Term 3 - Weeks 6 & 7 - 5 September 2025
Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students,
The last two weeks have been particularly important in our College calendar, with Book Week celebrations, Father’s Day Breakfast, HSC Showcase, Year 11 Leadership, and Year 10 Future Pathways. The next 2 weeks are just as important and busy, with our Feast Day celebrations and Music Festival. I thank the many staff, students, and parents who have contributed to the success of these wonderful events.
McAuley Fest - RU OK?
Tomorrow, Thursday 11 September, please come along to our 5th McAuley Fest, a night of music, entertainment, exhibitions, food, and a celebration of community! The evening starts at 5:00 pm in the College Hall, with tickets still available via CompassTix (see the link provided later in this newsletter). All performers and artists are from the College community (staff and students). This also coincides with RU OK Day - an important reminder to check in with our family, friends and colleagues every day!
McAuley Day
On Friday, 12th September, we will celebrate our Feast Day - a very special day in our school calendar. All students are expected to attend and are encouraged to bring along some extra money to participate in fundraising activities organised by each homeroom. All money raised will go to Mercy Works, who continue to help those in need. Helping others less fortunate than ourselves is an important part of our Social Justice message, so we feel very privileged to be able to assist Mercy Works with the causes they support.
Year 12 and HSC Showcase
Year 12 students are in their final weeks, and we encourage them to “finish well”. This is an important time to consolidate their work to ensure they are ready for their HSC exams next term. In addition, a number of activities have been organised for Year 12 which will culminate in their Graduation and Prizegiving Liturgy in the College Hall on Wednesday, 24th September at 9:30 am.
HSC Showcase
Congratulations to all our students who have recently completed their HSC major works and exhibited these in our HSC Showcase. It was a wonderful evening of celebration, acknowledgement and pride as we perused the works from IT - Timber, Multimedia, Visual Arts, Visual Design, Textiles & Design and Extension 2 English.
Thank you to Dianne McGowan and her team for coordinating this event. It was a privilege to be a part of the evening.
Book Week
A week of activities culminated in a Book Week dress-up on Friday, 28th August. A number of students and many staff dressed as their inspirational character on an adventure and lots of fun was had by those who participated. Thank you to Mrs Gleeson and the Library staff and helpers for their organisation of Book Week.
Diocesan Athletics Carnival
Our school was well represented at Diocesan Athletics in Week 7 and achieved outstanding results across many areas. As a school, we achieved second place, which is a huge feat as we are one of the smaller schools in the Diocese. Mrs Corcoran will summarise the results of the day at Assembly soon. Congratulations to all who attended and contributed to the best of their ability, and to those who have made it to the next representative level.
Father’s Day Breakfast
Thank you to all our fathers, grandfathers, and father-figures who joined us on Thursday for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning with great conversations over a bacon and egg roll! Thank you also to the many people who contributed to our reading conversation and who were prepared to video their description of their favourite book!
Year 11 Leadership and Captain Announcements
Year 11 are finalising their leadership team for 2025-26. Congratulations to all students who have nominated for positions and maturely engaged with the leadership process. It gives me great pleasure to announce our Captains:
School Captains: Liam Salvestro and Raimi Mortimer
Vice Captains: Hudson Batinovic and Annabelle Hourigan
House Captains will be announced next week. Thank you to Mr Smith, Mrs Robinson and Mrs Warby for overseeing this process. I wish all Year 11 all the best as they start their preparation for Preliminary Course assessments, which will be held in Week 9.
Please read through the many articles in the newsletter, that celebrate the many achievements of our students across so many areas.
All the best for the fortnight ahead,
Kate
Kate Thomson
Principal
“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.”
Catherine McAuley
As we are soon approaching the end of the term, please be reminded about the activities taking place in this busy period:
Thursday 11th September - McAuley Fest
This College community event showcases the creative talent of our staff and students. All families are invited to attend this event, which will feature live music, food, and more.
Friday 12th September - McAuley Day
A fantastic day of celebration for the whole college community as we acknowledge our founder, Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy. All money raised will go to Mercy Works.
Wednesday 17th September - Year 9 One Stop Shop Headspace Presentation
See the article below for more information.
Week 9 from Tuesday 16th September - Yr 11 Exams
Tuesday 23rd September - Parish Family Mass for Year 12
The Parish and College community are invited to celebrate Mass to acknowledge our Year 12 students and families at 5.15pm in St Mary's Catholic Church.
Wednesday 24th September - Yr 12 Graduation
The Year 12 Graduation will take place at 9.30am in our College hall.
