Edition 2,
11 March 2022

Empowered Women, Empower other Women

One day just wasn’t enough for MacKillop girls who turned International Women’s Day into International Women’s Week. Led by the Student Leadership Team (SLT), students engaged in a range of activities to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focussed charities. From making care packages for Catherine House to selling pink finger buns as a way of raising awareness and funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the girls embraced the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and donate their time, money and goods to support other women. In addition, the SLT also engaged the whole school community in a Kahoot and daily Who Am I? challenges that exposed students to the significant achievements of women around the world, their way of breaking down the gender bias and showing our girls that anything is possible. Whilst we have come a long way when it comes to gender parity and equality, there is still a way to go in breaking the gender bias that exists in our world. As a female leader in an all girls school, it is my hope that MacKillop girls and all girls are empowered to lead, live and grow in a world where gender bias no longer exists, where they are free to carve their own pathway for success whatever that may be.

Our SLT were asked to consider what International Women’s Day means to them, here’s a snippet of what they had to say:

‘International Women's Day to me is a day where we can all recognise women that helped rewrite history, change the stereotypes, and achieved the unachievable.’

- Alexis, Year 12 Student & College Captain

‘To me, International Women's Day is about uniting to commemorate the bravery and extensive effort from all women. For the women around me, I have hope that they can find courage within themselves to achieve their full potential, regardless of challenges and obstacles in which they may face in life.’

- Sophia, Year 12 Student & Year 10 Prefect

Finally, I would like to conclude with a message to all our girls. ‘You are strong, resilient, creative, courageous, fearless and intelligent. You are also vulnerable, social and compassionate and I have every confidence that you will be an unstoppable force in the future, paving the way for the next generation of girls. I hope you know that our community believes in you. Never be afraid to call out the inequities that exist and change the way the world perceives a woman's strength.’

Kate Kilpatrick
Acting Deputy Principal

The 2022 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) has begun!

All Year 7s should have received their Reading Records. For other year levels, records are available from the Sister Catherine Clark Library and also from the PRC website.

Students can read a combination of four books from the Challenge book list and then eight books of their own choosing. They can also read books in languages other than English, ebooks and graphic novels.

All PRC books in our Library are labelled, and the book list is available on the PRC website.

Students with disabilities 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. For more information, visit the PRC website.

Reading Records must be returned to the Library, and all students who complete the Challenge go in to a draw to win a book voucher from Dillons at Norwood - one for Years 7-9 and one for Years 10-12. The Challenge finishes on Friday 9 September 2022.

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.

If you have any queries, please contact me via email.

Homework Club: Term 1 Schedule

Wednesday & Thursday 3.30-4.30 PM in the Sister Catherine Clark Library

Wednesday

• Ms Turley - Maths, Digital Technologies, Science, Research Project
• Ms Loy - English, Italian, Religious Education

Thursday

• Ms Baack - Maths, Religious Education
• Mrs Morris - HASS, English, Research Project, PLP, Women's Studies, Religious Education
• Ms Whalan - Science, Psychology

Remember you don't have up to sign up - just turn up!

And the Library is open and available as usual for students not attending Homework Club.

Happy Reading!

Alicia Papp
Library Assistant

The Liturgical Season and Project Compassion

During this term the College has celebrated Shrove Tuesday by distributing pancakes during recess time and collecting donations to kick-start Project Compassion. Shrove Tuesday is a time in the liturgical calendar which signals the end of the Epiphany and the beginning of Lent (a time of penance and renewal prior to Easter).

Following this, the College celebrated Ash Wednesday a little differently this year by holding a liturgy in each classroom. This began our journey to Easter - a time for reflection on how we are living our lives. Ashes were placed on our forehead as a sign of our desire to repent and turn back to God. 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 alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. 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 received a Project Compassion box and students may donate in this way and/or organise a fundraiser within their class or cohort. The theme for this year is ‘For all Future Generation” which challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion: one full of hope in God’s promise.

2022 College Theme: 'Seeds of Hope'

Our 2022 College theme, Seeds of Hope encourages us to reflect on the school value, Hope as “we respond to Jesus’ promise to live life with meaning and purpose” John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full". All students at the College have explored the theme in their Pastoral Care and Religious Education lessons. The Year 7 students organised class displays and the Year 8 to 10 students decorated their class door to remind them to plant the 'Seeds of Hope' every time they walk through these doors.

