Term 1 - Week 5 - 3 March 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have reached the halfway point of term 1 already, with a very busy fortnight just past. Our HSIE faculty has been busy with fieldwork in years 7-10, Year 12 VET students have been completing work placements, and there have been fundraising events, drills, liturgies and numerous sporting events and activities. At this stage of the term, all students should be settled into their school routine and have a clear focus on their learning progress. OPALs should be published shortly; however, our move to a new reporting system through the Compass platform has caused some delays with this process. 

I would like to welcome back to the College Skye Pullen our Family Connect Worker, through our partnership with Social Futures. Skye is available to support families in a range of areas. Please read the article in this newsletter that outlines Skye’s role at the College. 

It is important that we remember that at this time twelve months ago the communities to the north of us were hit by devastating floods and some of our own communities in the Clarence Valley were also adversely affected. The impact of the floods on our schools, the staff, students and their families was traumatic and that trauma is still evident in many communities and will remain so for some time. I, therefore, ask that we keep those affected in our thoughts and prayers and give what we can to assist those struggling, twelve months on. 

Ash Wednesday - 22nd February 

We began the season of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Liturgy, where all students and staff received ashes on their foreheads. This would have been a new experience for a number of our Year 7 students. I commend all the students on the way they conducted themselves in the service and encourage all in the community to participate in the season of Lent by taking time to reflect and pray, fast, and give to others (almsgiving) through our Project Compassion campaign. Thank you to the students and staff who contributed to our Catholic Mission fundraiser for the Earthquake victims of Turkiye and Syria, with over $450 raised.  

Swimming Carnival & School Photo

Last Tuesday was our Swimming Carnival, which was held at Maclean Pool. A great day was had by all and I thank the students for their behaviour and participation, and the staff for the organisation and management of the day, particularly Mr Hand as the coordinator of the day. We greatly appreciated being able to use the Maclean pool and facilities. The final results  - winning House and Age Champions - will be announced shortly!

School Photos were completed the following day and again I thank the majority of students for their cooperation. Photos can be ordered via the envelopes that were provided on the day or online. The catch-up photo day is Tuesday 7th March.

Parent Pickup

To ensure safety in the parent pickup area of the car park and roundabout I have asked students who need to access cars parked on the far side of the roundabout and car park to cross at the point between the roundabout and staff car park. A map has been included in this newsletter to show the crossing area. A marked and possibly raised crossing will be constructed at this point in the near future. We are also investigating an extension to the car park to accommodate the increasing population of the College.

Evacuation Drill 

All students and staff participated in an Evacuation Drill last week as part of our WHS requirements. The drill went very smoothly and again I thank the students for their cooperation. It is vitally important that we have clear procedures in place to ensure the safety of all. 

Uniform

As I mentioned in the previous Newsletter,  I am concerned about the length the skirt is being worn. Our documentation states that it is a knee-length skirt and we have allowed it to be just above the knee (we have said 3 fingers or up to 8cm).  Mrs Warby and I have placed messages in the daily student memos regarding this and took the opportunity to address the girls of each year group on photo day. We are now at a point where individual students will be requested to lengthen their skirts or purchase new items. Correspondence will also be sent to the parents of these students.

This week: 

• Parent Forum - Parent Gathering

I would like to invite parents and carers to our Term 1 gathering on 7th March 2023 from 5.30 for a 6.00pm start, finishing by 7.30pm. We will also offer parents & carers the opportunity to join the gathering via Zoom. The Parent Forum is one way you can be involved in your child’s education and find out what is happening in the College.  Our main topics of discussion will be Parent Assembly & Parent Partnerships, Proposed Uniform changes and Pastoral Care at the College (see the Flyer in this Newsletter).

• LEAD

McAuley will be the host site of LEAD this week, which is a Diocesan Retreat for senior students. We are expecting over 200 students to attend from across the secondary schools. The Year 11 and 12 students will be equipped for ministry in their schools by nurturing their own faith through music, prayer, liturgy and other faith-formation experiences. The TAS and VET staff of our College cater for the 2-day event, with the help of many of the staff from across the school and I sincerely thank them for their time and dedication.  

Canteen & Online ordering - coming soon

We are currently exploring the introduction of an online ordering system for the canteen. We hope to have this facility available for the community by term 2, if not before. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing will be happening on the 15th - 17th March for years 7 & 9. It is important that the students approach this seriously as we use this testing to determine intervention, support and extension in our classes. 

