Edition 2,
9 March 2023

Mary MacKillop College acknowledges the Kaurna people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and study. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

God of endless kindness and mercy,​
Open our hearts in this time of Lent.​
Give us courage to look at our lives with honesty;​
Give us strength to deal with what we find;​
Help us to forgive ourselves and each other,​
so that we may return to you with all our hearts,​
We make this prayer through Christ Jesus.​
Amen.​

It has been such a wonderful and busy start to the year! The students and staff have settled smoothly into Term 1 and are engaged in the rhythm of learning and community.

There have been numerous excursions, camps, ceremonies and other activities to extend and complement the learning happening in regular lessons. The Years 7, 8 and 9 students have enjoyed camp experiences over the last couple of weeks, where they had the opportunity to get to know their year level cohort better and challenge themselves in these new environments. The Year 11 students too were able to come together and enjoy a beautiful formal at the Convention Centre.

Our two Year 12 Social Justice Captains, Charlotte and Sienna, travelled to Sydney for JJAMM 2023 and were inspired by the stories and works of student leaders from other schools, while deepening their own understanding of the Josephite charism, tradition and focus on social justice.

In Week 4 we were joined by the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson, Sisters of St Joseph, families and other special guests to acknowledge the excellent results of our Year 12 students from 2022. Our Dux Jamie Siggurs, achieved an ATAR of 97.60, with Alisha Silvestri attaining a score of 97.45 as the Proxime Accessit. Fourteen other girls achieved an ATAR above 90 (which in total is nearly 30% of the cohort), with well over half of the students on a score above 80, equating to the top 20% of results in the state. Congratulations to all the students recognised on the day, and to the many staff who have supported them over the years. The College is very proud of the efforts of every Year 12 student from 2022, with nearly 90% of all grades across the various Stage 2 subjects in the A or B bands. What an outstanding achievement by our Mary MacKillop girls! As a Josephite school, a love and appreciation of learning is an important part of our charism and the doorway to opportunity, and so this whole school event was a joyful celebration of achievement, perseverance and hard work!

Shrove Tuesday on 21 February saw the College enjoying pancakes before the start of Lent the next day. We were able to gather for an Ash Wednesday Liturgy celebrated by Fr Gaetan Pereira as part of our Lenten journey of preparation for Easter. In the Christian tradition, Lent is a time recognised for fasting, prayer and almsgiving. As part of the liturgy, we were able to launch our Project Compassion fundraising campaign to support Caritas Australia, which in the past has been whole-heartedly and enthusiastically supported by our students and wider community. Let’s make this year a BIG one!

We invite our MacKillop families to our upcoming St Joseph’s Feast Day Mass and Student Leadership Induction on Thursday 23 March 2023, Mass commences at 9am in St Ignatius Church. To plan seating arrangements your RSVP would be appreciated to Justine Sheehy jsheehy@marymackillop.sa.edu.au.

Finally, it has been a delight to meet so many families during the term. Thank you for your continued warm welcome. To the Mary MacKillop College community, my best wishes as we move towards Easter and into the second half of the term. Go well and God bless.

Sonia Nelson
Principal

Come ‘n’ Try MacKillop Day

Nervous smiles and a sense of excitement filled the air as we welcomed 15 students from our partner primary schools to the MacKillop community for our first Come 'n’ Try MacKillop Day for 2023. Our visiting students were warmly greeted by some of our Year 10 leaders and they had an opportunity to meet and work with the Year 11 Peer Support students as they experienced some of what MacKillop has to offer. Many of our visiting students embraced new friendships and were excited to see some familiar faces from their primary schools.

I was most impressed by how our student leaders welcomed new faces and supported the visiting students in approaching unfamiliar challenges with a sense of fun and adventure. The day was full of enjoyment, laughter, support and rich learning. Thank you to the students and staff who helped make Mary MacKillop College a welcoming and loving environment.  

International Women’s Day

Here at MacKillop, we have celebrated International Women’s Day all week. It started with young women empowering each other as students wrote affirmation notes and anonymously stuck them on other students' lockers. On Wednesday, we wore purple ribbons to signify a collective stance against gender bias and we celebrated by selling doughnuts for charity and having uplifting and empowering music playing in the College Gymnasium. All profits from selling doughnuts will go to Catherine House, which provides support services for women experiencing homelessness in South Australia. Through a recovery-oriented focus, women are offered a safe, supportive environment with opportunities for improved personal and economic wellbeing. Students gathered and each left a painted thumbprint on a canvas that signifies the beauty of individuals working together for equality. To finalise the celebrations, students gathered in the College Gymnasium on Thursday and engaged in dancing activities led by student leaders. I would like to thank the Wellbeing Ambassadors who led the activities and put together an inspirational video paying tribute to some of the inspirational women in our lives. You can see the video here.