McAuley Day
A reminder that McAuley Day will be held this Friday 12th September. The day will begin with a Liturgy starting at 9:30am, to which we extend an invitation to any parents and carers who wish to attend.
McAuley Day is one of the highlights of our school year. It is a day when we celebrate our traditions and come together as a community of Faith and Action. The day of celebration acknowledges our Mercy traditions and the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley. The day will include a range of activities and events, and each homeroom will run a fundraising activity. Money raised on the day will support Mercy Works programs run by the Sisters of Mercy.
‘The poor need help today, not next week.’ – Catherine McAuley. These words have been the guiding mantra for all who have contributed to Mercy Works since its inception.
Year 9 One Stop Shop
On Wednesday 17th September, Year 9 will be involved in the One Stop Shop program. The day is supported by headspace Grafton, Local Drug Action Team, Clarence Valley Council, Bulgarr Ngaru, SERCO, Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation, The New School of Arts Neighbourhood House, Carers NSW, Momentum Collective, Verto Employment and Mission Australia. It includes evidence-based workshops, activities and quality resources specifically targeted to address some of the bigger issues typically faced by young people today.
Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025
1 in 10 people in Australia will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. There is no single cause, and each journey is as unique as the person walking it.
This year’s theme, “Unpacking the Why: What causes eating disorders?” invites us all to understand the true breadth of challenges that can cause an eating disorder: from body dissatisfaction to trauma, anxiety, unmet sensory needs, co-occurring health conditions, and more.
Unpacking the Why builds empathy for the many people whose experiences of an eating disorder may lead them to feel ‘invisible’ behind common stereotypes.
When we show the full picture, we send a clear message: I see you. You are safe to talk about what’s really going on. I will meet you where you’re at and walk alongside you.
Australia’s largest positive body image initiative couldn’t come at a more critical time, with findings from Butterfly’s BodyKind Youth Survey recently revealing that more than half (53.8%) of young people in Australia aged 12-18 are dissatisfied with how their body looks, and two in five never or rarely feel good in their body.
Worryingly, 7 in 10 say they never or rarely speak to someone if they’re not feeling good about their appearance, and around half of young people said their body image has stopped them to some extent from raising their hand in class, focusing on schoolwork, and attending school.
The Butterfly Foundation has a range of resources for students and families. By learning about the various causes of eating disorders, raising awareness, and having a caring conversation with someone about body image or eating disorders is essential to encourage young people to be BodyKind, to prevent serious mental health concerns, like eating disorders, from developing.
For Body Image & Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025, Butterfly Foundation and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration held a special webinar dedicated to unpacking the diverse causes of eating disorders. Facilitated by Dr Sarah Trobe, National Director of NEDC, the webinar featured lived experience advocates Skye Cusack, Nicole Lee, and Tim Conway. This expert panel discussed how different factors like trauma, sensory sensitivities, disability and co-occurring health conditions such as OCD can lead to the development of an eating disorder, and how they sought support.
Body Image & Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025 Webinar: Unpacking the 'Why'
No matter how the eating disorder developed, recovery is possible, and Butterfly is here to help.
For confidential and free counselling, call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or chat online or email, 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEDT).
(Article from https://butterfly.org.au/)
RUOK Day
Ask R U OK? Any Day because life happens every day.
Thursday 11th September is R U OK? Day but we know that whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, or colleague, the people around us go through life’s ups and downs every day. That’s why we want everyone to feel confident to check in with the people they care about and Ask R U OK? Any Day.
To acknowledge R U OK Day on Thursday, students can wear a yellow accessory as part of their College uniform to highlight and celebrate the day.
Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year, because a conversation could change a life.
eSafety has a dedicated Parents section with resources and advice to help parents and carers with online safety issues and strategies to support their child. Some resources include:
Cyberbullying Guide: This page helps parents and caregivers understand how they can support their child if they are being bullied. You can also download and print the cyberbullying quick guide, which provides key information and advice, as well as help in easy read formats for individuals with low literacy or intellectual or cognitive disabilities.Online Safety for Every Family: These resources include short videos and easy-to-read advice sheets to encourage parents and carers to start and continue conversations with their children about online safety. There are tips on how to stay safe online, as well as important information on what to do if something bad happens online.
Webinars: These live webinars provide parents and caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to support their children in having safe online experiences.