Congratulations 

Four of our students have been selected for the Lismore Diocesan Touch Football teams in various age divisions. Congratulations to Sahara Powell, Mitchell Dick, Kyron Nipperess and Cruz Sewell on their selection and we wish these students all the best when they play in the NSWCC Championships in Wagga Wagga in week 10. 

Finally, I remind you that we are in the season of Lent - a time of prayer, almsgiving - doing things for others, fasting and reconciliation. It is a time to think beyond ourselves - to the chaos of the world and how we can make a difference to the lives of others around us. 

Enjoy the fortnight ahead

Yours sincerely

Kind regards,

Kate

Kate Thomson

Principal

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

Catherine McAuley

At the beginning of every month, the Catholic Schools Office Lismore sends out an invoice/statement via email to families, which provides a detailed summary of their transactions for the previous month. Fees can be viewed through Compass online or through the Compass app. It is worth noting that the app will only show the balance owed and prior months transactions. For up to date transactions you will need to login to Compass online. 

The College has five fee categories:

1. General Resource – this category covers approximately 27 individual items such as excursions, outsourced performances, carnival buses, weekly sports buses, and student reflection days, just to name a few. Resource fees are charged at cost to families. This fee negates the need to pay weekly for these events.
2. Building levy – this category predominately contributes towards capital and interest repayments on school buildings and the employment of maintenance staff.
3. Elective fees – additional fees are charged for resources specific to elective subjects. Years 9 through to 12 have the option to select some subjects based on their choice. These fees vary considerably depending on the subject selected. For example, Food Technology is more expensive than Commerce because the College provides ingredients for each student to cook.
4. Tuition – this charge contributes towards the cost of a combination of teacher coordinator allowances and ancillary staff (eg teacher aides) wages and superannuation.
5. Camps – these are charged at cost price to families. Years 8, 9, and 10 annually travel to overnight camps.  The camps are compulsory and are important for developing a student’s social and teambuilding skills, as well as motivation and self-esteem.

Timing of fees

Term 1 school fees were charged to parents in early February and should be paid on or before 28 February. The fees include tuition; resource; building levy; and camp deposits. 

Term 2 fees will be charged to families at the start of next term and will include the balance of the camps; tuition; and elective fees. 

Tuition fees for term 3 and term 4 will be charged at the start of those terms. Year 12 are not charged fees for term 4.

The College accepts direct transfers, BPay, CompassPay, and payment over the phone. The preferred method is BPay. You can find your BPay details at the bottom of any invoice/statement. If paying by direct transfer, please ensure to include your surname and initial in the description box so that the proceeds can be correctly identified and applied.

Families wishing to pay in weekly or fortnightly instalments please contact the College to discuss a payment plan.

If you are experiencing financial stress please arrange a meeting time with me through the office by phoning 66 431434.

Stephen Hartmann
College Business Manager

MY SCHOOL UPDATED FOR 2023

The My School website has been updated for 2023 with new profile information on schools and the latest school-level NAPLAN data.

From the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) CEO, David de Carvalho, “My School provides data on schooling right across Australia, helping parents, schools and governments to understand the performance of schools.”

“It’s an important resource for parents to make informed decisions about their children’s schooling. As well as providing an overview of approach and focus of the school, parents and carers can also find information on student and teacher numbers, attendance rates, financial information and NAPLAN results.

“It also provides teachers with important insights into school performance, supporting and driving improvements across the nation.”

The 2023 My School update includes the following:

• 2022 school profile and population data
• 2022 school attendance data
• 2022 NAPLAN results for schools
• 2021 school financial information, including capital expenditure and funding sources
• 2021 post-school destinations data.

Student progress data for 2020 – 2022 is not available following the cancellation of NAPLAN in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, parents can still view NAPLAN performance data relative to Socio-Educational Advantage by school on the NAPLAN results page.

My School’s Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) indicates the average educational advantage of the school’s students and is calculated using information about a parent’s occupation and education, school geographical location and the proportion of Indigenous students. A school’s ICSEA value is provided to encourage taking socio-educational advantage into account when comparing school achievement.

My School shows a decline in students’ attendance during Semester 1 and Term 3 2022, but this can be attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak, high influenza outbreaks and floods experienced in some regions of Australia during that time.

To have a look at McAuley Catholic College profile and results, go to the My School website and enter the full school name in the search field.

Courses & Workshops for Students

On Monday and Tuesday of Week 4, students in Year 8 Geography completed their Fieldwork studies at Shannon Creek Dam to develop their geographical skills and enhance their studies of Water in the World. Students listened to a presentation by Chris and Ben from Clarence Valley Council and recorded data on the construction, operation and management of the dam. Students were guided across the dam wall and bridge and down to the pump station and natural creek beds. Practising and enhancing skills in field sketching and recording observations was also a focus for the fieldwork.