Adelaide Secondary Youth Leadership Conference

Peer Support Leaders attended the 2023 Adelaide Secondary Youth Leadership Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The day was designed to nurture young minds into becoming influential leaders in their own communities. Our students engaged with other leaders and worked together to develop strategies to be positive role models who will lead our school community through and beyond 2023. It was an action-packed event with internationally recognised speakers and activities that focused on four essential areas for today's young people. These include an empowered, positive approach to leadership, creative ways to undertake teamwork, communication and coaching skills and an opportunity to hear from successful entrepreneurs on how the pathway to creating a successful business can be achieved. Our leaders have returned from this event inspired, strengthened and empowered with strategies to feed their courage and make change.

Jasmin Eckert
Deputy Principal

“Courage, courage Trust in God who helps you in all things.” - St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Caritas Australia Project Compassion Launch

On Tuesday 21 February our Wellbeing Captains Jessica and Jessica and Year 11 and 12 Prefects Savannah and Elysse attended the Caritas Australia Project Compassion Launch held at Mercedes College along with other Catholic schools. Also in attendance was the Archbishop, Patrick O’Regan and Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas.

As the Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday, it also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. At the College we encourage students to put their compassion into action this Lent through prayers, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each class has received a Project Compassion box and students may donate in this way or online via The Caritas website www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion. Students may also organise a fundraiser within their class or cohort. The theme of Project Compassion in 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today impacts the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Laxmi, a 16-year-old girl living in Jajarkot, a remote district in Nepal where almost half of the population live below the poverty line. Tragedy struck when Laxmi was 10 years old and her father passed away. Her father worked hard to pay for his children's education and, after losing him, Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty.

With the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club at her school where she was encouraged to resume her education. Through the child’s club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader, advocating for clean water taps at her school.

Laxmi is now excelling in her studies and working towards her dream of becoming a civil engineer. She continues to be involved in the child's club, serving as an advisor and mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her former school.

JJAMM Sydney

As part of the Student Leadership position within Mary MacKillop College, the Social Justice Captains were invited to represent the College at the annual JJAMM Experience at Mary MacKillop Place, North Sydney and St Joseph’s Spirituality and Education Centre, Kincumber, from 16-19 February 2023. This special event was offered for new leaders within Josephite schools throughout Australia, with a focus on building strong relationships and a vision to develop a shared culture within each College. This experience helps the student leaders to:

• Identify with the broader Josephite community and the core values of the Josephite tradition.
• Explore the nature of leadership in a Josephite context.
• Assist young people in coming to recognise Mary MacKillop as a role model for living the Gospel.
• Develop their responsibility to represent the legacy of Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph.

Through this experience our Social Justice Captains, Sienna and Charlotte, have gained not only confidence to develop leadership skills in a Josephite context but they were also able to visit many places significant in Mary MacKillop’s life and work.

 I was grateful to be invited to JJAMM Week in Sydney alongside my co-captain (Sienna) and our Religious Education Coordinator (Mrs Adriana Sotira) to be a part of the unforgettable JJAMM experience. I was able to not only strengthen my relationship with my co-captain, but we were also able to work as a team and acknowledge the changes that we can make in our community and the world. JJAMM Week is an incredibly rewarding week in which students can aspire to kindness, compassion and generosity through the teachings of Fr Julian Tenison Woods, and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. (Charlotte - Social Justice Captain)

JJAMM Week allowed me to grow into my role as Social Justice Captain and because of this I will be able to make a positive change in the lives of others. During the week, I developed a more extensive knowledge of Mary MacKillop and her works with the poor. I was fortunate to see where she completed some of her last work and finally where she was laid to rest. We learnt about our own leadership styles and how we can effectively work with our co-captain to make a difference and lead with courage. I had the most amazing time in Sydney meeting other Josephite leaders who are like-minded and passionate about social justice. These people challenged me to be better and do more for others, something I am eternally grateful for. Over the five days I grew so much as a person and a leader and because of this experience I feel more motivated and passionate to create change and advocate for people in need. (Sienna - Social Justice Captain)

Shrove Tuesday

Have you ever wondered why people tend to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday? Believers around the world celebrate Shrove Tuesday each year which is held on the day preceding Ash Wednesday. It signals the end of Epiphany and the beginning of Lent (a time of penance and renewal prior to Easter. Its name is derived from the term ‘shrive’, which means to have your sins forgiven. At the College pancakes were distributed at recess time and donations contributed to kick-start Project Compassion for the Lenten Season.

Ash Wednesday

Why would Jesus go into the desert for a forty-day retreat after his baptism? It is the same reason why people go on retreat: to refocus on who they are, where they are going and how to get there. One’s perspective about life gets blurred by all the noise and hyperactivity of life. Jesus needed time to understand the revelation of his identity given by God at his baptism: “You are my beloved Son, my favour rests on you”.

