Term 4, Week 8, 26 October
Principal's Update
Uniform 2022
As 2021 draws to a close, I realise many families start to consider what uniform items need to be purchased over the summer. I wanted to write today to remind parents that we will have the introduction of some new uniform items in 2022 which will be available to purchase from early January 2022. Whilst the new uniform items will be available to be worn from the commencement of the 2022 school year, it is important to note that all current uniform items may be worn until they no longer fit or are worn out.
I ask parents to be particularly vigilant when purchasing new school shoes that shoes must be PLAIN (no obvious logos), ALL BLACK, ALL LEATHER (no rubber toes), POLISHABLE LACE-UP SHOES.
The other item I ask parents to carefully consider is the length of the current SPORT SHORT. The short is required to be mid-thigh and the current style makes this difficult for some students to achieve, or some are choosing to purchase them a size or two smaller so that they are a shorter fit.
I have included below the 2022 College Code of Presentation and the storyboard of the new items. As mentioned above, all current items will remain able to be worn provided they are in good condition and comply with College expectations.
MacKillop College Code of Presentation
Updated November 2021
All students who belong to the MacKillop College community are to wear the College uniform with pride and at an excellent standard.
Rationale
- Excellence: Our school uniform bears the words of the College motto – Summa Tentabo, which means Strive for Excellence. To support the culture and spirit of our College, you are expected to wear the College uniform at an excellent standard.
- Belonging: School uniforms help create a sense of connectedness to the College community. Belonging helps us feel safe, cared for and happy at school and is important for our wellbeing. By wearing the College uniform correctly, you show we are all on the same team working together to create a school community where everyone belongs.
- Pride: Students should be proud to belong to our College community. Our local community recognises our uniform and the pride we have in our school by the standard to which it is worn. By wearing the uniform correctly, you demonstrate you care about your school and are proud to be a MacKillop College member.
Expectations
Students will wear the formal College uniform on all school days except when they are engaged in a lesson or school related activity which requires the full College sport uniform to be worn.
There will be various occasions throughout the school calendar year which will require all students to wear the formal College uniform. On these occasions, students will be required to change into their College sport uniform during the day for practical lessons or physical activity.
Commencing in 2022, College uniform items have been re-styled. There will be a transition period where students may continue to wear the old uniform items until it is necessary to make a new purchase.
Formal Uniform Code
- Double pleated skirt to the knee (teal for juniors, grey for seniors) with black College plain mid-calf socks OR black College shorts or pants with SAPSS logo and black College mid-calf socks with white bands.
- White College short sleeve button-up blouse or shirt with College crest.
- Black College jacket.
- College ties are an optional uniform item.
- Shoes must be plain black, polishable lace-up leather shoes (no high tops, boots or ripple soles, skate type, buckle or open top shoes).
- In winter, plain black scarves may only be worn with the College jacket and black tights may be worn, with the skirt, instead of socks.
- Undershirts or singlets must be plain white and not visible.
Sport Uniform Code
- Black College sport shorts at a minimum length of mid-thigh featuring the SAPSS logo, aqua College polo shirt and College sports socks with SAPSS logo.
- Black College jacket and/or SAPSS track pants may be worn as part of the sport uniform.
- Sport shoes must be lace-up jogger or cross trainer styles suitable for sport. Sport shoes must have arch and heel support. No canvas shoes, gym boots, skate shoes or other casual footwear are permitted.
- Undershirts or singlets must be logo free and not visible.
- Students unable to wear the full and correct College sport uniform are to wear the full and correct College formal uniform.
Year 12 Jersey
- Year 12 students are permitted to wear their College jersey with both the formal and sport uniform.
Swimwear
Swimwear must be suitable for physical activity. Students must wear a rash shirt and shorts or board shorts for all swimming and water activities. Swimwear designed for competitive activity is permitted at the College swimming carnival.
Hats and Caps
All students are required to bring their College hat or cap to school each day. The College hat or cap must be worn when students are outside during recess and lunch times (unless they are under shelter or in the shade), participating in outdoor physical activity and at the explicit direction of staff.
Hair
- Hair should be clean, tidy, of a natural colour and worn off the face. Hair length beyond the shoulder must be tied back at all times in practical lessons and sporting activities. Hair accessories must be black, white or gold.
- Hair should not be of an extreme style. Hairstyles that draw unnecessary attention are not permitted, including but not limited to mohawks, mullets or shaved lines.
