Magdalene Catholic High School
Newsletter Vol 20 Term: 3 Week 1 - 27 July 2018
Principal's Blog
Happy Magdalene Feast Day!
What a wonderful day today was.
We were absolutely blessed by the weather and students had an excellent time celebrating our 20th Magdalene Feast Day.
Extra rides were ordered this year and students had a great time on the bottom oval & bottom Quad which were complete with rides, slides, obstacle courses, hair colouring, pasta, drinks, activities etc… and then in the afternoon we concluded with a celebration of music. A fantastic day!
I thank Father Michael for celebrating the Eucharist in the morning as well as parents and Special Guests who attended (Father Michael Williams, Camden Parish Priest; Josephine Cooks & Suz Marden, Catholic Education Office; Lara Symkowiak, Camden Mayor; Mary Ellen Bland, Director Campbelltown Catholic Club; Courtney Deighton, Alex & Jennifer Popov, St Vincent de Paul; Mr Tony Fitzgerald, Principal Mater Dei, and; Mr Christopher Patterson, State Member for Camden).
At the end of the Mass I challenged students to be “Magdalene people” – people who are courageous, creative, caring and have Christ and His morals central in their lives. Indeed, just as Mary Magdalene did, I spoke of the need to not shy away from having audacious goals – to make a difference in the world and to be closer to Jesus preaching the good news in our everyday lives, words, actions and example.
It is important to note that I also spoke of my meeting with the Bishop earlier in the week and the fact that he was very supportive of the idea for a name change for 2019 i.e. for us to become Magdalene Catholic College. While I stressed to the audience that this was not official yet, this should be a reality from January 1 next year. More details to follow!
Finally, I cited the words of our Founding Principal, Mr Alan McManus. Alan in our School’s very first year encapsulated what we do and how our education can support us through life: “Through word and action, we hope to rekindle the light of faith in many of our students and parents … education that neglects the spiritual dimension of life is nothing but a hollow shell, which is incapable of sustaining one fully through good let alone bad times.” (Mr Alan McManus, 1999) These are certainly wonderful words on which to reflect.
I would like to thank Mr O’Neill and our musicians for their work on the day and especially Mrs Forner and Mrs Foldes for their organisation and diligence on the day.
Finally it would be remiss not to thank all staff for their hard work and our wonderful students who embraced what it means to be a student of Magdalene.
PRAYER:
It is only fitting that on Magdalene Feast Day that I ask that we join together, in honour of our Patron, Saint Mary Magdalene in saying and considering our School Prayer.
Jesus, You chose Mary Magdalene
To be the first witness to
Your resurrection.
Help us to be filled with
The power of Your Spirit.
May we become witnesses
to Your love and healing,
both within
and beyond this community.
Mary Magdalene
Pray for us
NEW BANNER
This year Ms Cathy Delaney has designed a new painting and banner for our special events. See below (pictured with Father Williams at our Feast Day Mass this morning):
Father Williams made mention of how spectacular this looks and I would like to thank Ms Delaney for her talent and her generosity (using her own time to paint this).
MAGDALENE SHINES
RETURN TO MAGDALENE
More information and flyers will be sent out, but in the interim, I warmly invite ALL community members, past and current students and staff and parents to our Return to Magdalene Day.
This day will include a range of fun activities, rides, a free BBQ, face painting, fairy floss, tree planting, entertainment as well as tours of the School.
The time is from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday 18th August. Please pencil in this date and time and we would love to see you there!
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR'S REPORT
Year 12 will be commencing their Trial Higher School Certificate Examinations during Weeks 3, 4 and 5. Students are reminded to make sure that they are aware of the date and time of each of their exams, as well as the venue and what they are able to bring into the exam with them. We wish them all the best and know that they will be rewarded for the hard work that they have put into their preparation over the HSC Course.
MINIMUM STANDARDS TESTS
Congratulations to the students who have successfully completed their Minimum Standards Tests. Support is being provided to those students who have not achieved the standard through Morning Intervention sessions in both Literacy and Numeracy. Those students who have not yet attempted these tests will do so during Term 3.
YEAR 9 2019 ELECTIVE INFORMATION EVENING
Our current Year 8 students, along with their parents, will commence their elective selection process with an information evening on Monday 27th August, commencing at 6pm. Please add this date to your calendar. Further information will be provided to the students and parents closer to the date.
YEAR 11 2019 SUBJECT SELECTION FORMS
Round 2 Subject Selection forms, along with the student "Decision Time" questionnaire, are due in through the library on Monday 30th July. Parents are reminded that all Year 10 students and parents will be required to attend an interview on Thursday 13th September. Please add this date to your calendar.
Mrs Peiti Haines
Curriculum Coordinator
Academic Care
In Academic Care lessons on Tuesday mornings, students in Years 7-11 have been considering the impact of Habits of Mind. Students have started the term by reflecting on the power of persisting, striving for accuracy and applying past knowledge to new situations. These habits will support students in responding to academic challenges with a positive attitude and will develop their ability to focus on success.
You may like to ask your child the question each lesson has begun with: How do you respond to academic challenges?
WELLBEING
Curriculum for Living
The "Curriculum for Living" is a transformative learning platform from Landmark Forum that offers a variety of different course including a 3-day course that assists parents and children in building conversations and making connections with others within the community.
The courses may cover the areas of: courage, self-confidence, peace of mind, being resentful, angry and living with regrets, lack the freedom to be themselves, ability to make decisions and depression.
This would be a good opportunity for parents and students in our community to work towards making a better world.
Please visit http://www.landmarkworldwide.com/the-landmark-forum for more information, including different courses, pricing, and availabilities.
SPORTS NEWS
MISA TRIALS AND RESULTS
During the last week of Term 2 and the first week of Term 3 we have had a large number of students trialling for MISA teams including AFL, soccer, basketball, rugby league, netball and ultimate frisbee.
The level of participation was high as the students proved to be keen to be selected on the various teams.
Holly Rasmussen - NSWCCC Hockey Success
Congratulations to Holly Rasmussen who competed in the NSW All Schools Tri-Series tournament for Hockey, as part of the NSWCCC Team, on the 24th of July. The NSWCCC Team was undefeated in the tournament. Beating CIS (Independent schools) 4-2 and CHS (State Schools) 7-4 to take out the title. It was a challenging day with so much talent throughout all teams with hot conditions. Holly enjoyed the challenging competition and hopes to compete in next year's event also.
Well done Holly!!
Do You Have Some Sport News You Wish To Share?
OPAL CARD REMINDER
Please make sure that your student's Opal card is valid and that they are aware of the SSTS Code of Conduct. Please see the following link to review the code.
CatholicCARE
COMMUNITY NEWS
NOTICEBOARD
Magdalene Catholic High School
Email: info@mchsdow.catholic.edu.au
Website: mchsdow.catholic.edu.au
Location: Smeaton Grange, New South Wales, Australia
Phone: 02 4631 3300
Facebook: facebook.com/magdalenecatholichigh
Twitter: @mchsnarellan