

Moving forward we are looking forward to continuing to work on our goals for our future and the tertiary experience excursion occurring later in the term. We thank Mrs Dobbie for the organisation of the day and all the volunteers from the border community who gave up their time to take us through various experiences and sessions.

Regards, 

Year 10 SRC

Over the past few years, the way websites operate has changed and there has been a move away from HTTP to HTTPS (HTTPS is already the default for Google sites). The difference between the two protocols is that HTTPS uses an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate which is a digital certificate that authenticates a web site's identity and provides for greater levels of online security.  Currently, staff and students cannot fully access some websites that use HTTPS without an SSL certificate.

By week 5 this term all staff and students must have installed the SSL certificate to access the Colleges WIFI and the internet. Students have been emailed detailed instructions on how to install the SSL Certificate on their MacBooks.

The SSL Certificate MUST be installed by Monday 23rd May, students will NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS the Internet at school without the SSL certificate.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) – The foundation of online communication (how information is sent from a server to a browser).

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) – HTTP but within an encrypted layer of security (secure).

HTTPS comes with many advantages, both performance and, most important, security-wise. All browsers are strongly encouraging users to trust only websites implementing HTTPS because this is the single measure that can help them mitigate a variety of threats and attacks.

Outstanding Uniform Orders 

If you have placed an order for any items, all items are in stock and available for pickup. Please call into the shop to collect your order ASAP.

Trading Hours:

Mondays 7.30am - 12.30pm 

Thursdays 10.30am - 3.30pm 

The Noone Team

Nicole and Mindy

Ph: (02) 7209 3736

Email: mcc@noone.com.au

tbc