From the Chair of the Board

This year’s recipient of the Mary MacKillop Award goes to a student who has demonstrated confidence, optimism and perseverance. She is a considerate and generous leader working gently with students across the school community. She has an outstanding commitment to her studies, inspiring others to achieve excellence. She is a student who thinks of others, whilst remaining focused on achieving her very best. We are pleased to congratulate Carla Ceravolo.

This is the final newsletter for 2019, and as we reflect over the year that was, we pause to be grateful for the many gifts that have been bestowed upon us. It does not seem that long ago the Year 7 students entered our buildings for the first time and blessed us with their energy and enthusiasm. Both the Year 7 and Year 8 girls, while nervous and excited, delighted in their new surroundings and the chance to play more sport, light those Bunsen burners in Science and demonstrate their master chef capabilities in Home Economics.

On Thursday 31 October, nine Year 11 students made the trip to the Adelaide Convention Centre for the University of Adelaide 2019 Ingenuity Exhibition. Ingenuity is an annual interactive showcase of the university's students research projects. Students studying in the fields of engineering and computer and mathematical sciences, presented their research projects and shared their experiences of their studies in the above STEM sciences.

On Tuesday 19 November, two teams from Mary MacKillop College attended the first South Australian Middle School Ethics Olympiad at Loreto College. Teams consisted of students from Year 7 and Year 8. Students were presented with various ethical problems and given opportunities to engage in meaningful and respectful discourse with students from other schools to address these problems.

We have ended our year full of colour and three-dimensional creations. Year 7 students created colourful Egyptian portraits, studying the colours used in Ancient Egypt and portraits of the Pharaohs. They also created beautiful ceramic angels.

Adolescent females diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) needed for a research study looking at whether meditation improve quality of life in adolescents with PCOS

If you are a female aged 12-20 years and diagnosed with PCOS, you can help us with this study evaluating a simple strategy to improve quality of life in adolescents with PCOS.

This study has been approved by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/18/WCHN/168), Adelaide, South Australia.
If you are interested in finding out more information about this research, please contact Dr Alexia Peña (paediatric endocrinologist) on 8161 8134 or via email alexia.pena@adelaide.edu.au.

Parents and friends are invited to volunteer in the canteen which is a great opportunity to broaden friendships and enhance the environment for our MacKillop girls. If you are able to join our happy crew of volunteers, by helping for a few hours, from as little as once a month, our Canteen Manager Narelle Matthews would love to hear from you!

You can phone her at the College on 8333 6300 until 2.30pm or on 8263 2423 after 5pm

Let us pray,

God of life, help up to be aware of your love within us and around us. May we continue to recognise and use the gifts that you have given us to enrich the lives of others. Help us to look forward to the glory of the birth of Christ, our saviour. His coming is proclaimed joyfully to the ends of the Earth. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Farewell Speech from Helen Steele, Deputy Principal of Mary MacKillop College from 2013 to 2019, addressed to the College Community at our End of Year Mass & Awards Ceremony.

I acknowledge the privilege it is to stand before you today in farewell to the Mary MacKillop College community. In preparing my farewell, I found only room for gratitude. I recognise the great opportunities afforded to me through my work, professional learning, faith formation and relationships. 

In the Australian curriculum there are several cross curriculum priorities and one of these is Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia. As Asia is our nearest neighbour and will be increasingly important socially and economically for Australia’s future, it is important for students to develop an understanding of Asian culture.

During Weeks 3 and 4 this term, the three Year 7 classes went on a Science excursion to Bolivar Sewage Treatment Works. Students learnt about the process of converting sewage water into renewable resources, which linked to previous topics learnt in Science such as Mixtures and the Earth’s resources. Students also visited St Kilda Mangroves to learn about the importance of the Mangrove community found at St Kilda.

The CHOOSEMATHS Student Awards 2019 celebrate Mathematical achievement, creativity and excellence in Australian schools. The awards, delivered by AMSI (Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute) and supported by the BHP Foundation, encouraged students to get creative as they stepped beyond the classroom to bring their understanding of Mathematics to life on film.

Here, you’ll find a range of topics each published monthly with comprehensive videos from leading specialists and organisations.

Some topics include

• Eating Disorders
• Physical Activity and Exercise 
• Diet & Nutrition
• Surviving Year 12
• School Transitions
• Exam Jitters
• Gambling
• Internet Addiction
• Social Media & Digital Reputation 
• Sexting
• Cyberbullying
• Drug & Alcohol Use
• Suicide & Self-harm
• Depression
• Anxiety 

You’ll also find Fact Sheets, suggested books, apps, websites and much more. And because SchoolTV is independent, they’ve pulled in some great content from organisations such as Beyond Blue, ReachOut, HeadSpace and others.

We trust you get great value from every edition and happy, safe parenting!