Term 1, Week 5 - 4 March - 2022
- From the Principal
- Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
- Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing
- From the Classroom
- COVID 19 update for our School
- Careers
- Duke of Edinburgh Award
- Parent Education and Support
- Messages from our Student Leadership Team
- Term 1 Parent Forum
- College Open Night 2022
- Flood support Information
- MCC Flood Photos
- Prayer Time - from The Soul
- Parish News
- Headspace - Stories of the Clarence Valley Floods
- Community Events and Advertisements
- Birthdays
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to comprehend the extraordinary and catastrophic weather events and floods that have happened in the last week across the Northern Rivers, impacting thousands of individuals and families, and many communities. The pictures, videos, and stories we have seen and heard on television, social media and for some, experienced first hand has been confronting and has made so many of us feel quite helpless. Bishop Greg Homeming recently addressed the Principals of the Diocese and he spoke of the feeling of helplessness and despair. I have attached here a message from the Bishop that is available on the CSO website - https://youtu.be/0Nnb46IAMgY. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by the floods in our community and in the communities north of us. We will discuss with our community ways we can assist those in need.
We, like many communities across the Diocese, have been closed for 5 days due to the local flooding and the major flood of the Clarence River making the access roads to the College inaccessible. We are fortunate that our site was safe from the floodwaters and that we were able to move to online learning, as we have done a few times now (as a result of COVID and flooding). Our experiences have placed us in a position where we could be adaptable and transition smoothly to online learning and I hope learning was able to continue for our students during this extraordinary situation. We understand that this wasn’t possible for all students and we will spend time in week 6 checking in with students and recapping the online work. Thank you to all the parents and carers for your understanding and support in a situation that was beyond our control. Of utmost importance throughout this event was the safety of our students, families and staff. If you or someone you know from our community has been affected by the flooding please let us know so we can provide assistance.
COVID 19 Regulations
Please see the section in the newsletter for the latest information.
Parent Forum Gathering
We will be holding our first Parent Forum gathering on Tuesday 15th March and we look forward to welcoming parents and carers to the College. The evening will be held in the College library, starting at 6pm, with tea and coffee and a chat available from 5.30pm. Parent Forum has replaced P&F and is a way for parents to engage with the College, meet other parents, hear about the learning, wellbeing and other experiences that are happening at the College through the Principal report, Parent Assembly news and guest presenters. Lena Jansons, our Literacy Coach, is our guest this term and she will outline her role and the work she is doing with students and staff. We will also provide a Zoom link to allow parents to join us online.
OPAL Reports & Parent-Teacher Interviews
OPAL (Ongoing Participation and Application Log) reports were due to be issued to parents this week; however, due to the disruption of last week, OPALs will be available in Week 7. Parent Teacher Interviews will remain in week 8 (Tuesday 22nd March) between 3.40 and 6pm on site. Bookings will be opened at the end of week 6 and I invite parents and carers to book an interview. Information on how to book will be sent home at the end of this week.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday was last week on the 2nd of March. Unfortunately, we were unable to acknowledge this important day - the start of Lent - in the Church Year. Lent is the season for prayer, almsgiving - doing things for others, fasting and reconciliation. It is a time to think about ourselves and also beyond ourselves - to the chaos of the world and how we can make a difference to the lives of others around us. Lent is a good time to reflect on what we do and the impact we have on others. Sometimes we think we don’t need prayer or faith or spirituality or the support of others. However, in times of adversity, in times of despair, of feeling helpless and sad - prayer has great power. It is often in times of hardship and adversity that we turn to our faith, to prayer, to Christ. And sometimes this sets us on a path of discovery, or rediscovery, of our faith.
Sam Dougherty Indigenous Scholarships
Each year we receive a generous donation that supports our Indigenous students in years 11 & 12. This year we are able to again include our Year 10 students with support through this scholarship. Application forms have been sent home and are to be returned as soon as possible.
Events that need to be changed, postponed and cancelled:
- Swimming carnival & Diocesan Swimming Carnival
- School Photos
- LEAD
- Year 7 Best Start & PAT testing
- DIOCESAN SPORT - A number of diocesan events were scheduled for Lismore in March and April. These events are currently being moved to other locations. This will be communicated to schools in the near future.
