DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

St Mary MacKillop College takes The Ration Challenge

For the first time ever, the St Mary MacKillop College Student Forum invited students and staff to join the 2021 Act for Peace Ration Challenge, to raise awareness of the injustices experienced by refugees. It was an amazing experience, both for the challengers and the school community. As you would expect, living on rations, even just for three days, was pretty tough. Challengers experienced sugar withdrawals, cravings and monotony. The lack of energy and lack of focus while trying to study was unexpected and let us tell you, we did get hangry!  What came as a surprise to the challengers was the emotional impact and the clarity around what we were undertaking. It became increasingly obvious that there is a stark contrast between daily life for us, living in the security and abundance of Swan Hill and for people in refugee camps. Throughout the challenge we learned more about refugees' experiences and tried to see things from another perspective, to create more empathy and compassion. Our aim was not only to raise money but also to raise awareness by looking into Catholic Social Justice teachings and exploring other ways that we can make a difference in our world.

During the course of the challenge, Year 12 student Campbell Kelly gained an appreciation for the resilience of refugees “who are able to make do with what little they have and live with gratitude, this being a quality we should all take on”. Toni Mia Scalora, also in Year 12,  felt that participating in the challenge was “ important not only because it put our school value of Dignity into action but also because it was a way to learn about the refugee crisis around the world and actually do something to help”. Otto Conlan, Year 9, didn’t hesitate to take up the challenge and said “when I sat down and started to think about what it was that I was going to do with these basic ingredients I gained a level of respect for refugees around the world that can make something out of pretty much nothing."

In Challenge Week we also hosted a Solidarity Meal at school so that others who perhaps could not commit to the challenge could share a meal with us in solidarity for the world’s refugees. At the end of the challenge our school team raised $8,000 to help support efforts to provide food security, health services and hygiene packs for refugees. Conflict and disaster-affected communities around the world are among the most impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. In five days our Challenge Team and our generous supporters were able to make a significant contribution to reducing this impact and at the same time we were able to build empathy and awareness. We are hoping to undertake the Ration Challenge again next year as it has been such a positive experience. Congratulations to our challengers and our sincere gratitude to all in our community who supported the Ration Challenge. 

2021 Challengers:

Toni Mia Scalora, Lily Seymour, Nyathor Nhial, Campbell Kelly, Grace Scott, Otto Conlan, Jai Robinson, Trae Jennings, Ava Sarre, Lauren Cordingley, Chelsea McKibbin, Coco, Nicole and Gaethan Cutri, Josie Rovere, Alison Wright, Luke Crow, Rianne Quaife and Catherine Howison.

Vision and Mission

Our  Vision and Mission underpins everything we do at St Mary MacKillop College. Rather than a dusty old statement, our Vision and Mission is animated in what we do every day. Our Vision is shared with the Ballarat Diocese:

As partners in Catholic education and open to God’s presence, we pursue fullness of life for all.  Our Mission is the action of our school, on the ground, what we do on a daily basis to bring this vision to fruition.

At St Mary MacKillop College we are people who affirm the dignity of every person, who act with respect and compassion, who reverence relationships, who have hearts for generosity and forgiveness.

We celebrate our Catholic identity.

We respect the unique dignity, faith and gifts of each person.

We value learning, aspiration and connectedness and we work together to create a positive future.

As you read through this newsletter you will see the members of our school community living out this mission because we believe in the capacity of all members of our community to make a meaningful contribution to the life of our school. Each person’s contribution will be different but it is no less important. When you visit our school you will see our community working together, collaborating with a spirit of inclusion and authenticity. Everyone has a place here, it is a place  where everyone can flourish. 

Uniform

During the term we have had a number of students who have been consistently wearing the wrong uniform. This is disappointing however I would like to commend those students who wear their uniform correctly and with pride. During the next two weeks I hope families will take the opportunity to make sure that all students have the correct items of uniform. We have a number of both jumpers and jackets that have been left in Pastoral Care without names. If students have lost their jacket or jumper they should come to Pastoral Care and they may be able to locate their item or at least a replacement. A reminder that the skirt should be hemmed to mid knee. There are many students whose winter skirts are too short and the holidays are a good time to attend to this.

Time for a Break

It is well and truly time for staff and students to take a break from teaching and learning for a while and devote some time to other things. Two weeks gives us time to make sure we can get the things we need to do ticked off and plenty of time to do things we might not have been able to fit in during the term like cooking, camping, reading, gardening, movies or spending extra time with friends and family.

For those students who still have a bit of study and I am thinking here particularly of our senior students, there are different ways to approach this. One method is to work out what you need to do and then do a little each day. Another is to keep a school ‘routine’ for two or three days at the start of the holidays and get all your study completed. Some may leave things to the last moment and rush through it before the start of next term, an approach I would not recommend! The reality of school (and for our teachers, work) is that some things just simply need to be completed, however rest and restoration of the spirit is essential. I encourage all our students and staff to make some plans to do things that fire their creativity, that restores their imaginations and that strengthens their relationships with friends and family over the holidays.