BULLETIN VOL 29 ISSUE 2 25 FEB 2021 his week we acknowledged and commissioned our 2021 College Leaders. T Two key themes were evident throughout KEY DATES TERM 1 the Commissioning Assembly - never see a Stay up-to-date with all our events via the College need without seeking to meet it, and having Calendar at www.mackillop.tas.edu.au/events courage and faith when faced with the challenges of leadership. 1-4 March Year 7 Camps Leadership, at any level, can be difficult, it can be challenging, 11 March Southern SATIS Swimming Carnival it can be confusing, and it can have us questioning who we are 19 March Feast of St Joseph and what it is that we truly stand for. Mostly, this comes about because leaders become unsure as to whom and where they 23 March State SATIS Swimming Carnival should turn to for advice and guidance when it comes to making 1 April End of Term 1 leadership decisions. Many leaders find themselves asking basic questions, such as, “Whose actions should I look to when faced 2 April Good Friday with a particularly difficult or challenging situation?” “Whose wisdom will provide me the clarity of mind I need when faced with the dilemmas of leadership?” COVID-19 safety at MacKillop This is the great conundrum of leadership that all leaders face. Catholic College In truth, it is what confronts each of us – students, parents, guardians and staff members – every day. This is why we All students, staff and visitors to our College should maintain ‘COVID-safe behaviours’ by sometimes say that is a leader – a leader because everyone • staying away from the College if you or someone is turning to each one of us in times of need, a leader your son/daughter is feeling unwell or is because someone is turning to us for advice, a leader because displaying flu-like symptoms; someone is watching how we respond to certain situations. • practising good personal hygiene when coughing or sneezing; Being part a part of the MacKillop Catholic College community • washing your hands thoroughly with soap means that we are blessed to have been given distinct examples, and water and using hand sanitiser; guidance and support in our leadership and our decision-making. • maintaining physical distancing – keeping We are able to turn to the life of Christ and the words and at least 1.5 metres away from others. actions of St Mary MacKillop and of Blessed Edmund Rice. For Department of Health updates visit We can look to Jesus for examples of wise, loving leadership – HEALTH.TAS.GOV.AU examples that show us how to be leaders who have the strength to speak the truth with love, even when it might be personally costly. Leaders who let their love for humanity and the respect for the dignity of all guide and direct their interactions with all they encounter. Leaders who let compassion, instead of desire to be right, motivate our actions. Leaders who are willing to and can forgive, even before being asked. Mary MacKillop said, “Never see a need without doing something about it”. Edmund Rice is said to have looked out his window in his Waterford home and when confronted with the inequity he saw, committed himself to act to meet the needs of those around him. The need to be present and to respond to needs of those around us is no different today. You and I and the Student Leaders we commissioned this week need look no further than example and actions of Christ, of Mary MacKillop and of Edmund Rice as models of what exemplary leadership looks like. I congratulate our 2021 College Captains, Ella Ehrat-Vidakovic and Joshua Hunt, and the Deputy College Captains, Thomas Bryan and Lily Mereszka, for the lived example of leadership they show every day to the students of MacKillop Catholic College, and wish them and all our other Student Leaders the very best for 2021. STEPHEN HILL Acting Principal FROM DEPUTY PRINCIPAL DONNA BROWN After-hours supervision of students Our after-school duty staff members supervise our students every day until 3.45p.m., or until the last bus leaves the College, whichever is the latter. This supervision takes place at the bus lines parallel to Currajong Street and enables our staff to supervise and care for students who are catching buses or being picked up by families during this time. Our College Library is supervised until 3.30p.m. each day with the exception of Thursdays, when we host After- School Support. (In previous years this was on Tuesdays.) Our College Reception is staffed until 4.00p.m. each day. We ask that any students requiring pick-up after 3.30p.m. wait at the College Reception. Please arrange for pick-up prior to 4.00p.m.* * In the event of an emergency, please contact the College before 4.00p.m. so that we can ensure that staff members are on site to provide care and supervision until affected students are collected. These staff members are likely to be members of the College Leadership Team. Uniform Clarification - Girls’ Socks We have had some queries regarding which socks the girls can wear with their formal uniform. We confirm that girls may wear College white socks, plain short white socks (no logos or emblems) or navy tights (purchased via the Uniform Shop only). We have amended the Student Code of Personal Appearance and the related Uniform item list on our website, and all Tutor Teachers have been made aware. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. A reminder that boys may wear College grey socks (no logos or emblems) or plain short white socks with their formal uniform. All students may wear College white socks or plain short white socks or plain black sports socks with their Sports uniform. They must also wear sports shoes appropriate for physical exercise (i.e. no skate shoes). The College Uniform Shop is now located at 43 Currajong Street (at the eastern end of our College oval). Opening hours can be found on our website, at www.mackillop.tas.edu.au/utility/uniform. Phone the shop on 6240 4420. Student Personal Appearance We are delighted that the vast majority of our students are wearing their uniform with pride, both whilst on College grounds and travelling to and from the College. We have had some feedback from members of the public that some of our students are not wearing their blazers to and from the College – I ask that families support us in requiring their child/children to wear the blazer during these important times of transition to and from the school. Our students are ambassadors for the College when they are in public, and this ambassadorship extends to both their conduct and their appearance. We have asked our students to be on board with this in our messaging to them over the past week. Thank you for your support with this. We are having conversations still with some students and families in relation to a few issues – in particular, hair (both cut and style, mainly boys), jewellery (facial piercings and additional ear piercings) and non-MacKillop-issued uniform items. We again ask for the support of all families. I, Mr Davey and our Year Level Co-ordinators are all very happy to address any questions or concerns. Please go to www.mackillop.tas.edu.au/utility/uniform if you require clarification on the Code itself. A reminder that all students are expected to wear formal uniform each day at the College, except those days when they are involved in HPE practical classes, Outdoor Education, Athlete Development, Dance, or as directed by staff. Chewing Gum and Energy Drinks Students should be aware that chewing gum is not permitted at MacKillop Catholic College. It is commonly not disposed of thoughtfully, and we spend a lot of money and time each year extracting gum from carpets and from under desks and chairs. Energy drinks are also not permitted. Energy drinks are known to contribute to a range of health problems because they contain very large amounts of caffeine and sugar. Drinking too much caffeine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate and can contribute to anxiety, poor impulse control and insomnia (inability to sleep). Drinking them over the long term can raise risks for heart disease and other health issues. We have asked our students not to bring chewing gum or energy drinks in to their school environment. We appreciate the co-operation of our families in this matter. Canteen ordering A reminder that the College Canteen is open at Recess from 10:35a.m.–11.00a.m. and at Lunch from 12:45p.m.–1:25p.m. The Canteen menu can be found using the ‘Qkr!’ mobile app. The Canteen is run in partnership with Custom Catering and all orders need to be placed using Qkr! ALL FAMILIES wishing to make purchases from our Canteen in 2021 via Qkr! need to log on to www.mackillop.tas.edu.au/utility/canteen and register your child/children’s details. This applies to all new families and also to families who have used Qkr! in the past. Updating these details on Qkr! will ensure that your child’s/children’s new class information can be captured. This will enable our Canteen staff to easily distribute purchased items to our students in bulk. Thank you, everyone, for your ongoing support! School attendance and impacts on learning Attendance at school has a significant impact on your child’s success not only during school years but later in life.