Enjoy the fortnight ahead
Yours sincerely
Kate
Kate Thomson
Principal
“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.” Catherine McAuley
Floods
As our community recovers, we will ensure that learning is tailored to individual student circumstances. We know that some families have been more affected than others and we are pleased to be informed of individual circumstances so that we can help where possible. My first teaching position was at Trinity Catholic College Lismore and my heart goes out to Trinity staff and students, as well as many others in the Diocese. I know that I am not alone in holding our school community and those in the wider surroundings in thoughts and prayers as they face some of the most challenging days and weeks ahead.
Learning and Teaching after the weather event has passed.
Late last year we asked for students’ opinions about their schooling regarding areas of mission, wellbeing, learning and teaching. Student voice is important and we valued the participation of our students in offering their feedback. We aim to use the data collated from the surveys to drive improvement and to increase student engagement in learning. On Thursday week four, I addressed the assembly and spoke of two of the Learning and Teaching survey questions regarding high expectations and classroom behaviour.
Overall our results indicated that students believe that the staff at McAuley have high expectations. However, there were some concerning results regarding students affecting the learning of others by disturbing classes. At the assembly, I explained to the students that disturbing the learning environment will not be tolerated and I am sure that we have parental support regarding this issue.
At McAuley, we want the best for every student. Our school improvement focus for Learning and Teaching this year is to ensure continual growth so that each student can improve academically:
- We will be focusing on growth in all areas but zooming in on writing
- We aim to ensure students know what they are learning about and pathways for success
- We will help students understand what they are assessed on and how to improve
- Our students will take responsibility for their learning and individually set goals
Staff will work this year and into the future on developing literacy skills in our learners. This will focus on fundamental elements of writing, sentence structure, paragraph development and communicating their learning in written form. All of our teachers are also using the consistent practice of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria for each of their lessons. This agreed practice is so students can look at expectations for the lesson/series of lessons and know-how to succeed. Educational research has proven that if students know what they are striving for and measures of success they are better able to understand expectations and meet them. To meet our focus areas, we have allocated two teachers to some of the classes in the junior years. This investment allows for co-teaching and individualised support to ensure every student can reach their full potential in that subject. Another significant investment is mathematics, reading and writing interventions which will be in place during 2022 to allow identified students to improve their skills. The mathematics intervention will be addressing the needs of identified year 8 students and will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays in semester one.
HSC Showcase
The Catholic Schools Office Lismore has recently launched the Lismore Diocese HSC Showcase
Please look through the wonderful celebration of the work of students in the Diocese. Of particular interest is Takara Smith’s work Fragile Nyugaa (Mother) and Harmony Swain-Davies’ work Transcending our humanity. Both of these students from McAuley Catholic College are inspirational.
Thank you so much to our Visual Arts teachers and Mr Conagan for taking the time to share their student work with the rest of the community.
Assistant Principal, Learning & Teaching
Wellbeing
As we write this newsletter, we keep in mind all families who are affected by the recent flooding within the Clarence Valley and beyond. This has been a truly devastating event and we pray for the families and communities as they rebuild and look toward the future.
During times like these, it is important to care for each other and look after our wellbeing
Attached to this newsletter are two articles from the Australian Psychological Society:
- Helping children who have been impacted by floods
- Flood Recovery - What can I do?
Take care and know that our prayers and thoughts are with all families affected within our community and within our Diocese.
Mission
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday 2nd March was Ash Wednesday and marked the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. Lent is a time of increased prayer, almsgiving, fasting and deep contemplation about the mystery of God's mercy. It helps us prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter.
Below are some resources which explain the significance of Ash Wednesday and Lent
- Ash Wednesday and Lent in 60 seconds with Lego - Explained in a fun and entertaining way, Trideo Media uses Lego to break open Ash Wednesday and Lent in 60 seconds.
- The Significance of Ash Wednesday - They may just be ashes, but Fr. Mike points out that what they represent goes far beyond mere dust of the earth. With a simple cross on the forehead, we are recognizing that we are far from perfect, but that God loves and redeems us - not despite our brokenness, but in the midst of it.
Lenten Family Prayer Space & Prayer - This pdf provides families with a guide to creating a simple Lenten themed prayer space.
During this time of Lent, we will provide opportunities for students to support others in their community through Project Compassion and Flood Relief. This will be important as a Catholic community to come together in solidarity with each other.
