Dear Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College Community,

This is the second last Newsletter of the Year. The last Newsletter for the year will be on 11 December, when we celebrate the success of VCE Students.

Advent – Come, Emmanuel

Yesterday, we commenced the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. This moment marks not only the beginning of a sacred season of preparation but also a shift in our scriptural journey. In the Catholic cycle of readings, we now move from the Gospel of Luke (Cycle C) to the Gospel of Matthew (Cycle A). Matthew’s Gospel, rich with parables, teachings, and the Sermon on the Mount, offers us profound insights into who we are called to be as followers of Christ. Cycle B, drawn mainly from the Gospel of Mark. Significant portions of the Gospel of John is proclaimed during the Easter season and other solemn periods of the Church’s year.

Advent itself is a significant season in the Catholic tradition—a time of prayer, penance, and hopeful expectation. Rooted in the Latin adventus, meaning “coming,” Advent calls us to prepare our hearts for both the celebration of Jesus’s birth and His promised return. The season encourages us to pause, reflect, and renew our commitment to living the Gospel with faith and integrity.

One of the most cherished symbols of this season is the Advent wreath, first seen in our churches on the First Sunday of Advent. Its circular shape signifies God’s eternal nature, while the evergreen branches symbolise everlasting life. Four candles—three violet and one rose—mark the four weeks. This Sunday, we lit the first candle, the candle of Hope. This candle draws us back to the prophet Isaiah, who foretold the coming of the Messiah and assured God’s people that light would break through darkness: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” The hope Isaiah promised is renewed in us today, reminding us that Christ is the fulfilment of every longing.

As we continue through Advent, each week carries its own spiritual focus. The second week invites us into Peace, preparing the way of the Lord through repentance and reconciliation. The third week, Gaudete Sunday, celebrates Joy, symbolised by the rose candle and expressing the nearness of Christ. The fourth week focuses on Love, honouring Mary’s faithful “yes” and the profound love revealed in the Incarnation.

Pope Francis captures the heart of Advent beautifully: “Advent is a continuous call to hope… God is present in the history of humanity; He is the God who comes to be with us.”

May all in our community be a source of hope along the Advent journey and beyond.

Advent Prayer

O Emmanuel, leader and desire of all the nations.

You set captives free, comfort the lonely.

You feed the poor and the hungry.

Come be born in us, God of Life.

You are the hope in our messy world.

This Advent, help us slow down, listen to your voice,

and focus on what's really important.

We place our hope in you as we prepare our hearts to celebrate your birth on Christmas.

To you we say, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Amen

Bishop Greg Benner's Advent Message

Please use the following link for Bishop Greg Bennet’s 2025 Advent video message:

https://www.ceosale.catholic.edu.au/news-and-events/bishop-greg-bennets-advent-message-2025

End of Year

Our last day of classes will be on Friday, 5 December 2025. The day will be one of celebration. Parents and friends are welcome to attend the Mass, starting at 9.30 am, followed by the End of Year Awards Presentation Assembly.

Students will be dismissed at 1.00 pm.

How to support your child under 16 with the new social media age restrictions

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account
deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

Delaying access to social media protects the health and well-being of young people and gives them extra time to build real-world connections and digital literacy skills.

The responsibility will lie with social media platforms, not parents, carers, children, or schools, to implement these new restrictions. Most popular social media platforms will be age-restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube.

Messaging services, online games, and apps and platforms that support health and education can still be used.

How to help under-16s prepare for the change

Parents and carers play an essential role in helping their children stay safe online.

To help get under-16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.

What the change means for our school

At our school, most age-restricted social media platforms are blocked for student use on the school network. Our school allows students access to YouTube in a logged-out state.

However, this access is restricted, so mature content cannot be viewed.

To keep up to date with the new social media age restrictions, visit the eSafety website and subscribe to their newsletter.

Friends With Dignity

Congratulations to our VCE Vocational Major students for the fundraiser for Friend With Dignity on Wednesday, 26 November 2025.