Some webinars coming up include:
- Understainding AI companions: What parents and carers need to know
- Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know
- AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat
- Algorithms and adolescents: The rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people
- The changing face of cyberbullying: Protecting your child in 2025
- Supporting healthy tech use as your child transitions into secondary school
- Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online
Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing
In Week 6, our Leader of Curriculum (Mrs Lee), the Leader of Pedagogy (Mrs Bertalli), and I had the privilege of representing McAuley Catholic College at the Australian Catholic Education Conference (ACEC) 2025. We joined over 1,400 Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents, and guests gathered under the inspiring theme “Hope, Anchored in Faith,” reminding us that our faith remains our foundation even amid profound change.
Key Takeaways for Learning & Teaching Excellence
- Professor Dylan Wiliam, emeritus professor of educational assessment at UCL, delivered a compelling keynote titled Everyone Counts. He urged us to shift from "performance to learning", "fixed ability to time-to-mastery", and to focus on narrowing achievement gaps - a message deeply aligned with our pedagogical framework.
- Dr. Simon Breakspear encouraged us to work smarter - not harder - by focusing on what truly matters in the classroom. His insights remind us to stay focused on what will maintain maximum impact on our students' learning.
- Dr Steve Constantino shared powerful strategies for engaging families - not as one - off events but through ongoing, intentional processes that deliver real results.
This conference reiterated that Catholic schools form the whole person - spiritually, emotionally, socially, and academically - through our unwavering commitments to:
- High - quality teaching and learning
- Faith formation and values education
- Inclusive, supportive school environments
- Meaningful partnerships with families and communities
Practicum Teachers
Over this term, we have had practicum teachers in Science, English, and Art. I want to acknowledge these teachers and their dedication to honing their craft under the mentorship of our exceptional staff. Thanks to Nardia Hill, Tony Ellis, Jessica Stainlay, Brendan Smith, Katrina Don, and Fiona Passmore for working with these new teachers. Your generosity and professional leadership make a real difference to our future teachers.
Year 12 HSC Major Works Showcase
Congratulations to our Year 12 students for their outstanding presentations at the HSC Major Works Showcase held last Wednesday evening. Your creativity and hard work were evident. Now that all major works have been submitted, our students can rest assured: They have done a fantastic job. A heartfelt thank you to the parents and community members who supported the evening, and to our dedicated teachers who guided the students and made the event a success.
To our Year 12s: Please continue working closely with your teachers during these next three crucial weeks - every day in class matters. Your presence, engagement, and unity as a cohort will propel you through this final stretch. The school will continue to support you with regular Wednesday study sessions in the library and additional study sessions during the school holidays - details will follow soon.
Year 11 VET Work Placements
In Week 6, our Year 11 students have been building their preliminary course competencies through VET Work Placements. These vital experiences help develop technical skills, deepen industry understanding, and guide career thinking. Thanks to all the employers for welcoming our students and Mr Isaac Day, our VET Coordinator, for orchestrating these practical learning opportunities with his team.
Year 11 Preliminary Exams Information
Students and parents have been provided detailed information regarding their upcoming preliminary exams, beginning in Week 9 on Tuesday 16th September. Attendance at these exams is compulsory.
Students are not expected to be at school if they do not have an exam. However, supervised study periods will be available for students who do not have a scheduled exam during a particular time slot. Students may go home after a morning exam or arrive at school later if they have an afternoon exam. Normal school processes regarding signing out / signing in are expected.
All students must be at the College at least 30 minutes before the start of any exam, and they must stay on the school premises between exams if they have both a morning and an afternoon exam.
Students can only leave after a morning exam if accompanied by a parent/carer or if they have submitted the appropriate permission to drive form. Additionally, students are only permitted to leave with a driving student if both students have completed and submitted permission to drive forms.
Write a Book in a Day
What a wonderful day it was for our junior writers! Mrs Janson and Mrs Gleeson expertly facilitated the Write a Book in a Day competition. The newsletter will provide more details, but I wanted to acknowledge our motivated Year 7 – 9 students who spent hours creating illustrated chapter books for children in hospitals. The room buzzed with creative energy - seeing such talent and collaboration was extraordinary. Thank you to Mrs Jenson and Mrs Gleeson for guiding our students through this meaningful event.
Additionally, Mrs Janson made a beautiful contribution at the Father's Day Breakfast, meeting dads and grandads to promote our parent literacy resources and chat about the books they're currently enjoying. These moments of community and engagement reflect our excellence and hospitality.
Thank you for your continued support.
Dianne McGowan
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Year 11 VET Work Placement
Year 7 Food Technology
Year 7 Food Technology classes have recently completed a healthy burger assessment
Year 9 Food Technology
Year 9 Food Techology students had to design and make a meal that highlighted a nutrient
Year 9 Food Technology
Year 9 Food Techology have been comparing the nutritional value of different lasagne recipes
The students at McAuley have had a chance to celebrate all things book and literature-related during the recent Book Week celebrations. Books are traditionally the centrepiece of Book Week, and this year the students have also been able to improve their writing skills through two library-sponsored events.