Jewellery
- Students may wear plain sleeper earrings or studs (a maximum of two in each ear), one ring and a watch. No facial piercings are allowed. Clear studs are not permitted.
- Year 11 and 12 students may wear one fine gold or silver necklace.
- In practical lessons or sporting activities students are not permitted, for safety reasons, to wear a ring, or in Year 11 and 12 a necklace so must remove these items. Safe storage of jewellery is the student’s responsibility.
Makeup and Nails
- Makeup is not permitted in Years 7-10. Makeup must present a natural look in Years 11-12.
- Artificial nails, nail polish and false eyelashes are not permitted.
Tattoos
- Tattoos must not be visible whilst wearing the College uniform or representing the College.
Out of Uniform
- All clothing worn on these days must be appropriate: shoulders and torso must be covered; shorts and skirts must be at least mid-thigh length; shoes must be enclosed; all text and graphic designs must be respectful to College values.
- All students must wear a hat or cap as per normal College rules.
- The College Code of Presentation for hair (except for accessories), jewellery, makeup, nails and tattoos applies.
- If students do not meet these standards parents will be contacted and the student will be required to rectify the matter.
The Principal reserves the right to exclude students who do not comply with the Code of Presentation.
Uniform Purchases
All uniform items are available from the St Agnes’ Uniform Store, located at 6 Boronia Street, Port Macquarie.
The following changes will be implemented from January 2022:
- Two new formal white out-shirts will replace the current shirts.
- The grey mid-shorts will be replaced by formal black shorts.
- Black shorts and trousers will be an available option for all students.
- Year 7-12 Sports shorts with the SAPSS logo will be a new micro-fibre material.
- New black track pants with the SAPSS logo will replace the current tracksuit pant.
- A soft-shell black jacket will replace the current woollen jumper and tracksuit top and may be worn with both the formal and sport uniform.
- There will be new black SAPPS sports socks.
- There will be two new options of black formal ankle socks to be worn with the formal shorts or skirt.
- Ties will not be part of the Year 7-10 uniform and will be optional for Years 11-12 .
END OF YEAR CELEBRATIONS
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, we have had to modify what our end of year celebrations will look like in Week 11.
Due to the current restrictions we are unable to have our whole school celebrations including our Christmas Mass or Major Award ceremonies. We will instead be having Year group award ceremonies, however it is with much disappointment that parents are unable to attend. We will begin our last day (Wednesday 15 December) with a whole school Zoom Christmas prayer service, and staff and student farewells.
Parents are asked to note that lessons will continue up until our final day on Wednesday. Reports will be issued on this day and staff will be available to discuss the reports by phone between 8:30am - 11.30am on Thursday, 16 December.
Tuesday, 14 December:
- Years 7 and 8 Awards.
Wednesday, 15 December:
- Christmas Service and farewell to departing staff and students.
- Years 9, 10 and 11 Awards.
Cath Eichmann
Principal
Evangelisation
Christmas Hamper Appeal
"Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” (Isaiah 58:10)
Imitating the compassion of Jesus and being a Christian example to others, our College will provide a total of 24 Christmas hampers to help families celebrate Christmas.
We offer these beautiful gifts to families who have experienced difficulties over the past year. This may be due to poor health, a death in the family, financial hardship or another stressful circumstance.
What will be in the hampers?
Pastoral Care classes will work in pairs to put together a hamper for a family that the parish has identified may appreciate the love and support that comes with the gift of a hamper.
This year the focus will be on food for families with group gifts that help bring families together.
Every PC member will be asked to collect enough money and/or donations to provide each family with food or vouchers for fruit & vegetables, meat, which will help alleviate meal worries.
A focus on a balance of meals and a couple of special things. We suggest smaller juices (tetra packs) and soft drinks are preferable as they are less bulky and heavy. A nice idea may be to have the makings of four meals complimented by vouchers for fruit & vegetables, meat, seafood or baked goods.
The hampers will not include:
- Second hand toys or out of date food.
- Products requiring refrigeration.
- Cash or alcohol.
Thank you in anticipation of the generous donations that you will be making as a family.
First Week of Advent - Hope
On Sunday, we begin the Church season of Advent. This Season is a very special time of year that sometimes gets lost in the bright lights and materialism which can be associated with Christmas.
Advent begins a period of preparation in anticipation of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s birth, in the world as it is today. It is a time to remember what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is.
