REFLECTION DAY

As we head into Term 2, you’ll see that we have quite a few Reflection Days coming up! Reflection Days are a part of the College’s Religious Education Curriculum and provide students the time and space to reflect on themselves, where they’re at in their journey of life and consider how their faith is shaped and affected by the people and situations they encounter. 

The vision statement of St Mary MacKillop College is, “As partners in Catholic education and open to God’s presence, we pursue fullness of life for all”. 

In the context of Reflection Days, this means that: 

• Students don’t walk alone in their faith journey. They have their peers, teachers, non-teaching staff and external presenters who can share experiences of the Catholicity. 
• Being a Catholic school, means that we share in the mission of the Catholic Church. This involves bringing “good news” to one another, and gives permission for a dialogue about their faith in God.   
• Although not all students are Catholic, Christian or identify with a faith tradition, Reflection Days provide students a time to reflect on the diversity of people’s lived experiences and values. Students learn to listen deeply, and to show respect to people’s unique stories. Being open to prayer, discussion and activities is key to understanding how a dignity centred approach to life is facilitated outside of the RE classroom. 
• Fullness of life means that we aim to make this day fun, respectful, interactive and inclusive. This might mean that students are put into small groups with people they wouldn’t usually chat with, and that they have time to interact with their peers in a new environment. 

Year 8 Reflection Day

On Thursday 27th April, Year 8 students had the opportunity to attend a Reflection Day hosted by Youth Mission Team (YMT) Melbourne. YMT is a group of young people who share about their life experiences, and how the Gospel can help people make positive life choices. The team facilitated the Reflection Day around the theme of ‘Self Image’.

Through games, activities, skits, dramas, personal sharings, prayer and small group discussions, YMT Melbourne unpacked what it means to embrace your uniqueness and individuality. They invited students to reflect on how we feel loved and appreciated and how we can see God’s unconditional acceptance for us. 

We are incredibly grateful to the team for driving up from Melbourne to be with us on the day. Special thanks to Anthony, Adil, Clare, Dom, Emma, Isy and Luke for their time and energy in making the Year 8 Reflection Day an energetic and memorable one! Thanks also to Ms Wright, Ms Salvo, Mr Jetson, Mr Reeves, Kim and Sarina who supported the students as well.