Adriana Sotira
Religious Education Coordinator

Swimming Carnival

This year the students dressed to impress in their creative representations of Iconic Groups and Duos, with the presence of the Power Rangers, Teletubbies, Tetris, Green Eggs and Ham, Buzz and Woody, just to name a few.

Despite the unpredictable weather, the students gathered at the Norwood Swimming Pool with great energy, cheering and team spirit, whether participating in traditional swimming or novelty events. The highlight of the novelties was the new inclusion of the Lama Inflatables which were very cute and a crowd favourite!

I would like to congratulate and commend our 2022 College Sports Captains for their outstanding leadership displayed, their commitment and enthusiasm prior to the carnival and throughout the day: Ella (Tenison), Abigail (Flora), Matilda (Tappeiner), Tara (Alexander).

On behalf of the College Community, we would like to congratulate the following recipients for their achievements in the pool: 

Age Group Champions and Runners up:

• U/13 Runner Up: Chloe
• U/13 Champion: Savannah
• U/14 Runner Up: Eliza
• U/14 Champion: Sophie
• U/15 Runner Up: Keeleigh
• U/15 Champion: Sophia
• U/16 Runner Up: Sienna
• U/16 Champion: Ella
• 16+ Runner Up: Ella
• 16+ Champion: Arabella

Our fastest Championship 50m Freestyle swimmer was Ella. Congratulations again for your incredibly talented performance in the pool for the third year running!

Tappeiner House were the Spirit Award winners for displaying the best cheers, dancing, and involvement throughout the day. Well done Matilda on guiding and encouraging your team.

Congratulations to all members of Alexander House and Tara for leading the team, and winning the overall Shield for 2022!

The results were:

• Fourth Position: Flora 238 points
• Third Position: Tenison 302 points
• Second Position: Tappeiner 334 points
• First Position: Alexander 358 points

We look forward with excitement for the Mary MacKillop College community to participate and support their Houses at the Athletics Carnival, which will take place on Friday 18 March. This year’s theme - “Who is your hero”?

Zoe Politis
Sports Coordinator

2022 Arts Captains Welcome

2022 is off to a great start with students involved in a range of Arts activities around the school. We are excited to introduce our 2022 Arts Captains who are looking forward to sharing their enthusiasm for the Arts with the students this year. 

Meet Analissa

My name is Analissa and it is with excitement that I lead the College as Arts Captain in 2022. Music has always been a passion of mine, studying classical guitar from a very young age to progress towards the skills I have today. As well as this, I have broadened my musical experience to include rock, acoustic and jazz genres, performing in various school bands at Masses, events and music concerts. Last year, whilst in Year 11, I had the opportunity to complete Stage 2 Music Explorations. This introduced me to musical composition through lyrics and instrumentation. I particularly enjoyed using Bruce Springsteen's music to inspire my own compositions. Performing these compositions in front of the school community was very rewarding. Last year, I was honoured to receive the Sister Mary Harradine Service to School Music Award for my contributions to Music. I am looking forward to continuing my services to the school community as an Arts Captain by inspiring and encouraging younger students to participate in the Arts, step out of their comfort zone and learn new skills.

Meet Mia

My name is Mia and I am one of the 2022 Arts Captains. At the tender age of two, I began Dance and from there my passion grew. I am now going onto complete my 14th year of Dance! Throughout those years I have enrolled in various Dance classes, covering styles such as jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, lyrical and contemporary. Dance has been one of my elected school subjects from Years 8-11, last year finishing my journey by completing Stage 2 Dance. I have loved the opportunity to perform in the Dance Showcase and Arts Night performances at the College. Through my love of Dance, I hope to inspire young individuals at MacKillop who share the same love and passion for Dance as I do. This year I hope to see outstanding involvement in all that Dance has to offer at the College and have more students sharing their talent.

2022 SACE Art Show

We proudly acknowledge Mary MacKillop College students who have shown outstanding achievement in their subject area.

Two Art students, Jemha and Jordan have been selected as participants in the 2022 SACE Art Show.

Jemha
The Controversy of Life

Jordan
Life and Wires

The exhibition showcases outstanding and progressive art and design works by South Australian Stage 2 students at the Light Square Gallery from Tuesday 22 March—Friday 22 April 2022. Current Year 11 and Year 12 students will be attending the exhibition.

