Wellbeing 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Anxiety 

Whilst anxiety was prevalent in society in a pre-COVID-19 world, there is little doubt that in the post-COVID-19 world in which we are living, there has been a huge spike in the number of people who are experiencing anxiety. At the Academy, the Wellbeing Team is working extremely hard to provide support to students and their families who are experiencing this condition. Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways and I encourage all parents to continue to have open and honest dialogues with staff at the College so we can continue to provide as much support as we can. 

Further to the above, Dr. Jodi Richardson is an expert in anxiety and wellbeing. Dr. Richardson has successfully assisted many people to combat the feelings of ‘worry’ and get anxiety out of the way or at least under control. Recently, I was reading one of the blogs on her website and came across what I thought was an excellent article, called ‘6 ways to help a child with anxiety’. It contains some fantastic information, strategies and really a commonsense approach that may just have a positive impact on students and families who find themselves battling with this. The article can be found below, and I urge all parents to read it.  

Hopefully the information contained can go a long way in developing an approach to combat and overcome this condition.

Survey Reminder: MACSSIS2022 School Improvement Surveys

A reminder that as per an email sent to all families on the 15 August, the annual MACS School Improvement Surveys are taking place for staff, students and parents from Monday 29 August – Friday 16 September. Log in details and ‘pins’ will be sent to all families during this period. These surveys are an excellent opportunity for staff, student and parent voice, where individuals can indicate to us what we are doing well at the Academy and areas that perhaps we need to focus a little more on. Last year we had a very low participation rate by parents and this year everybody is strongly encouraged to complete their survey. All students will be given the opportunity to complete theirs during an RE lesson and staff will also be asked to complete theirs throughout the above period.

Parents’ Association

Fathers’ Day Breakfast

Significant Person/Daughter Afternoon Tea   

The annual Fathers’ Day Breakfast is fast approaching. It is a wonderful morning where fathers and daughters can come together in a relaxed environment to have a cup of tea or coffee with a muffin or croissant, and just spend an hour or so relaxing and mingling with other parents. Two of the College ensembles will also be playing throughout the morning. The breakfast is scheduled to take place on Friday 2 September from 7:00am – 8:30am in the Dillon Centre. All families have received an official invitation and the response via TryBooking has been fantastic. Capacity is capped at 200 attendees with only a few tickets remaining. Bookings are closing shortly.

Significant Person/Daughter Afternoon Tea–previously known as the Mother/Daughter High Tea. It is an occasion where mothers and grandmothers attended the College with their daughters and granddaughters to spend some special time together whilst enjoying some hospitality. This event is scheduled to take place on Sunday 11 September. Families are asked to add this date into their diaries and members of the Parents’ Association will be sending out further details in the coming days.  

For further details go to our COMMUNITY page

It would be wonderful to see as many families as possible support both of the above events.

Mercy Day BBQ Helpers: Friday 9 Sept

A massive thank you to all parents who have emailed me indicating their desire and availability to assist with cooking the BBQ on Mercy Day. At this point we have sufficient numbers however I am happy to start an ‘emergency list’ in case there are other parents who have not yet had the chance to contact me. These parents can email me directly . All other details of what is required can be found in the previous College News or in the email that was sent to all families. 

In closing, I would like to add my thanks to all staff for their hard work over the last fortnight with Parent Teacher Interviews. Similarly, a thank you to all parents for the response to booking interview times with teachers.  It appears that conducting interviews online is the preferred format, however, we are open to feedback from staff and parent representatives Parents’ Association. Based on feedback we will determine the best way to proceed with interviews for next year. Details will appear on the 2023 College Calendar.

As always, please remember never hesitate to be in touch should you have any queries or concerns.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal, Wellbeing & Operations