Term 3 - Weeks 4 & 5 - 22 August 2025

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students,

Year 12

Year 12 students have returned from their Trial Examinations and are now finishing off courses, revising, and preparing for their Graduation at the end of the term. This is also a time for students to nominate themselves and their peers for special awards, including the prestigious McAuley Medal. Term 3 is an important period for Year 12 to consolidate their learning and complete their schooling journey.

Year 11

Year 11 students are also approaching a significant milestone, with their Preliminary Assessment Week scheduled for Week 9. Since returning from their Retreat (Week 4), students from Year 11 have been invited to participate in the Student Leadership process. Nominations are now closed, and interviews, speeches, and voting will occur over the coming weeks. I thank all Year 11 students who have accepted nominations for a College leadership role. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve others in our community. Annabelle Hourigan and Xavier Cassidy-Thomasen have written an article about their Year 11 Retreat experience for this fortnight’s newsletter. 

Year 10 Future Pathways and RYDA

Year 10 students and their parents are currently participating in Future Pathways conversations, coordinated by Mrs Di McGowan and Mrs Tiffany Lee. These important discussions support subject selections and opportunities for students both within and beyond the College in 2026. We will continue these conversations with families as students finalise their selections. 

On Friday, 22nd August, Year 10 students attended RYDA, an engaging one-day workshop delivered with the support of local Rotary Clubs. This program equips young people with the essential knowledge and strategies they need for road safety.  RYDA features a highly engaging and memorable one-day workshop that front-loads students’ understanding of road safety, giving them the tools, habits, and motivation to take action and stay safe on our roads as both drivers and passengers throughout their lives.

Shine - Year 9 & 10 CSYMA

Students from years 9 & 10 recently represented the College at the diocesan Shine Gathering, celebrating youth faith, music, and community. Will Hartley has written an article about his Shine experience. 

Safe on Social Parent Evening

We were delighted to welcome back Kirra Prendergast from CTRL SHIFT (formally Safe on Social) for her talk on all things related to AI, Deep Fakes, Sexual Extortion, Online Abuse and the Implementation of age restrictions for Social Media. This evening was co-sponsored by Parent Assembly and the College and provided parents with valuable insights into online safety and wellbeing for young people. Kirra started the evening by stating that we need to prepare parents for when things go wrong for their children online (not if) and how to handle this when it happens. I strongly encourage all parents and carers to access the resources we promote through our school subscription to CTRL SHIFT (Safe on Social), and be informed so you can recognise unsafe situations. The website https://www.safeonsocial.com/ gives you access to Blogs, Podcasts, Webinars and urgent contact if needed.

Book Week

The College community has joined in the celebrations of Book Week, highlighting the importance of reading and storytelling in learning and life. The theme this year is Book an Adventure. I thank Linda Gleeson and her team for the Book Week activities - we will be sharing photos in the next edition.

Staff Development Day, School Improvement and Data 

Monday 18 August,  was a pupil-free day for staff professional development with the focus on School Improvement and the development of our next Strategic Plan. Our theme was "Listening to our Community. Shaping our Future". We examined a significant amount of data on this day, covering Catholic Mission, Learning and Teaching, Student and Staff Wellbeing, and Engaged Communities. The data came from various sources, including Tell Them From Me surveys ( parents, students, and staff), NAPLAN, attendance records, behaviour reports, awards, and HSC results, to name a few. We are now processing the feedback we have received to identify themes and priority areas for focus over the next four years. We will share with you the development of the Strategic Plan, as well as various data sets compiled from the sources mentioned above. Kathy Warby has included some data on bullying in her article that was collected through the student TTFM survey. 

Boys’ Symposium

In terms of data, it was noticeable in our Week 2 Special Awards Assembly that the number of boys receiving awards was remarkably low and did not reflect our school population. I have been asked by staff and some parents Where are the boys? What’s happening? I posed this question to the school assembly last Thursday, using some visuals from the presentation day. We are in the process of implementing an inquiry project to answer and address these questions, aiming to improve boys' engagement in learning, achievement, and acknowledgement. This project will be led by male staff and will begin with conversations and surveys. We will keep you posted! 