The Girardi Performing Arts Award

Dance student, Alisha was the 2021 recipient of The Girardi Performing Arts Award. Alisha applied her outstanding work ethic to both the practical and theory aspects of her ance studies and was awarded an A+ grade for Stage 2 Dance. A true role model for our younger students, Alisha consistently went out of her way to help others through sharing her knowledge and encouragement.

Meet Alisha

My name is Alisha, honoured recipient of The Girardi Performing Arts Award in 2021. I was introduced to Dance at the age of four and have had a passion for Dance ever since. Throughout the years, I have competed in various competitions, achieving many bids to travel both interstate and overseas. A highlight was placing second in the world, with my team for Jazz in 2021. Not only do I enjoy dancing outside of school, but I have also completed Stage 1 and 2 Dance at Mary MacKillop College. The Dance program has given me many opportunities to improve my skills as a dancer through choreography, dance analysis and performance. The confidence I have gained has inspired me to encourage younger students who wish to participate in the Arts. To the junior students in the school I would advise you to take the step to get involved with the Arts program, step out of your comfort zone and try something new because the opportunities are endless.

WAKAKIRRI

This year, students will be representing Mary MacKillop College for the first time in the Wakakirri Story Dance Festival, held at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Week 4 of Term 3. The Wakakirri Story Dance Festival is a national program that helps schools develop student engagement and wellbeing through participation in the performing arts. Schools participate by creating Story-Dances which they perform in live theatres across Australia. Dance and Drama students enrolled in either Semester 1 or 2 are able to nominate to be involved in this event and will be busy rehearsing next term.

Journey to Oz

Students can also “follow the yellow brick road” to get involved in our first Mary MacKillop College production “Journey to Oz”, to be performed at the Golden Grove Arts Centre in Week 10 of Term 3. “Journey to Oz” draws inspiration from the classic Wizard of Oz story with Music, Dance, Drama and Art work reflecting significant moments in the story. Material for the production will be developed in Arts classes as well as Co-curricular groups so students are encouraged to come along and be part of this exciting event.

The Art Department are busy preparing “Journey to Oz” inspired artwork. Year 7s will be working on Poppies, reminiscent of the poppy fields where Dorothy and her friends fall asleep. Year 8s will be studying compositions with red shoes and Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Year 9s will be drawing yellow brick roads using LEGO bricks and reverse perspective. Year 10s will be developing costume designs and paintings inspired by The Wizard of Oz characters, textiles and textures.

Arts Groups

It’s fantastic to see students already involved in our Choirs, Music Ensembles and Dance Performance Teams. Our Arts notice board near the Canteen has all of the information you will need to make sure you attend rehearsals regularly and see what’s coming up. There is still time to get involved so please speak to one of the Arts staff if you are interested in joining one of these groups.

Rachel Scott
The Arts Leader of Learning

Our 2022 Stage 2 Food and Hospitality class has made an outstanding start to the year with their first practical task - Creative Native Cuisine.

Their brief was to select, prepare and present a contemporary dish which showcases at least one Native Australian ingredient.

We were able to explore unique and unfamiliar ingredients such as Finger Lime, Wattleseed, Saltbush, Lemon Myrtle, Davidson Plum, Bush Tomato and Riberries.

Additionally, we explored the importance of restaurants utilising these ingredients to honour Australian indigenous culture and to establish a unique "Australian cuisine".

The final results were visually appealing, highly creative and also demonstrated complexity in their flavours and textures.

It is sure to be an exciting year watching these talented cooks as they grow in skill, confidence and competence in the MacKillop commercial kitchen!

Nadia Witton
Food & Fabric Technology Leader of Learning

The Le Cordon Bleu Emerging Culinary Leaders Program offered the opportunity to experience advanced instructions in Cuisine and Patisserie. Over the three-day period in December 2021, we were given the opportunity to cook in a range of kitchens, located at Regency TAFE SA. The program showcased the professionalism and the astonishing work created by Le Cordon Bleu. Throughout the three days I was able to meet a number of staff and chefs that were all passionate and encouraging in supporting us through the program.