Friends with Dignity is an Australian charity supporting people fleeing domestic and family violence. It provides practical assistance, safe havens, and life-changing resources to help individuals and families rebuild their lives with dignity, security, and independence. Through community partnerships and volunteer support, it offers compassionate, confidential aid during crisis and recovery.

The VCE VM students' various fundraising efforts on the day raised close to $2000. Well done, Jo Knox and the students, for their efforts!

Student Achievements

Please read Around the College, Sport@MMCRC, and Music@MMCRC to learn about the fantastic achievements and community contributions of our students.

Year 10 and Year 11 Formals

On the evenings of Thursday, 27 November and Friday, 28 November, we held the Year 10 and Year 11 Formals. Both were delightful evenings with very high student attendance. Also, speaking to parents on the evenings, I know they were very appreciative of this opportunity being available to their children.

The success of the evenings was due to several factors, including the support of the staff who attended. Thanks to all who assisted, including those who attended and supervised, the Maintenance Team for assisting in the set-up, students who formed part of the organising committee, administration staff, and anyone else who assisted. Specifically, I want to thank Melinda Stephan and Kate Dwyer for all their work, particularly with clearly setting the tone for the events. Finally, thank you to Alison McIntyre for all her work in organising everything, from the DJ and decorations to ordering food and registering students.

Australian Catholic Youth Festival 2025 (ACYF 2025)

Thank you to Nicole Dudman and Scott Blencowe, who are with nine students at the ACYF from Sunday, 30 November to Tuesday, 2 December.

Students attending are: Erica Begg (11), Jack Fincher (11), Claire Glasgow (9), Amelia Hams (9), Bristo Kallookkaran (9), Niya Manavalan (11), Owen Maskell (11), Lily Smairl (10), and Maia Whiteside (11).

The ACYF is hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and is a nationwide gathering for young Catholics — from Year 9 students to young adults up to 25 years old — offering an opportunity to deepen their relationship with Christ, connect with peers from across Australia, and experience the richness and diversity of the Church.

Over the three-day festival, participants will engage in a vibrant mix of liturgy, prayer and worship, workshops, live music and concerts, interactive expos, and social-justice and service activities. There will be spaces for sacramental worship, prayer and reflection; a Justice Activity Centre for outreach and social-action initiatives; and an Expo showcasing Catholic ministries, vocation opportunities, and pathways for faith in action.

The program includes a pilgrimage walk from St Patrick's Cathedral, East Melbourne, to MCEC carrying the World Youth Day Cross and Icon, daily plenaries and keynote talks by youth-inspiring speakers such as Fr Rob Galea and others, plus a “choose-your-own-adventure” lineup of hundreds of workshops and forums addressing faith, life and social justice.

ACYF 2025 aims to empower young Catholics to live faith boldly — to encounter Jesus, grow in community, and be equipped to bring hope and service to their parishes and wider society.

Year 7 2026 Orientation Day

On Tuesday, 2 December, we will welcome 95 Year 7 students for 2025 to the College. Many students have siblings at the College, and every class has several students whose parents attended Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College. Therefore, thank you to all those families who are continuing their longstanding family connections.

Additionally, about a third of the students are the eldest child, and so I thank those families for trusting us to educate their children during the next six years of their lives.

Thank you to Jackie Van Dillen, Claire Cassidy and Jessica Stein for all their work in organising the day, and thank you to all the staff and senior students who are working with students on the day.

Rock on the Lawn

Thanks in advance to Beth Winterhalter and her team for organising the Rock on the Lawn Event this Wednesday, 3 December, from 6.00 pm until 8.00 pm. I encourage you to attend what will be a great evening of entertainment and celebration of student and staff talent.

VCE Results

Please note that VCE Results will be available to students on the morning of Thursday, 11 December, and all Year 12s are invited to attend a morning tea which will be held in the cafeteria space in the Senior School Building commencing at 10.30 am until 11.30 am to celebrate and if they wish to obtain any further career advice.

Sapientia Domini Docet Nos

John Freeman

Music @ MMCRC

Beth Winterhalter - Instrumental Music Coordinator