Each week of Advent focusses on a different theme. Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
On Sunday we will light the candle of Hope on our Christmas wreath, to remind us of the hope that we, as a community, will offer to struggling families within the Port Macquarie community through our Christmas Hampers.
Sunday Mass and Gospel Reflection
Please check the link for Mass times and COVID-19 precautions for Masses in the St Agnes' Parish; St Agnes' Parish
You may also like to spend some time in reflection on the Gospel for this coming Sunday.
Marg Gobius
Leader of Evangelisation
Year 7
Over the duration of this term, I have been busy getting to know the Year 7 group. I have been in many classes seeing some of the fantastic things taking place with students engaged in learning. This was a great reminder of the reason why we are all here at MacKillop College. We are all here to learn and make the most out of what is on offer at the College. As we draw closer to the end of year it’s more important than ever to "finish strong" and put in that little bit extra! From catching up on work at lunch to adding the final touches to your assessment task, in the end every little bit counts. A teacher once told me this quote “Good, Better, Best. Never Let It Rest. ‘Til Your Good is Better and Your Better Is Best.” This quote I hold dear to this day.
I encourage Year 7 to focus on learning and to “finish strong”. It was disappointing to hear that some students are stopping their peers from learning in class. At times we need reminding that our actions have a direct impact on the learning of others.
I request Year 7 to ask themselves:
- Am I prepared for class?
- Do I follow teacher instructions?
- Am I impacting on my classes in a positive or negative way?
- Do I raise my hand when asking a question or contributing to the class?
- Do I say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’?
- Am I ready to learn?
- Do I give my best in class?
Congratulations
Congratulations to Ryan Campbell who has received a Silver Principal’s Award.
Congratulations to the following students who have received a Leader of Pastoral Care Award: Ryan Campbell, Charlee Lawlor, Lucy Ryan, Hallie Tydd and Maddison West.
Greg Finney
Acting Year 7 Leader of Pastoral Care
Year 8
It is always interesting to walk around the College and drop into classes. Below are some snap shots of Year 8 and what they have been up to in class. Science experiments involving dissolving metals in acid, finishing off their timber clocks in woodwork, cooking pasta with ingredients grown from the College garden and playing a game of Monopoly on a Microbit coded game board.
Congratulations to the students from 8.8 on their success in Science Skills!
Congratulations
Congratulations to Liam Poppleton who has received a Silver Principal’s Award.
Congratulations to the following students who have received a Leader of Pastoral Care Award Evie Dailey, Emma Galvin, Georgie Healey, Liam Poppleton, Erin Rapley and Madeline Strong.
Daniel O'Dell
Year 8 Leader of Pastoral Care
Year 10
I thought with the end so close and the craziness of Christmas this might be nice to reflect upon.
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room … just wait.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied.
“Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I've already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.”
She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.”
And with a smile, she said:
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
- Free your heart from hatred.
- Free your mind from worries.
- Live simply.
- Give more.
- Expect less.
Glen Littler
Year 10 Leader of Pastoral Care
Careers
Congratulations to the following students for obtaining their White Card Construction Course certificate that was organised through the school and delivered by Men at Work:
Samantha Candia, Sam Cornish, Jordan Barrance, Lachlan Garth, Kane Henderson, Drew Kuhnell, Joshua Howle, James Martin, Deklan McCarthy, Riley McGuinness, Riley Meehan, Molly Partington, Noah Sajko, Bohdi Seears, Charlotte Simpson, Bradley Tighe, Teleah-Marie Walker and Tom Watson.
It involved attendance at a six hour course onsite, and also doing various assessment tasks throughout the day. This card will set many of our Year 10 students up ready to hit the ground running when they start next year, with a trades career in mind.
Our Year 9 students will use it to start work experience early in the year. Work experience is a great way for students to regain some direction towards what they want to do with their career path, this in turn leads to a better focus when they are here at school.
Year 11
Week 8 Challenge
Our focus this week was to have students reach out and talk to someone different. Despite being the ripe old age of 17, striking up a conversation with someone outside your friendship group or class group can be daunting, however it's an important life skill. Often when we do this, we find things we have in common with people and also learn that it's not so scary after all.
Our aim with all of these little challenges is to break down the barriers and ensure that the year group feels connected to each other. As adults we all look back on our high school with memories with mixed emotions. Our hope is that we can add to the feelings of belonging and connection for these students so that when they look back their own mixed emotions weigh more heavily on the positive side rather than negative.