Staffing Changes

Alex Montford has been on leave throughout most of terms 2 and 3, and has now tendered his resignation. I thank Alex for his service to the College and his many contributions as a teacher and a leader. We wish him well as he explores future ventures and adventures. For the remainder of this term, the following staffing arrangements will continue: Nikita Robinson as Acting Leader of Pastoral Care, Brendan Smith as Acting Year 11 Coordinator, and Sean Gallagher as a replacement teacher. 

Coming events promoted in the Newsletter

HSC Showcase - Wednesday 3rd September -  A celebration of our Year 12 students’ major projects and performances across a range of subjects

Father’s Day Breakfast -  Thursday 4th September
We warmly invite all fathers, grandfathers and father-figures to join us for this special morning with their children.

McAuley Fest - Thursday 11th September
A night of entertainment for the whole College community, showcasing talent across our students and staff. Tickets are now available via CompassTix.

McAuley Day - Friday 12th September
Our College Feast Day honours our Mercy history and traditions while raising funds for Mercy Works. Homerooms are busily preparing activities, and we look forward to a wonderful day of faith, fun, and service.

All the best for the fortnight ahead,

Kate

Kate Thomson
Principal

“We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us.”

Catherine McAuley

In week 4, several staff members participated in our Celebration of Practice initiative. This provided a structured opportunity to engage in peer observation, participate in learning rounds, and have coaching conversations. Staff also reflected on their practice in line with the teaching standards, ensuring professional growth remains a priority across our school.

Whole School Message

At our week 4 assembly, I spoke about the criteria for our 2025 Semester 1 awards. Students were encouraged to:

✅ Strive to lift their current grades

✅ Aim for all "Always" ratings on their reports

✅ Stay organised and ask questions

✅ Show up consistently and put in effort

✅ Complete homework and study regularly

✅ Keep attendance high

Students were also challenged to reflect on what changes they would make to reach these goals. I encourage families to continue this conversation at home so that the focus on growth and improvement stays strong.

Year 12

Congratulations to our Year 12 students on managing the recent exam block and the impressive effort they have invested in their major works. The next four weeks mark one of the most important phases of the HSC journey. This period allows students to reflect on their results, evaluate their performance under exam conditions, and refine strategies around time management, study techniques, and resilience. Students are setting themselves up for success in their final stretch by identifying what has worked and what still needs attention.

Year 11

The Preliminary Exams begin in week 9. Students and Parents have received the exam timetable and information regarding the exam process. This exam block is a valuable chance to demonstrate capability and establish strong foundations for the HSC year. Over the coming weeks, I encourage Year 11 students to revisit and refine their goals. Writing them down, keeping them visible, and connecting them to a clear sense of purpose turns routine study into meaningful progress.

Remember: success is built not just on goals, but on systems. Consider:

• Creating a realistic study schedule
• Breaking large tasks into smaller steps
• Distributing time fairly across subjects
• Using checkpoints to track progress

Year 10

We look forward to welcoming Year 10 families to the upcoming Future Pathways Meetings today. These sessions are an excellent chance to connect with our senior staff, discuss subject options, and receive guidance for future pathways. For students planning to continue to the HSC, this is an essential step toward engaging in a challenging, externally moderated course of study.

Ahead of these meetings, we encourage families to review half-yearly reports and OPALs, which are all accessible on Compass.

I also challenge Year 10 students to establish strong study habits now. Waiting until senior school is too late - consistency built in Year 10 leads to a smoother and more successful transition into Years 11 and 12.

Extended Library Hours

McAuley Catholic College will host extended Library hours for our students in Year 11 and 12 as they prepare for the preliminary exams or consolidate their learning after the trials.

This will occur every Wednesday from week 6 - week 9 (27th August - 17th September) from 3:10 pm - 6:00pm

Thank you for your continued support.

Year 10 Geography Trip to the Tip

Year 10 Geographers completed their Fieldwork studies at the Environmental Learning Facility in South Grafton on Wednesday and Thursday of week 4. The annual “Trip to the Tip” once again proved to be a conversation starter and eye-opener to a number of students as they discovered the impact of waste on the environment and effective waste management processes used in the Clarence Valley. Students further developed their geographical skills in observation, data collection and communication on the day.

As part of the Year 10 course, students will complete further research on waste management at a state and national level and complete a Fieldwork Report to complement their studies in Environmental Change and Management. Our sincerest thanks to Suzanne Lynch and the Clarence Valley Council for their expertise and guided walk, educating not only our students but the wider community in the sustainable management of our waste!