Book Week
Book Week was a blast. The library was decorated under the theme ‘Book an Adventure’ and the library space became a mix of an undersea space and forest, and celebrated the many adventure activities that can happen in those spaces, like camping, rock climbing, sailing, parachuting and surfing.
Students could engage in literature-centred activities like a Pirate-themed escape box, a school scavenger hunt, and a daily home room quiz.
The week ended with the dress-up parade, which was a lot of fun. Well done to all the students who made a huge effort to dress up this year, and to all the teachers who had a Peter Pan adventure in Neverland.
Have a look at the video to see the wonderful student engagement with the dress-up day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-IBeMsRfL8&feature=youtu.be
Write a Book in a Day
Last Wednesday 60 students had an absolute blinder working from 9am to 6pm, and one group until 7pm, writing a 3500 - word book in a day. The students showed excellent cooperation, creativity and time management skills to write, illustrate and collate the stories within the time frame.
The students’ books will be made available to kids in hospitals around Australia, potentially changing a child’s day in hospital. The students were very sensitive to the needs of the young people they were writing for and some of the groups wrote heartfelt messages to send strength, courage and positivity to the children in hospital.
Additionally, the students and their families raised $1,500 for the Kid’s Cancer Project.
Author Visit
The final Book Week event was a visit from Australian YA author, Hayley Lawrence who was able to give students practical advice about how to write engaging settings, characters and themes for a commercial audience.
Hayley told the students a real - life harrowing story about a teenager diagnosed with cancer which inspired her critically acclaimed novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow. She then encouraged the students to imagine a character in a similar scenario and then write a letter from the character’s perspective. The shared results showed that the students are not only creative, but also empathetic and sensitive about the world around them and the people who live within it.
Mrs Linda Gleeson
Librarian & History Teacher
Again it has been a busy fortnight in the Careers World. Here is a run down of what's been happening:
UAC - The University Admissions Centre ran an information session on zoom at lunch time in Week 6. This gave the students opportunities to ask questions and find tips about the university course application processes.
Charles Sturt University visited the school and ran an information session at lunch time plus ran a career workshop and games activities with classes. This was a great experience and opportunities for classes. Zoe Meftah in Year 10 is the winner of their Frank Green drink bottle but many students won hats and socks with the university logos.
Southern Cross University visited the school on Friday of Week 7 to run information sessions and workshops with Year 11.
University Applications Process Year 12
Year 12 should have received, or begin receiving, Early Offers for some universities at this stage.
Eleven of our students received early entry offers to The University of New England and seven students received offers from Charles Sturt University. Congratulations to all of those students. Students need to check if their offer is unconditional, meaning they are into that University regardless of their ATAR score, or conditional, meaning they have to obtain a certain ATAR score.
Some courses are particularly competitive and there are a limited number of early offer places for these courses. Therefore, students should not be disheartened if they were not successful in securing an early offer for their dream course, but should try for that course as number 1 preference on their UAC application, as more spots are released for the courses later. Charles Sturt said this year there has been a 30% increase in early entry applications, so for competitive courses like OT there are only a handful of spots.
Once students receive offers they should accept all their offers until all rounds are released, and then they have a choice. Also, they should check the date they have to accept an offer by. It is fine to accept if you are unsure, but you won't complete the final enrollment.
Please see the UAC - University Admissions Centre information process:
Please see the QTAC - Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre information process:
Applying for scholarships
Students should be researching and applying for scholarships to universities now. Even if you have not secured a place, you can apply for some scholarships and financial support. Please see the Scholarships link.
Future Pathways Careers Interviews
It has been a pleasure to meet with parents and students of Year 10 to discuss their choices and options for their senior years.
Thank you for reading this week's newsletter. Please contact me if you require any assistance.
Mrs Maria Rouse
Careers
Diocesan Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday, 2nd September, sudents attended the Dioceasn Athletics Carnival in Coffs Harbour. Congratulations to all students on a wonderful day. A full report will be presented next newsletter.
Year 7 and 8 Sports
These year 7 and 8 students have been able to enjoy the wonderful weather we are having on the river for sport. How lucky are we to have these opportunities on our door step!
McAuley Fest
McAuley Fest is on this week, making it an exciting time for all those involved. Many students, along with a lot of staff, are spending their class music times, lunch times, and their own free time preparing. It is building to be a very exciting night showcasing the exceptional musical talent from across the school.
