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HSC 2022
It’s all over!!!
Congratulations to our Year 12 2022 cohort who have now successfully concluded their HSC Examinations.
Last Friday was the last day of formal examinations and so commences the nervous, yet quietly confident, wait until 15th December when our students will receive their HSC and ATAR results. Year 12 2022 students are then invited back to a Morning Tea on this day (15/12/22) to celebrate one another’s successes and talk about possible career directions (tertiary or otherwise). We hope to see all Year 12 2022 students on this morning.
The College would especially like to thank Mrs Michelle Cornett our HSC Presiding Officer for her hard work throughout the HSC Examination Period. She has been highly professional and very pastorally caring for our students. We would also like to thank all other HSC Invigilators who worked alongside our students over the past four weeks.
In the meanwhile, we very much look forward to next week’s Formal at the Cube (Campbelltown Catholic Club). The night will be a fitting conclusion to the year for this cohort and we look forward to seeing all attending on the night.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
There have been numerous examples in recent weeks of our new student leaders (Years 7-11) really stepping into their new roles. I would like to commend all of our new leaders on such a positive beginning. We look forward to hearing about their new initiatives in the weeks and months ahead. Well done!
NEW GYM EQUIPMENT
It has been a long wait, but I am absolutely delighted to note that our new gym equipment is almost fully installed.
In the coming weeks and months – details about how and when (and which year groups) will be able to access the gym will be provided. Very exciting!
COURTESY IN THE CARPARK AND TURNING CIRCLE
As you know, Magdalene Catholic College is continuing to grow. This is a credit to our staff, students, and our fine community. However, and as was raised at our College’s last P & F Meeting, it is absolutely essential that parents/carers and community members show courtesy to one another on their way to and from the College as they drop off and pick up their children.
Patience is critical and it is everyone’s responsibility to model the types of behaviour we want our young people to display in their own daily lives. Negative actions, beeping at one another, gesturing, turning right out of the College at the wrong times, not following signage and/or procedure, showing aggression to one another etc… are simply not acceptable and such behaviour can breach our Parent School Partnership Framework.
In extreme cases (in other schools) parents/carers have had to be refused entry on school grounds because their actions were deemed to be inappropriate or unsafe. In my time at the College, we have never had to follow through with this, but can I PLEASE request that we are very conscious of our behaviour. In saying this, I am very aware, as is the P & F, that the great majority of our parents/carers do comply with what is expected. Thank you.
PRAYER
The following prayer is in honour of Remembrance Day. On the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month (1918), an armistice was signed, ending the “war to end all wars” – World War I. Today, November 11 has therefore been set aside as a day in which to pray for those who have died serving their country in all conflicts and/or peace-keeping efforts. Accordingly, we keep all who have served Australia (whether it be in peace or war times) in our hearts and prayers
Prayer of Remembrance (Courtesy of Sydney Catholic Schools)
Let us pray for all who suffer because of conflict, and ask that God may give us peace:
For the service men and women who have died in the violence of war, each one remembered by and known to God; May God give peace, God give peace For those who love them in death as in life, offering the distress of our grief and the sadness of our loss; May God give peace.
For all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day, remembering family, friends and all who pray for their safe return; May God give peace, God give peace For civilian women, children and men whose lives are disfigured by war or terror, calling to mind in penitence the anger and hatreds of humanity; May God give peace.
For peace-makers and peace-keepers, who seek to keep this world secure and free; May God give peace, God give peace. For all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership, political, military and religious; asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace. May God give peace.
O God of truth and justice, we hold before you those whose memory we cherish, and those whose names we will never know. Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm. As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future; for you are the source of life and hope, now and for ever.
–Amen.
We have had a number of students equiring at the College Office for sunscreen. We are unable to provide sunscreen for students, and recommend that students bring their own to school to apply before outside activites.
Year 12 2023 - Monday 14 November 6 - 7pm
Year 7 2023 - Wednesday 23 November 6 - 7pm
Year 10 2023 - Monday 28 November 6 - 7pm
The feast of Elizabeth of Hungary is next week. Unlike most saints, she was married and had three children and was also a member of a royal family! One of the distinguishing features of her life is that, even though she was a royal and had access to riches, she lived a very simple life and devoted time and money to looking after the poor and needy.