Our sincerest thanks to Chris and Ben and the Clarence Valley Council for their support and for sharing their time, expertise and knowledge in the field, allowing students to bring their studies to life!

Child Studies 

Students in Year 10 Child Studies have been studying a unit “Play and the Developing Child”. As a part of this, students have been exploring the way that play assists students with their social, emotional, cognitive and motor development. Recent activities included making Play Dough and participating in a range of activities that would assist children's development, in particular fine motor and cognitive development.

The Student Leadership Team has had a busy start to the school year organising and achieving our goals for fundraisers and activities. Our recent fundraisers have been a huge success as we have raised $178 for Valentines day, $95 for Shrove Tuesday and an impressive $487 for Syria and Türkiye, for a total of $760 raised in the first few weeks of Term 1. All of the money raised will be sent to aid Catholic Mission and Caritas’ Project Compassion to help those directly affected by poverty.  

Earthquake Relief Coin Line 

Following the Ash Wednesday liturgy, the Student Leadership Team assisted with the Syria and Türkiye coin line. By following the act of almsgiving, we as a school community are giving back to those who have been affected by the devastating earthquakes.

In other news, the SLT has started back up the weekly Thursday lunchtime activities. The second event being a Year 8 vs Year 12 dodgeball match took place Thursday last week with Year 12 only just taking the win. The SLT had been assisting with the organisation of the MCC Swimming Carnival, which took place at Maclean pool on the 28th of February. The houses were competitive yet both the students and staff participated and enjoyed a day full of fun in the pool. It was awesome to see Year 12 dressed up in their theme of Superheros (Girls) and Cheerleaders (Boys) for the swimming carnival bringing lots of laughter and creativity. 

In the coming few weeks, the Student Leadership Team will be organising St Patricks Day and Anti-Bullying Day, with fundraisers and activities planned for these annual events.

Will, Jazmine, Amali & Paige
Student Leaders

Diocesan Swimming Carnival 2023

A small team of just 13 swimmers made their way to Kempsey for the Diocesan Swimming Carnival this year, an early start for all of us.  The first event, the 50m freestyle is always hotly contested and MCC had swimmers in most age groups. Hudson Batinovic swam a personal best to come second and make it through to the CCC Carnival in Sydney. He backed this up with a second in the 100m freestyle. Willow Rowney swam in a huge number of events and managed third in 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke. Beau Edwards was our other place-getter with a second in the 50 m breaststroke.

Many of our team swam personal best times, some by a massive 4 seconds! Thanks to Mr Hand for driving the bus and thanks to our students for their awesome sportsmanship. Just keep swimming.

Zoom Link

https://lismcatholic.zoom.us/j/69914053614

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Please note the following dates for Term 1

• School Photos - Catch-up day: 7 March
• Parent Forum / Gathering: 7 March
• Year 7.3 & 7.5 Iluka Rainforest Walk: 7 March
• Year 7.2 & 7.4 Iluka Rainforest Walk: 8 March
• LEAD: 9 & 10 March
• NAPLAN: 15 - 17 March
• Parent Teacher Student Interviews Yrs 7-11: 21 March
• MCC Cross Country: 30 March
• Open Night: Tuesday 4 April (week 10)
• Last day of Term 1: Thursday 6th April 

As a reminder, students who do not have a hat during recess and lunch will be directed to remain in the shade. This is to ensure that they are protected from the sun, and to lessen the incidence of developing skin damage or skin cancer in the future.

Taking steps to protect your skin from the sun is essential, especially in North Eastern NSW where the risk of developing melanoma is high. By wearing a hat, and seeking shade, you can help reduce your risk of skin damage and skin cancer and stay SunSmart.

Please refer to the College website for our SunSmart Policy.

Please note COVID-19 is still present in our community. Rapid Antigen Tests are still available at the College. If you require additional tests please contact the College Office.

Please be reminded that students and staff CANNOT attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. 

Students who are unwell

If a student is unwell, displaying any COVID-19 or cold and flu-like symptoms at any time, they CANNOT attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test. 

If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is unwell and/or experiencing any symptoms, they CANNOT attend school.

If the rapid antigen test is positive and the student is not feeling unwell and not displaying or experiencing any symptoms, they CAN attend school under the following conditions:

• the school office is informed of the positive test result, AND
• the student (over 12 years old) wears a mask for a period of 7 days in all indoor settings.