More on these programs will be shared in our next newsletter
Kathy Warby
Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing
HEAL
In HEAL in week 4 our Indigenous students cooked a lemon cake using bush lemons and finger limes as a garnish. Our students worked in groups to create their cakes showing teamwork and creativity. It was great to see all of our students participating and giving it a go. The finished product was a well-deserved reward for our hard-working students.
Year 7 Science
If you take the tour, you will notice that the location markers have different colours. The students were asked to create a category name for each colour, eg. buildings, natural features, sustainable power sources, etc. If you would like to take the tour, click PRESENT once Google Earth loads.
Year 10 iSTEM - Marshmallow Towers
Year 10 have begun their engineering fundamentals journey with a Marshmallow Tower Challenge. Teams were given 35 sticks of spaghetti, 60 grams of modelling clay, 1.5m of string, 1.5m of tape and one marshmallow for the top of the tower. The tallest tower wins! The tallest tower, built by Christian, Finlae and Ashton, stood at 900mm.
Year 11 Visual Arts
Last fortnight, Ms Palmer’s Year 11 Visual Arts class took part in their first of a series of Life drawing classes. They did an amazing job for their first lesson. Thanks to our model, Teaching-Assistant Brooke Joe and drawing expert/art teacher Julianne Gosper.
Year 12 Hospitality
Year 8 Religious Education
During week 5 in Year 8 Religious Education, students continued to develop their understanding of the teachings of Jesus. Additionally, students were provided with the opportunity to take a Prayer Walk whilst working from home. After walking, students engaged in a series of sensory activities that provided opportunities to reflect on things we can be grateful for. Students of 8.2 contributed to the list below;
- I am grateful that I live in a peaceful country (Emily Newman)
- I am grateful for my family and my animals (Brylee Anderson)
- I am grateful for my parents caring for and loving me (Emily Dick)
- I am grateful for my parents and my teachers (Ivy Hiatt)
- I am grateful that my house wasn't affected by the floodwater (Kyle Moran)
- I am grateful that in a time of need we have a huge community to back us all up and that everyone is giving and grateful for where they live. (Raimi Mortimer)
We, as teachers, look forward to our students returning to the classroom and we are grateful for their safety and efforts during this challenging time.
On the 25th of February, we sent home a letter to families outlining the latest changes to the COVID 19 regulations at schools, effective the 28th of February. We have outlined these again here.
Please note that we are expecting our next delivery of Rapid Antigen Tests soon.
Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)
The NSW Government is supplying an additional 8 RATs for each student to use at your discretion for the remainder of the term. Twice weekly surveillance testing is no longer required as NSW Health guidelines now move to testing only when symptomatic. We expect to receive these additional tests in the coming weeks and will distribute these to you as quickly as possible once they arrive. In the meantime, if you need some tests before the distribution, please contact the College.
Visitors and Volunteers
From Monday 28 February, visitors are permitted in schools regardless of their vaccination status. We do ask that if you or a family member are experiencing symptoms you do not visit the school at that time.
Volunteers in school are still required by the current Public Health Order to meet vaccination requirements.
Mask Wearing
Secondary Schools: From Monday 28 February, masks will no longer be mandatory for staff or students in secondary schools. Students will continue to be supported to wear a mask should they choose to do so. Please supply a suitable mask should your child choose to continue wearing one.
QR Codes
Service NSW no longer requires visitors to sign into schools using the Service NSW App. Visitors are still required to sign into the school using the Who’s On Location system in the school office.
We will continue to communicate any further changes to COVID settings to you as quickly as possible. Once again, thank you for your trust and support in our school throughout this pandemic.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the school on 66431434 if you have any questions.
University Information Sessions for Students & Parents
UCAT NIE 13 March 2022 - FREE Webinar: UCAT, Interviews, Pathways Into Medicine / Dentistry. UCAT NIE presenting for students & parents about UCAT, interviews, and pathways into medicine / dentistry. This is NOT a sales event. The session is packed with invaluable information. https://www.nie.
Western Sydney University The Discover Western Webinar ‘Exploring Western, Early Offer Programs, Pathways & More - on Tuesday 5 April, will support senior students to make informed decisions and navigate through Western courses, early offer and pathway programs, and all the benefits of studying with Western. Register https://www.
Save the date: UQ Career Pulse event
Save the date for UQ’s Career Pulse event for year 11 and 12 students. Hear from current UQ students, lecturers, alumni and industry partners discuss their diverse and inspirational career experiences.