On 22 February the College gathered in the Gymnasium to celebrate Ash Wednesday by holding a liturgy. This began our journey to Easter - a time for reflection on how we are living our lives. Ashes were placed on our foreheads as a sign of our desire to repent and turn back to God.

Adriana Sotira
Religious Education Coordinator

What a wonderful camp experience the Year 7 students had in Week 4 of this term. The students enjoyed a three-day camp at Wallaroo where they participated in a range of activities including kayaking, a definite favourite, together with pizza making, raft building and paracords. Through the activity of orienteering, the students had the opportunity to learn a little about the history of Wallaroo. Throughout the activities, including Team Games, Problem Solving and Tribal Challenge, the students worked together in groups, providing the ideal opportunity to get to know each other a little more outside of the school environment.

The students particularly enjoyed having our Year 11 Peer Support Leaders join them on camp. The leaders organised activities including our camp quiz and fashion parade. The latter was a highlight as students gathered in smaller groups and created an outfit using only butcher paper and masking tape.

Below are reflections by some of our Year 7 students:

• A highlight from camp was kayaking. It was super fun and I learnt tips and tricks on how to kayak. It felt so nice on a hot day to go into the cold water. Olivia
• A highlight at camp for me is when we spent some free time before dinner with our friends because we got to connect with people from other groups and have a laugh. Charlotte
• My highlight from camp was raft building because we got to work as a team to make a raft. After we were able to go into the water for a swim. Mary
• My main highlight was kayaking. I enjoyed jumping out the kayak and paddling around on the water with my friends. Brenna
• My highlight from camp would have to be making a dress for the fashion parade. I had lots of fun doing it and getting to talk to other people about the idea. Caitlin
• I liked the pizza making as it was fun to make and it was very tasty. Christina

I thank the wonderful Year 7 Camp staff, Ms MacLennan, Mrs Attwood, Mrs Carr and Mrs Osborne for supporting the students over the three days to ensure they had a wonderful experience.

Mary Lepore
Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Year 8 Camp is one of the many events that allow our students to step outside their comfort zone and welcome rewarding opportunities and challenges.

It is their attitude towards these challenges that shape who they are, how they react to and interact with others.

In Week 4, Year 8 students set off on their much-awaited three-day Camp, held at El Shaddai, Wellington.

The warmer weather did not deter the students from engaging in the diverse activities embracing new experiences, building confidence, trust and respect in others and themselves. Luckily, airconditioned dorms and pool activities provided welcome relief from the hot days.

Activities included archery, reptile encounters, rock climbing, ladders and vertical challenge; allowing students to put their insecurities aside, to literally reach greater heights and work collaboratively supporting each other to stretch themselves.

In the evenings, the dining room was transformed into an arena where the Omnibus Cup Quiz challenged 8 Green and 8 Blue to work in teams, testing their knowledge. Our Year 11 Peer Support Leaders were outstanding as they created a carnival atmosphere, leading the students in cooperative team activities: MMC Lip Sync Battle and Lego Masters. Congratulations to 8 Blue who have the cup proudly displayed in their classroom for Term 1.

I would like to commend all Year 8 students and Year 11 Peer Support Leaders for the way they cared for each other and for their willingness to embrace all opportunities with eagerness, a growth mindset and open hearts.

A sincere thank you to the staff who attended for their enthusiasm and support of an event which is, without doubt, a highlight of Year 8 but also an unforgettable treasure of special times at Mary MacKillop College.

Ida Parente
Year 8 Pastoral Care Coordinator

In Week 5 the Year 9 students headed to Woodhouse Activity Centre for a two-day camp where they were called to step out of their comfort zone, with courage and resilience. We started earlier than usual enabling us to make the most of the day ahead. After arriving, we stored our bags and in no time started our first activity.

Day 1 saw the students finding courage on the mountain bikes with a short lesson before hitting the trail. They were asked to work as a team through various problem-solving activities. Challenge Hill encouraged the students to not only be part of the team but to trust their team members while navigating through the various obstacles together. When we returned to the camp site it was time to set up our tents. For many, it was their first time camping and the reality of the night was starting to set in. Each student rose to the challenge finding a little more courage within.

That evening the staff led by Natalie Baack, our Rite Journey Coordinator, hosted a small liturgy for the students inviting them to ‘The Calling’ for the year. They were asked to reflect on their childhood and what it means to leave it behind and become the young person they are to be. The evening hosted one final activity which saw both classes compete for The Penola Shield. It was here the students came together as a class determined to beat the opposition, not leaving a single member out, with 10 Blue taking the Shield for Term 1.

For our second and final day, the campsite woke early to the sound of the kookaburras before breakfast. The day’s activities saw the students extend their engineering ability with billy cart construction, racing and egg lord’s catapult. While the Mount Lofty adventure hub high ropes and artificial climbing wall saw many students step out of their comfort zones with the support of their class.

