Principal

Dear Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College Community,

Recent Storms and Impact on Communities

Our vulnerability to the impact of severe weather was once again evident last week. 

I hope that no one was too affected by the storms, subsequent damage and for many the loss of power. If you are experiencing difficulties and believe we can be of assistance please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss.

Thank you to all families for your support and understanding of the need for us to close on Monday and Tuesday due to the power being cut off. It is appreciated.

For those of you who have been connected to the school since at least 2021, you would know that we have experienced loss of power at least three times in as many years and it is likely this will happen again. For the school, the loss of power has several impacts, including the shutdown of our telephone system, internet access and computer servers. Additionally, food storage in the canteen and in our Food Technology area is compromised. Therefore, we have budgeted for next year to install a generator that can maintain critical functions and allow us, if it is safe to do so, to have key staff work on-site. 

Another impact of the storms is tree damage. We have had many trees and large limbs fall to the ground, including our Pine Tree at the rear of the school. The tree is beyond repair, but we hope that we can recover seeds from the cones salvaged from the fallen tree. Additionally, we again have engaged our arborist to undertake a safety audit of every tree on our site. This is significant work, but is essential to ensure the well-being of everyone who comes onto the College grounds.

School activities were also interrupted including the Music Camp and Soiree. We are currently looking at an alternative date for both of these events.

I never cease to be impressed by the resilience and generosity of regional and rural communities in times of need. This was evident again. I cannot hope to recognise all that has been done and is still being completed, but there is no doubt that students, families, and staff at our College fully live out St Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s exhortation to “never see a need without doing something about it”. Thank you to everyone who supported someone in need. 

College Captains meeting with Bishop Greg Bennet

On Thursday, 29 September I along with Nia Robinson travelled to Warragul with our College Captains, Dinisty and Jack, to meet with Bishop Greg to discuss their experience of being leaders and to share what they have done so far in making our schools “places of encounter” - including successes, challenges, learnings and any interesting stories.

They were not by themselves for this meeting and were joined by College leaders from the six other secondary colleges in the Diocese of Sale - Nagle College in Bairnsdale, Catholic College Sale, Lavalla Catholic College in Traralgon, Marist Sion College in Warragul, St Peter’s College in both Cranbourne and Clyde Nth and St Francis Xavier College, Senior Campus.

Staff from the schools were not part of the discussion, but listening to Jack and Dinisty on the trip home they learned a lot about what happens in other schools and were proud that what we do was well regarded.

Happy Fathers’ Day

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers for last Sunday, 1 September. I hope that you had the chance to spend time with or connect with your families.

SSV Sport

Good luck to the 40 students representing the College at the SSV Regional Athletics Championships on Tuesday, 10 September. Thank you to the staff supporting them – Travis Newton, Ben Abbott, Bernard Lumsden, and Aliesha Wrigley.

Child Safety Week

Last week was Child Safety Week. Unfortunately, some of our activities were interrupted by the storms. Fortunately, the reality for us and every school, is that child safety is a priority every day. Therefore, should you or your child have any concerns regarding safety please do not hesitate to contact the College. Key people for your child are: their Homeroom Teacher; Year Level Wellbeing Leaders; and Members of our Child Safety Committee, including the Deputy Principal Wellbeing – Students and Staff and myself. 

More information can be found in the Child Safety page and other pages in the Wellbeing section of our website.

New Fencing and Gates

Those of you who have visited the College recently will have seen new fencing and gates installed around the College building and grounds perimeter. We are close to finalising this project.

One significant change is that access to the College buildings and grounds by parents, visitors, and contractors must go through our Main Reception Area. The Student Administration area will no longer be accessible as it was previously. Thanks in advance for your understanding and support of this important Child Safety initiative. 

Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews

Interim reports were released last week and Parent/Student/Teacher interviews will take place this Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Please see the Strategic Development and Organisation section of this Newsletter for more details.

Staffing News 

At the end of this term, we will farewell two staff members:

• David Robinson, who will commence teaching at Community College Gippsland in Leongatha; and
• Julie Charles will be spending more time with family.

Sapientia Domini Docet Nos

John M Freeman