Yr 11 Retreat - Report from Annabelle Hourigan & Xavier Cassidy-Thomason 

During week 4, Year 11 has had an amazing time on retreat. We spent our time connecting with other members of the year group and reflecting on what makes good leadership. Upon arrival, we participated in some icebreakers to build team morale and split into small groups for more focused insights into leadership. We were served excellent meals from the kitchen, which were only received after we sang grace together. As we progressed further into the night, we were able to delve into deeper questions and share our views on them. It became a truly reflective time, where everyone was able to think about their own views and opinions and share them with the year.

The next morning, we were fortunate enough to walk along the beach and watch the beautiful sunrise emerge, taking the time to connect with nature and our surroundings. Throughout the day, we engaged in more reflective activities that helped us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and each other. This was accompanied by some hilarious moments during the games we played, which further solidified our bonds with each other. We were challenged and motivated through various activities that helped us evaluate who we are and who we want to be moving forward. As we finished the retreat, we reflected on what leadership means to us and discussed what types of leaders we need in our school to make the college a better place. 

We would like to thank Mrs Warby, Mrs Robinson, Mr Smith, Mr Howard, Mr Day, Mrs McGowan, Jacob and Megan (CYM from St Mary’s Casino), Mrs Joe and Darby for their excellent organisation of the activities and a retreat that was well orchestrated; it was definitely a time to remember.

SHINE - Report from Wil Hartley

Our trip started on day one with a noon departure from school, arriving at SJPC just after 1:00pm. We met in the hall where the band Wildfire conducted worship through energetic music, setting the tone for the retreat. Following afternoon tea, we attended our first breakout sessions, where we explored how faith intersects with various aspects of life. Some sessions focused on cultural awareness, others involved songwriting with Wildfire, and others explored more challenging questions about faith and religion. Dinner was a filling bowl of spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread, topped off with ice cream, before returning to the hall for more music and the faith-deepening experience of Adoration. Then we went off for a well-deserved night's sleep.

Day two began early at 6:30am, with everyone packing up before breakfast. Following a brief time to get sorted, we returned to the hall to hear some inspirational stories and keynote talks on living our faith in daily life. Morning tea provided a brief break before two further sessions, including discussions on the role of faith in sport and the relationship between religion, reason, and science. Following lunch, the day concluded with Mass, allowing many to reflect on the past day's events. By 3:30pm, we had gathered our belongings and departed, arriving home just before 5:00pm.

Father's Day Breakfast

Join us for tea, coffee and light snacks at Catherine's Cafe at the College on Thursday 4th September. This is a before-school gathering from 7:45am - 8:40am. Fathers, grandfathers and carers all welcome. We hope to see you there!

HSC Showcase

We would like to invite the school community to acknowledge the incredible talent of our senior students who have completed major projects for their HSC, at the HSC Showcase, which will be held at the College Library on Wednesday 3rd September from 4pm - 6pm

McAuley Fest

McAuley Fest is approaching, 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. Bands can now sign up by following the link on Compass, and everyone can purchase tickets (click on the photo above for the QR code to Compass Tix). We encourage everyone to join us on Thursday 11th September for McAuley Fest to support their family and peers, and enjoy a night filled with great music!

On Monday, 18th August, McAuley Catholic College school captains, Beau Thompson and Jasmine Chellew, were honoured to represent the school at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day hosted by the Clarence Valley Vietnamese Veterans, Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Association. The captains were pleased to receive two books, ‘The Legend of Albert Jacka’ by Peter Fitzsimmons and ‘Australia’s Aviation Heroes’ by Colin Burgess, which the association donated to the Mercy library.

Book Week

An adventurous week of reading is well under way from Monday as part of the school’s annual Book Week celebration. This week’s theme is Book an Adventure and the library team have gone all out to make reading a link to extreme reading!

The activities include:

• Daily Quiz in Home Rooms
• Home Room Borrowing challenge
• Break out boxes
• Scavenger Hunt
• Photo Competition
• Culminating in the Character Dress up day on Friday.

To celebrate our amazing literary heritage in Australia, we have had a visit from YA book author Hayley Lawrence and the students can also participate in Write a Book in a Day next Wednesday.

We have decorated our library to match the Adventurous theme linking in to the idea of spies,  explorers or thrill seekers getting out into the wild. 