Tickets are still available via CompassTix - we encourage everyone to join us on Thursday, 11th September from 5:30pm.
https://compasstix.com/e/6vwvcqq11p or scan the QR Code.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Father's Day Breakfast. We hope you all enjoyed your special day.
This year we have offered an exciting extra curricular activity at McAuley called Tournament of Minds (TOM). TOM is a creative thinking program that involves working as a team to solve a challenge over the course of 6 weeks (without any assistance from teachers, parents or peers).
On Sunday August 31, seven students travelled to Southern Cross University in Coffs Harbour to represent our College in the Social Science discipline, presenting a 10 minute solution to the challenge and also completing a spontaneous activity on the day.
All team members were outstanding and delivered an engaging and exciting performance! They came away with Honours on the day. For such a young team, their expertise stood on par with their senior counterparts. We encourage all students in years 7-10 to be involved next year!
Social Science Team:
Phillipa O & Alys T Year 8
Lilly M, Lilly L, Indiara M, Violet M, Jacob M Year 7
Illuminate: Explore prayer, friendship and connection
Would you like to be part of a small group that meets weekly over 4 weeks, to share Christian prayer experiences, friendship and connection? Please see flyer below.
Council of Catholic Schools Parents (CCSP) 2025 Conference for Parents and Carers - Saturday, 25 October 2025, Novotel Parramatta.
A conference for parents and carers of children in Catholic schools. Hosted by the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT ($30 pp).
Teen Mental Health - Free webinars for Parent & Carers
| SEPTEMBER |
| 11th - McAuley Fest, College Hall 5:30 - 9:00 pm |
| 11th - RU OK Day |
| 12th - McAuley Day |
| 16th-19th - Year 11 Exams |
| 17th - Year 9 Headspace One Stop Shop |
| 23rd - Yr 12 Parent Breakfast, Beach Day and Parish Mass |
| 24th - Yr 12 Graduation Ceremony, 9:30 am College Hall |
| 26th - Last day of Term 3 |
| OCTOBER |
| 13th - Staff Development Day (pupil-free day) |
| 14th - Students return for Term 4 |
| 16th - HSC Exams Begin |
| NOVEMBER |
| 8th - Year 12 Formal (tickets on sale soon). |
Please see below the latest edition of the Parish Bulletin:
Rage Program - Headspace
In collaboration with Headspace, we are offering students the opportunity to be involved in the RAGE program. This will run over 6 weeks, 1-1.5 hours per week during Term 4.
The RAGE (Renavigating Anger & Guilty Emotions) program is an award-winning, hands-on anger management course designed primarily for young people, focusing on recognizing anger triggers, understanding the physical and emotional signs of anger, and developing healthy coping strategies and assertive communication skills. The strengths-based, solution-focused program offers practical activities and skill-building in a fun, supportive environment, equipping participants to manage anger in their lives and build resilience.
If you have any questions or would like your child involved in the program, please reach out to their Year Coordinator or Mrs Nikita Robinson at the College.
Spaces are limited as it is a small-group program.
Southern Cross University Parent Information Night
Coffs Harbour Campus: Monday, 16th September - 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Online: Wednesday, 18th September - 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Northern Rivers Campus (Lismore): Monday, 23rd September, 5:00 pm – 7:00pm
Topics Covered:
- How to apply to university
- The importance (and limitations) of the ATAR
- Scholarships and financial support
- University costs and accommodation
- Student support services
- Pathways and flexible entry options
- Q&A with our team
This is a fantastic opportunity for families to get clear, honest insights about university life, and how we support students from all backgrounds – every step of the way.
Clarence Football Academy Holiday Camp
See flyer for more information:
PCYC Play Our Way Girls Grant Initiative
PCYC Grafton is excited to offer the opportunity to participate in free girls-only gym lessons as part of their Play Our Way Girls Grant initiative. These 1-hour sessions will run on Mondays and are available strictly on a first in, best dressed basis.
Each session will be led by qualified staff, with a female personal trainer onsite to provide support, guidance, and advice where needed. The aim is to create a safe, welcoming environment where young women feel comfortable learning new skills, building strength, and gaining confidence.
Benefits for students include:
- A positive introduction to the gym without financial pressure
Support in developing both physical and mental wellbeing- Building confidence in a space that can often feel intimidating
- Encouragement to pursue lifelong healthy habits
PCYC would love to welcome girls who are intertested to take part in this unique opportunity. Please advise if you would like to secure a place, and PCYC will provide available dates and further details.