On day one we were taken to the patisserie kitchen and were introduced to Chef Jenny who demonstrated how to prepare and produce Chocolate Choux Bun and Èclairs. We began by individually making the Choux Pastry. Whilst the Pastry rested Chef Jenny showed us a range of techniques used when writing with chocolate. Next, we piped the Choux Buns and Èclairs, that were then placed in the oven to cook. Whilst waiting for the pastries to cook we started working on the different elements that were required later when assembling the Chocolate Choux Buns and Èclairs. The elements produced included, chocolate glaze, chocolate-raspberry mousse, red fondant, neutral glaze, chocolate craquelin, and chocolate pastry cream. Once all was ready and the pastries had cooled, we assembled the Chocolate Choux Buns and Èclairs in an attempt to replicate Chef Jenny’s take on these two pastries. By the end of the day I was filled will a range of knowledge and experience on life in the kitchen as a patisserie chef, and was able to bring home 4 boxes of chocolate choux buns and Èclairs to share with my family and friends.

On day two I was keen to get into the cuisine kitchen and begin to learn from Chef David. We started the day by preparing the chicken and leaving it to poach. Whilst the chicken was cooking, we were taught some other skills and techniques around preparing vegetables for a French kitchen. We learnt about how before serving vegetables in a French kitchen, they must all firstly be shaped and peeled to all be identical. Next, we had a chance to make fresh bread and were show a range of patterns to mould the dough into. Once the chicken and the rest of the elements in the dish were ready, we were shown by Chef David how to plate the dish, which we all then replicated to the best of our ability. In the afternoon we made a quick dish that included Atlantic salmon, with cucumber noodles, sauce vert, and crème fraiche. For this dish we got a chance to learn how to properly crisp the skin of a piece of salmon and experience other ways to plate dishes. On day two I finished with a freshly made salmon dish and a full bag of fresh bread.

Lastly on day three we were instructed by Chef Paul on how to work under pressure and cook for others. We were lucky enough to showcase to our teachers, family, and friends what we had learned over the duration of the program. Some of the dishes we prepared on day three included oysters with black pepper and balsamic, pork and fennel sausage rolls, cocktail fillet mignons, mini quiche Lorraine, and panko crumbed fish goujon. Once all were ready, we headed out to greet and serve our guests the food we had produced. Lastly, we finished the day with a small award ceremony, where we received a certificate and chef jacket to keep.

Overall, the whole experience was amazing, and I was able to take away with me many great skills that I can now use when working in the kitchen. This course not only offered me a great experience but has encouraged and inspired me to keep working at building my knowledge in the kitchen, so that one day I could possibly achieve a career in the hospitality industry. For all other future MMC students, I encourage you to take all opportunities and give everything a go as you never know what you could learn or get out of one experience. I would like to also thank Mrs Archibald for organising and nominating me to participate in such an excellent experience.

If you are interested in taking part of this experience at the end of the year, speak to the Food Technology Teachers and register your interest.

Emily
Year 11 Student

At Mary MacKillop College we encourage a wide range of curricular and co-curricular music tuition opportunities for all students. This exciting and rewarding program provides a rich and highly valued experience for participating students.

Ensembles

In Term 1, we will be running a number of ensembles including a pop choir, a combo band, and Italcanti (an Italian language and culture choir) – more ensembles may be introduced throughout the year. Previous years have seen students involved in drum corps, rock bands, genre specific vocal groups and other ensembles (such as flute trio).

Groups perform at school assemblies and Masses/Liturgies, as well as internal and external events.

Instrumental Lessons

Students may enrol at any time during the year. Tutoring is available in the following instruments:

• Alto Saxophone*
• Tenor Saxophone*
• Baritone Saxophone*
• Trombone
• Trumpet*
• Clarinet*
• Flute*
• Piano
• Acoustic Guitar*
• Electric Guitar
• Bass Guitar
• Drum Kit
• Violin*
• Voice (Singing)

However, if there is an instrument that is not on the list, we are interested in considering adding it as an option.

Instrument Loan Initiative

We know that it is difficult to justify students starting lessons on a new instrument due to the cost of instrument hire on top of lessons. Therefore, we would like to offer the opportunity for students to try out instruments marked above with *, which are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis.

For students who enrol to undertake lessons for the duration of 2022, the school will provide an instrument free of cost during that time.

Please contact Jasmin Watkins (Co-Curricular Music Coordinator) directly at jwatkins@marymackillop.sa.edu.au for more information or Enrolment and Loan Forms.

Jasmin Watkins
Co-Curricular Music Coordinator