In a similar way, Mary Magdalene and some other women, used their time and resources to provide for Jesus and the Apostles as they moved from place to place, preaching the good news and healing people.
As it says in Luke's Gospel, chapter 8: “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
So, firstly, here is a woman who has earned enough money from her merchant skills - most likely with the sale of Garum Fish Sauce, which was one of the most important spices of the Ancient world or, possibly, from the sale of expensive textiles, perhaps dyed in purple, both of which were key industries in the town of Magdala.
And what are we to make of Mary Magdalene being cured of evil spirits and diseases and the seven demons that had been cast out? Hard to know for sure. Jesus did cast out demons from many people but he also healed people of physical and mental illnesses. In those days, people thought that regular illnesses were caused by sin and the devil, and they had no concept of germs, bacteria or chronic illness. So was Mary Magdalene healed of seven demons or an illness, be it physical, mental or spiritual? We are not sure. But to me, the number seven in the Bible means goodness and perfection, e.g., God created the world in seven days. (Genesis 1) Therefore, whatever was not right with Mary Magdalene was put perfectly right by the power of Jesus. Instead of wallowing in misery after being healed she went out and helped others, including Jesus and all of the apostles. Mary Magdalene is a wonderful example to us of discipleship and personal best - we are asked to listen to Jesus and keep his commandments - principally, to love God and to love our neighbour.
Mr Steve O'Neill
Religion Leader of Learning
On October 28th, Year 9 Commerce had the opportunity to visit New South Wales Parliament and the Police and Justice Museum in Sydney. After arriving by bus, we were given tours of both Parliament House and the museum. Both classes had the chance to role-play a mock trial and a Legislative Assembly session. This was a wonderful experience as it allowed us to have fun while learning more about our current topic of Law, Society, and Political Involvement.
Year 12 Investigating Science Test a Claim
In a modern society where information is abundant, it is also easy for misinformation to spread. In our Module: Fact or Fallacy, we look at how we can test claims, and use evidence to support or refute fallacies. Students in Year 12 Investigating Science developed scientific experiments to test claims made by advertisers and society. The students tested the claims that a brand of chocolate chip cookies contain 40% choc-chips by mass, and a brand of adhesive strips could hold a certain mass. The students were surprised with which claims could hold up to scientific experimentation!
“In Investigating Science we have been learning about misinterpretations and misinformation in the real world and how science holds the ability to seek truth amongst this. The task we were given was to test a claim. The claim made by the 3M company is that their adhesive wall strips would hold frames, paintings and mirrors up to an identified mass to a wall under specific criteria. An experiment was conducted with multiple trials to gather results if the claim was true or not. It helped us apply our knowledge of scientific evidence by drawing conclusions from this data, identifying and acknowledging error and scientific evaluations of reliability and validity. Our conclusions were interesting because although the claim held true, it was not representative of the true function of the strips, therefore it was a source of error.”
Spencer Goldfinch
“In investigating science we have been learning how to determine whether something is an evidence-based claim. The best way to do this is through the scientific process of investigation.
The task we were given was to test a claim. The claim that we were testing was that a brand of choc chip cookies contained 40% choc chips by mass. We did this by conducting an experiment. In this experiment, we dissected choc chip cookies, weighing only the choc chips then determining the percentage of choc chips to the cookies. It helped us apply our knowledge of scientific evidence by evaluating our experiment, for its validity, reliability, and accuracy. It allowed us to find out if the claim was supported by data.
Our conclusions were interesting because not all cookies were true to this claim, however, the average was 41%.”
Jayla Li On Wing
The Macarthur Nature Photography Competition is an opportunity provided each year by Camden Council, Campbelltown Council and Wollondilly Council to help highlight the beauty of our region by asking the community to get out and about and capture our beautiful local environment.
This year we congratulate Reese Davies in Year 9 who was awarded a Highly Commended in the Australian Plants category of the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition with a great shot taken at Mount Annan Botanical Gardens. Works are currently on display at Narellan Town Centre.
The ONE Music Festival is the initiative of the Christian faith ecumenical board that Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Parish Kiama are a part of and the invitation is extended on their behalf to families and young people from the Illawarra.
