Principal's Message

YEAR 7 2017 OPEN NIGHT AND ENROLMENT INTERVIEWS

During the past fortnight I have visited our local Catholic Primary schools to speak to Year 6 about the many opportunities that a Mater Dei education offers. I was accompanied by Year 8 students who are past students of each school and it was a nostalgic experience for them as they returned to tell Year 6 about their experiences of the College in Year 7.

The visits also allowed me to invite families to our Open Night and to provide information about our College to parents.

A supplement in Saturday’s Daily Advertiser also allowed us to showcase the many opportunities on offer at Mater Dei and to extend the invitation to Open Night to the broader community. Thank you to the  local businesses that supported us by advertising in this lift out.  Many families attended the Open Night on Tuesday, where our staff and students offered prospective families an opportunity to see learning in action at Mater Dei. Tours led by student leaders showed the Year 6 students and their parents the College's excellent learning facilities, where they saw practical lessons, performances and displays.

The evening concluded with a meeting in the Hall, chaired by the College Captains Tahlia Apps and Sam Byrnes. After a short Principal Address and the viewing of the new DVD about the College, Year 7 student Pacifique Munezero gave an overview of why he has enjoyed his first few weeks at Mater Dei so much. His address is included in this newsletter. The meeting concluded with Mr Lawrence outlining the enrolment processes and timeline, for Year 7 2017, which are also provided below:

Tuesday 15 March, Thursday 17 March and Tuesday 22 March 3.30pm – 7.00pm

We will be using the SOBS on-line booking system for the upcoming Year 7 2017 Interviews. This system is efficient and allows parents to make their bookings conveniently and independently. Once bookings are made, parents/carers are able to print a schedule, and send a confirmation e-mail to yourself. Bookings will close 24 hours before each interview date.

Parents who do not have internet access can contact the College and we will enter your requests.

We look forward to meeting our Year 2017 families at the enrolment interviews and welcoming them to the Mater Dei family.

CELEBRATING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Catholic Schools Week (CSW) 2016 will be held from 6 to 12 March and will involve the communities of all Catholic primary and secondary schools across NSW and the ACT. The theme for 2016 is ‘I Belong. You Belong. We Belong.’ which aligns with the Catholic Church’s strong focus on supporting refugees and asylum seekers and the need for a compassionate global community.

The theme also ties in with the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which centres on pardon, strength and love. In this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis is calling on all Catholic communities to extend mercy to those in need, particularly refugees fleeing hunger and war.

We have a number of celebrations planned, commencing a little earlier with Open Night last Tuesday and Grandparents’ Day this Friday 4 March. This will involve all Year 7 and is an ideal opportunity to support the Mater Dei community and learn more about the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.

Our College has a supportive community of teachers, parents/carers, clergy, parishioners and support staff who work together to focus on giving students the best education possible, encouraging success, promoting discipline, supporting creativity and instilling compassion.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support of Mater Dei and I look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week with all our grandparents this Friday.

An important way of celebrating Catholic Schools Week is the Parish Youth Mass this Sunday at 5.30pm at Sacred Heart Church, Kooringal and I invite all our families to join us.

Catholic Schools Week is about strengthening relationships between all those who have a stake in our schools – students, staff, families, priests, parishioners, and members of the wider community. Active support of Caritas through Project Compassion will continue, with Homegroups working to raise awareness and funds to support those in need.

During the week Year 7 and Year 10 will experience Reflection Days that focus on the importance of relationships and community and Year 7 Parent/Student/Teacher Meetings will take place on Tuesday afternoon. Year 11 have been undertaking training in Peer Support and next week will see them working with our Year 7 students in the spirit of the 2016 theme of Catholic Schools Week to foster a strong sense of their belonging to the Mater Dei family.

We strive to make learning at Mater Dei engaging every week so that students develop their skills and knowledge. During Catholic Schools Week there are several special learning opportunities planned with the Questacon Smart Skills program, Year 11 Legal Studies excursion, special Japanese and Outdoor education opportunities and a number of school and representative sport events. Catholic Schools Week 2016 promises to be a wonderful week of celebration at Mater Dei!

Please keep all our families and particularly grandparents in your prayers as we celebrate Grandparents’ Day.

Installation of Fr John

On behalf of the Mater Dei Catholic College Community, I invite you to attend the installation of Fr John Baptist, the new Parish Priest of Sacred Heart, Kooringal by Bishop Hanna at 10am this Sunday 6 March. We hope to see you there for this special celebration. 

Year 7 Parent/Students/

Teacher Interviews 

Parents/carers are reminded that Year 7 Interviews will be held in the Hall next Tuesday, 8 March from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. Bookings are made online through SOBS.