Issue 2, 14 February 2025

At the heart of our work, we endeavour to form thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires. So, it was a special opportunity at our Opening School Liturgy on Thursday to induct our Student Leaders in front of the whole school community.  

We gathered united in faith and purpose to reflect on our theme for the year, 'Seeds of Hope'. I implored our students, and especially our Student Leaders, to be inspired by the example of Saint Mary MacKillop, and “never see a need without doing something about it”.  

As the past, present and future of our school, I wanted them to understand and appreciate that each of them carries a seed of hope within them. It was a lovely Liturgy and fitting way to officially start the school year.  

Early next week the full complement of our Year 12 Student Leaders will travel to Adelaide to engage in a Josephite immersion experience. This opportunity will provide them with valuable leadership experience as they delve deep into the beautiful story of St Mary MacKillop, Fr Julian Woods and the Sisters of St Joseph. Our students will spend time with Sr Helen Duke who will share precious stories and insights as they visit significant sites detailing the life and legacy of St Mary MacKillop. We wish Ella, Max, Sam, Sophie, Gus, Hannah, Jaxson and Macey all the best for this immersion experience and look forward to them sharing their learning and insights with our school community upon their return. 

Child safety and wellbeing is our first and foremost priority. Therefore, our College emphasises the importance of teaching all of our children and young people how to be safe. The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum is mandated to be taught in all schools in South Australia. It is designed to provide students with age-appropriate information about how to stay safe now and into the future. 

The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum is taught in all classes across the whole year. It focuses on explicitly teaching child safety and respectful relationships. Teachers are busy preparing this learning which will be taught later in the term. If you have any questions about the content or way in which this is taught, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.  

We encourage families to discuss the importance of child protection with their children and to reinforce the learning from the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum at home. By working together, we can create a safe and supportive environment for all of our students. 

Each year the outstanding academic achievements of Year 12 students are recognised at a SACE Merit Ceremony. Unfortunately, due to the extreme heat this week, some of the SACE Merit Ceremonies were postponed. Without wanting to miss an opportunity to celebrate the achievement of one of our students, its important that we recognise Zara Heritage, who received a Merit Certificate for her Research Project. It is also important to acknowledge the staff for their efforts in supporting students to achieve such great success in their learning.   

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools to better understand the needs of students with disability and support them to be successful in their learning and wellbeing. The NCCD is underpinned by legislation and it is essential in ensuring that all students, regardless of their abilities, receive the support they are entitled to.  

By identifying and recording the adjustments made for students with disability, the NCCD helps schools create more inclusive learning environments. Inclusive practices encourage flexible teaching strategies that cater to different learning styles, which benefit all students. An inclusive school environment also fosters greater understanding, empathy, and respect for diversity.  

As such, we work hard to implement appropriate support systems to enable all students to fully participate in learning. It is our aim that this leads to improved academic and social outcomes for all students.  

Tax Invoice / Statement of Accounts have been mailed to our families. It is important that a payment plan is entered into as soon as possible to ensure all fees are paid by the end of the school year. Should you have any questions or require assistance with your payment plan, please contact our Finance Team on 8648 9700 or accounts@cc.catholic.edu.au. For further financial information, please click here. 

Collection Notice for Information for Parents/Guardians  

The Australian Government Department of Education would like to notify you that a request has been made for our College to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2023. This collection of data informs Australian Government school education policy and helps ensure funding for non-government schools is based on need. The information collected will be used to inform school funding calculations. You can find more information about this data collection process by clicking here. If you have recently changed your residential address and haven’t notified the college, please advise at your earliest convenience via info@cc.catholic.edu.au  

Student Background Data 

The student background data collection is used to calculate the ICSEA score for schools and allow schools to be compared with similar schools on the MySchools website. To ensure we have the most up-to-date information, we kindly ask parent/guardians to click here to complete the quick online form by Friday 21 February.   

Thank you for your cooperation and support. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the college.   

Our Year 12 student leaders will leave for Adelaide on Tuesday to immerse themselves in the Josephite charism on their annual leadership immersion. This experience is important in their leadership formation and for them to develop both their individual and collective leadership goals and initiatives for 2025. Leaders will learn more about the story of Mary MacKillop and her leadership qualities before meeting with the student leaders of Mary MacKillop College and the Sisters of St Joseph at the Kensington Convent. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and what they have planned for the year as they commit and establish themselves as leaders of our College community. 

Lent is a liturgical season lasting 40 days, reminding us of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We are called to pray, fast and give alms as part of our Lenten practice – simple acts that allow us to imitate Jesus, who taught us to fast, pray and live in service to others, especially the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised. Many people choose to give up a particular indulgence or habit as a form of self-discipline or practice whilst others choose to take up a challenge. 

As a College community, we will mark the final preparations and beginning of Lent in Week 6.  

• Tuesday 4 March – Shrove Tuesday  
• Wednesday 5 March – Ash Wednesday  

Further information about these significant days will be provided in the next newsletter. 

The 2025 Sacramental Preparation Program will begin in Term 2, with Year 4 students preparing to receive their first Holy Communion. Letters to families of students in Years 3, 4 and 7 will be receiving an email from the All Saints Catholic Parish advising of dates for family calendars for each sacrament as well as the Parent Information Session, being held on Thursday 20 March, 7:00pm, at All Saints Catholic Church. 

If you have a child of Sacramental age in 2025, and did not receive any information from the parish about the program, please contact the All Saints Catholic Church on 8642 2847. 

This year’s annual Sports Day is fast approaching with the event being held on Friday 21st March (Week 8). The students have begun practicing their events, with a number of classes already completing some of the pre-events. There is also some very healthy competition amongst the three houses (Joseph, Tenison and MacKillop), with Joseph and Tenison looking to break MacKillop's five-year winning streak. Families are encouraged to attend and support their children throughout the day. More information will follow closer to the date.