Assessment Week
On Friday of Week 9, Year 11 will begin their assessment block. This will extend to the end of Week 10. During this time Year 11 will only be required on site during their exams. If they do not have an exam on a particular day they will not be required at school. If a student has a ‘hand in’ task, they must be sure to follow the guidelines of the task notification and hand it in by the due time on the appropriate day. If a child is sick and cannot attend an exam, they will be required to have a Medical Certificate and phone the school to complete and submit an Illness and Misadventure Form. Alternative arrangements to complete the task will be made depending on the nature of the illness.
Morning session exams start at 9:10am and afternoon sessions start at 1:10pm. Students are advised to be half an hour early. The JMC is available if students wish to study at school during the assessment block. If you have not already printed out a copy of the assessment schedule to place on your fridge, please find it on the link below.
Andrea Huxley
Year 11 Leader of Pastoral Care
Senior Lost Property
There is currently a large number of unlabelled items in our senior campus lost property including college jumpers, caps, containers, and other items.
Items that are not claimed by the end of the Week 10 will be donated. New lost items from this week are pictured below. Please claim from the Senior Office.
Music News
“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”- Martin Luther
Thank you
It has been a challenging year for all students and staff involved in all things music at MacKillop this year! Thank you to students and families in particular for your patience and perseverance. Whilst many planned events and performances have been cancelled, a sprinkling of ensemble rehearsals and recording sessions were maintained throughout the year.
Term 4 recordings have been mixed and are now available for students to listen to within their ensemble google classroom page; links are provided below. We are hopeful that the new year will see a return to singing and the playing of wind instruments in particular. Music staff are currently in conversation to put in place an ensemble plan for 2022 that will be entertaining, engaging and inspiring. Watch this space!
Links and Forms
MacKillop College Music Tuition Request Form
Saxophone Ensemble Google Classroom
Junior Percussion Ensemble Google Classroom
Senior Percussion Ensemble Google Classroom
String Ensemble Google Classroom
Collective Pop & Praise Band Google Classroom
SAPSS Drumline Google Classroom
Senior Vocal Ensemble Google Classroom
Upcoming Events
Youth Mass
- Week 10: Sunday 5 December, 4:15pm - 6:00pm, St Agnes' Parish Church, Collective Praise Band (singers only).
Please contact Rob Denham with any questions relating to the co-curricular music program at MacKillop College.
Rob Denham
Leader of Music
Canteen
All volunteers must QR code in at the front office and provide proof of double vaccination before proceeding to the canteen.
For more information and requirements on volunteering in the Canteen, or if you are able to volunteer, please follow this link.
Monday 29 November
Rebecca Eakin and Assistance Required
Tuesday 30 November
Assistance Required
Wednesday 1 December
Jaci Zimmerman, Peta Clancy and Kate Perkins
Thursday 2 December
Rowena Beukers, Melinda Scriven, Jackie Jovanic and Renee Bullock
Friday 3 December
Michelle Butt, Melissa Carroll, and Assistance Required
Parents please also ensure your child knows about their online order. There are a signifcant amount of orders daily that are not being claimed.
To order from the canteen:
1. Orders can be written out at the canteen (bags supplied free of charge).
2. Orders can be written out at home and handed in at the canteen.
3. Download the QKR! app and order on line.
ALL ORDERS TO BE IN BY 8:30AM PLEASE
Please remind your child/children if you have ordered for them, and what their order is.
If your child is sick and you have ordered, please phone the canteen (6583 2632) to arrange a credit.
From the Mathematics Vault
Welcome to our weekly Maths Vault!
We will provide a mathematics problem for solving, with the answer published the week after underneath a new problem. Good luck!
Parent News
From Tuesday 30 November, some regular route numbers and all school bus numbers in Port Macquarie, Laurieton, Wauchope & Kempsey regions will change to become part of a state-wide standardised program.
There will be no changes to times or route paths operated.
This information is available on the Busways website:
https://www.busways.com.au/nsw/school-services/school-timetables
Please select the link adjacent to MacKillop College | New timetable | 30 November 2021. We have provided the Junior Campus timetable below as an example.
For any enquiries regarding these changes, please contact the Busways Customer Service Team via 1300 692 929 or Infoline@busways.com.au