I have a special thank you to the following people for helping out with donations and practical help:

• Owen Howard for the amazing surfboards;
• Mrs Parkin for the kayak, white water gear and multiple sailing boats;
• Ms Jansons for the rock climbing gear;
• Mr Gleeson for making multiple props;
• Multiple staff for their various monkey props;
• Jacob Toovey and Jim Adams for their decorating skills;
• Library staff for building the display;
• All the students who said, “Wow” when they walked in! 

Take a look at this video to get inspired for Book Week.

Author Visit

YA author, Hayley Lawrence shared her experiences and hot writing tips for students wishing to extend their writing skills. The students learnt how to consider and draw on their own experiences to make an authentic character voice.

Librarian & History Teacher

Again, it has been another busy two weeks in the careers world.

Year 12

Many of the students are finalising their university applications. Some dates for the first round of early entry offers have already elapsed. However, for the University of Newcastle, the date is August 29th, and for Southern Cross University, the date is September 30th. For the University Admissions Centre (UAC) the forms must be submitted by 5th September. All students should apply for the schools recommendation scheme. Round one early bird applications have closed for Charles Sturt University, and students will be receiving their early offers any day now. However, round two offers for this university are still available until August 31st. If students need help with their applications, please see me. 

UAC Information Talk - Unpacking the University Admissions Process

UAC will be presenting an online information session at school within the next two weeks. Representatives from the centre will be there to give key pieces of information or respond to questions from students or any interested staff. This is mainly aimed at Year 12 but any interested Year 11 students may attend too.  This will be for forty minutes at lunchtime. The venue for the talk will be L8 and the date will be confirmed shortly.

Please see previous newsletter articles on the UAC process, or, please feel free to contact me for any advice.

Scholarships

Students should be researching various scholarships at this stage. If they need assistance when applying please see me.

Year 12 Students Not Applying to University

Those students not applying for university places or who do not have a job or training organised for 2026 will continue to have their mock job interviews in week 7 in their careers lessons.

Year 10 Work Experience

All students should be organising a place to complete work experience for Term 4 week 8, 1st - 5th December. This is a great opportunity to experience the real world and test different career options or working environments. All students are completing a short course to prepare for work experience in class. There will be a lot of preparation and paperwork required for this process and this will take a period of time to get organised.

All required documentation can be found on the Career Tools website, to which students have access. Please refer to earlier newsletters for detailed information and links to the process.

Charles Sturt University Visit to the School

Representatives from Charles Sturt University will be running workshops on Careers with some Year 10 and Year 11 classes in week 6.

The representatives will also talk to Year 12 and Year 11 students in a lunch session about the courses the university offers.

Southern Cross University Visit

In week 7 Southern Cross University representatives will be running workshops with some Year 10 and Year 11 classes. They will also be available at lunchtime to discuss their courses and university experience.

Queensland University Trip Year 11

There is a proposed trip to visit universities in Queensland in week 8 of term 4 for students completing the HSC in Year 12 and keen to study in Queensland. The dates are the 4th - 5th December with an overnight stay in University of Queensland accommodation. There are limited numbers available on this excursion, so interested parties will need to return all of the required paperwork promptly. The forms are not finalised yet, but I will inform the students as soon as this is available.

Jobs available

A local accountancy business, WBS Accountants, is seeking a Year 12 graduate from this year to fill an accountancy traineeship. This entry-level role with full training provided would suit someone with a strong work ethic, good attention to detail, and a willingness to learn. The company is passionate about helping young people from the local area find their feet professionally and grow with them long term, while offering support towards professional qualifications. Please see me or Mrs Nicholls for further information.

Thank you.

Mrs Maria Rouse

Careers

      - Senior Boys High Jump (2023) 1.85m

House Championship Results

4th – Tracey (1049 points)

3rd – Champagnat (1176 points)

2nd – Mercy (1319 points)

1st – McCarthy (1373 points) 

Congratulations also to the 70 athletes who have qualified for the Lismore Diocesan Athletics Championships, to be held on Tuesday, 2 September at Coffs Harbour Stadium. We wish you all the very best of luck!

Finally, thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success, especially Mr Nipperess, Mr Humphries, Mr Tait, Mrs Lee, Mr Hand and Mr Porter for their support and expertise in running such a large event.

– Mrs Corcoran, Sports Coordinator

NRCC Netball news

Our other teams performed well and also achieved wonderful results:

Congratulations to everyone on a wonderful day of netball!