Thursday 21 April, 8.45am-3pm.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s program is a worldwide program to improve confidence, resilience, determination, creativity, relationships, leadership, and teamwork. The best part of the program is that participants get to set goals, based on their interests and abilities. Some of the activities that Duke of Edinburgh participants are involved in include Volunteering, Service, Physical Recreation, Learning new skills, and partaking in an adventure or journey.
At the end of 2021, two students from McAuley Catholic College completed their Bronze Award. Paige Mackey and Dean Chapman were acknowledged at assembly in week four. Paige is now in Year 11, whilst Dean has moved to Sydney to complete his schooling.
A big thank you to staff involved in the program including program coordinator, Ms Thea-Anne McInnes.
Supporting Your Child in Writing
The Read-Aloud Strategy can help parents support their teenagers at home. This strategy involves a parent listening while a child reads their work aloud. When a child reads aloud slowly and deliberately, they might detect problems with their writing such as grammatical faults. Parents may not even have to comment on the piece of writing, which can be helpful if the child is reluctant. The benefit of this strategy is that it can be less intimidating than correcting issues with a red pen.
The Read-Aloud method can also be used in reverse: Parents can read a short piece or sentence to their child, then ask them to restate the main idea back to them while the parent transcribes. Children will be more conscious of sentence structure and clarity while using this strategy, just like when they read their own work aloud.
Some teenagers may be apprehensive about reading their work aloud. In this situation, a parent can provide written feedback on a draught after talking with their child about the type of input they require. However, as tempting as it is to reword the clunky sentences or awkward arguments of emerging writers, doing so rarely teaches students how to craft sentences in their own words. Instead, parents should prepare comments and questions that encourage student decision-making. Even if parents are reading for minor issues, such as grammatical errors on a final draft, they should note the mistakes and enlist the child’s help in choosing how to correct them, rather than simply making the changes.
Regardless of the type of help a child requires, parents can also be their children’s cheerleaders. As with all praise, a generic “Good job” does little to encourage students. Instead, parents should identify specific areas that surprised or delighted them, like a particular word or phrase they used in their response or when they see improvement from previous work samples.
Matilda Sheehan
Eva Patricks
ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES AFFECTED BY FLOODS
FLOOD EMERGENCY and RELIEF ASSISTANCE
https://www.ncoss.org.au/sector-hub/sector-resources/flood-relief-assistance-resource/#Insurance
GRANTS
Information on Federal support payments for those impacted by the floods is available on the Services Australia website. Payments are available for those who have lost property and possessions or who have lost income due to the floods. Applications can be made through the MyGov app in the Centrelink section.
BISHOP’S FLOOD APPEAL
The Catholic Schools Office has asked that schools and their communities consider supporting the Bishop's Flood Appeal. By contributing to this appeal we can support families impacted by floods in a coordinated way.
As a College, we will explore ways to assist those in need of assistance both in our community and in the northern towns of our diocese.
If you would like to donate to Bishop Greg's Diocese of Lismore 2022 Flood Appeal (https://www.lismorediocese.org/) please donate directly or to the College and we will send your donations on:
BSB: 037-889
Account No: 1061 5829
Account Name: DOL Flood Appeal
Transaction Details: If you wish your donation to go to a particular school, please include the school name in the transaction details (ie. for St Joseph’s Primary, Woodburn).
Each fortnight we provide different types of Prayers for our readers. Our main resource for these is The Soul - a fortnightly publication, from the Catholic Schools Office, Lismore. We look forward to sharing these resources and prayers with you again this year.
Praying with Music
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Please find attached the latest Parish Bulletins from Clarence Valley Parish.
Bowen Barrett, Malachi Archer, Joshua Crapp, Dillon Reid, Mia Pitt, Maggie Cooper, Kane Patricks, Layla Cramb, Wyatt Brett, Jazmine Crapp, Brooke Surawski, Axel Hargans, Jasmine Chellew, Miles Jack, Peta Girdler, Abby Goodall, Jack Davis, Kayla Ellis, Liam Clancy, William Pattison, Jessica Pattison, Jorja White, Elora Rainbow, Matilda Sheehan, Yazmin Shepherd, Heidi Lewis, Jett Nikas, April Webb, Isabelle Brennan, Emily Hyde, Eleora Nichols, Chase Stoves.