It may have only been two days, but they were filled from start to finish with many activities, stories and memories for the Year 9s. Overall the students embraced the many challenges they faced with courage while living our year level CCROPS value, Resilience.

Dimitra Thomas
Year 9/10 Pastoral Care Coordinator

The Year 11 Formal was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday 17 March. The students and their partners looked wonderful in their glammed-up outfits. The students enjoyed the delicious food and the way the room was decorated to the theme of ‘Moonlight Bloom’. All Mary MacKillop College students received a gift; a commemorative lolly jar organised by the Formal Committee. The night was filled with lots of dancing and ended with a stirring, all-in rendition of the College anthem, Mary's Vision. Thank you to the Formal Committee and all the staff who assisted in the organisation of the evening.

Jeanene Corbo
Senior Years Coordinator

Learning has begun with a flurry at Mary MacKillop College. I have been very impressed with the eagerness of all students to engage with their learning. As we live through our College mantra ‘Courage to lead’, we are mindful that all learning involves courage: to try new and sometimes difficult things, to take a step into the unknown and to develop character traits such as confidence, resilience and perseverance.

Even in these early weeks of 2023, a large variety of excursions, events and assessments are already underway. Students in Years 7 and 9 have engaged with practice NAPLAN tests in preparation for the NAPLAN assessments which commence on 15 March. Senior students have had the opportunity to take part in new initiatives such as the Certificate III in Business. Year 8 students have begun an exciting Project Based Learning program in which they engage in inquiry and collaboration to address real-world concerns. Our Career and Future Pathways program has been boosted with the ‘Become’ program, also being introduced at Year 8. Our Year 10 students will, later this year participate in ‘Futures Week’, with some students completing cross-curricular learning on the Canberra Camp.

I would like to thank all students and families for their warm welcome as I begin my journey at Mary MacKillop College. It is a vibrant and dedicated learning community, led by expert staff whose passion for authentic learning is displayed every day. I look forward to a wonderful, eventful and ‘courage-filled’ 2023.

Andrew Panozzo
Director of Teaching and Learning

On Saturday 25 February a group of 22 talented Dance Academy and SACE Dance students performed to a sold-out crowd of 280 audience members at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Presenting a contemporary dance work ‘The Earth Speaks’, students explored the connection between the Earth and its inhabitants, reflecting on the need for positive environmental change. Performing with expression and confidence, the students looked like true Fringe professionals, embracing the challenges of performing in an outdoor space with ease. Congratulations on your successful performance as part of Dance Alive’s, Sunset with Alive. Thank you to staff and community members for your support of this milestone event. We look forward to embracing further opportunities that come our way in the future.

Rachel Scott
The Arts Leader of Learning

The 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun and is celebrating its 20th year.

For this year only, there is a 20 Book Challenge - if you complete this you will receive a 20th Anniversary Certificate as well as your usual Premier’s Reading Challenge Award.

Students using the 20 Book Challenge form do not need to fill out a normal, 12-book reading record.

Reading records are available from the Library and the PRC website.

All students who complete the Challenge go in to a draw to win a $25 book voucher from Dillons at Norwood; one for Years 7 to 9, one for Years 10-12 and one for the 20 Book Challenge. There will also be consolation prizes.

Students with with additional learning needs can read books that are at an appropriate literacy level and/or use texts that have been adapted to meet their individual learning and literacy needs. This includes Braille texts, talking books, e-books, and books on tape, DVD or CD. More information can be accessed here.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is most successful when parents show interest and support their children. Please help your child read their 12 books for the year and you will be making a positive difference to their future.

The Challenge concludes on Friday 8 September 2023.

If you have any queries, please contact me in the Library apapp@marymackillop.sa.edu.au

Take care and Happy Reading!

Alicia Papp
Library Assistant

Congratulations to our 2022 Stage 2 student, Tania Sudareva whose artwork ‘Was It Worth It?’ was selected for the 2023 SACE Art Show, to be exhibited at the Light Square Gallery, TAFE SA Adelaide Campus, 0/39 Light Square, Adelaide, SA, 5000, from Tuesday 21 March - Friday 14 April.

Well done, Tania and all Year 12 Visual Art students on an incredible effort!

Join our Principal, Sonia Nelson, for a tour of the College.

Principal’s Tours are a great opportunity for prospective MacKillop girls and families to visit the College and to meet our Principal. You will meet senior staff and students on an intimate tour of the school, and experience our warm hospitality.

Term 1 Dates
Wednesday 5 April, 5.00pm

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Mary MacKillop College keeps a small supply of second hand uniforms for our Refugee Assistance Program. Currently our supply is low and any donations would be appreciated. Donations can be given to the front office. Thank you.