Principal
Welcome back to Term 3.
Staff Professional Development
At the start of the term, staff were engaged in a Professional Development day. There was great input provided focussing on student wellbeing and further developing our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour which prompted thoughtful discussion and greater alignment in our work in these areas.
Thank you to Bronwyne Croatto, Chris Spencer and John Ryan for their work in preparing and presenting on Monday. I also want to thank all staff for their participation and contributions.
Walkathon launch
Last Friday was the launch of our annual Walkathon which is our fundraiser that contributes to worthy charities. Two of the Charities, Trinity Families and Mary MacKillop Today receive support from our community every year. The other charities are selected by our student leaders, supported by Nicole Dudman and Scott Blencowe in their respective roles, on a yearly basis.
As part of the launch we either heard directly from a representative of the charity or a video message and they were:
Disaster Aid (a project of Rotary) –- represented by Cherie Ramsay and Mary Dortmans;
Transform the Nations – represented by Jackie Bowman;
Trinity Families – represented by Cathy Dougan;
Mary MacKillop Today – video message (representatives will speak with students a little later this term).
It was also great to have Bishop Greg Bennet and Fr Stanly Devasia, Parish Priest for the Parishes of Leongatha and Korumburra, with us as well. In particular, I am grateful to Bishops Greg for what his words which eloquently described the purpose of why we do this work. In essence, they are acts of solidarity.
There has already been a tremendous amount of work done last term in regard to determining the charities we are supporting this year and there is still much to do. Accordingly, I thank Nicole Dudman, Scott Blencowe and Zac Cox for the work done so far as well as our student leaders.
SSV Cross Country
Thank you to Jay Baker, Mary Tye, and Ty Hall for their support of our students who competed in the SSV Cross Country State Championship competition last Thursday. Well done to all the students who participated and you can find details and results in this Newsletter.
Dolly’s Dream
Yesterday we hosted Melissa Hardy from Dolly’s Dream and Senior Constable Megan Krause, who is a member of the Proactive Policing Unit in Wonthaggi. We were also joined by other members of the Proactive Policing Unit in Morwell – Kelly Hicks and Dave Cori as well as Senior Sergeant Brad Steer from Wonthaggi at various times during the day.
Many of you would know that Dolly’s Dream was created by Kate and Tick Everett following the shattering loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to suicide, after ongoing bullying. Their goal is to prevent other families from walking this road. They want to change the culture of bullying by addressing the impact of bullying, anxiety, depression, and youth suicide, through education and direct support to young people and families.
Accordingly, our students in Years 7 to 11 heard presentations in Year level groups about the work of Dolly’s Dream with a specific focus on the effects of bullying, how to respond and seek help, being an upstander not a bystander, and being safe online. More details can be found at https://dollysdream.org.au/what-we-do/workshops/
I encourage all families to discuss what your child heard yesterday and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns, or alternatively you can refer to:
https://dollysdream.org.au/parent-hub
https://www.lifeline.org.au/ and their number is 13 11 14
https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/kids-helpline
Senior Constable Krause was instrumental in organising and sourcing funding for the presentation for a number of Secondary schools in the South Gippsland and Bass Coast areas. On behalf of everyone who is the beneficiary of her work, I express our thanks.
Finally, thank you, Zac Cox, for your work in regard to the organisation of the day and to all the other staff who supported this opportunity for our students.
Year 10 Camp
Next week our Year 10s participate in their camp and retreat from Wednesday to Friday. Thank you to Chris Spencer and David Robinson for their work so far preparing the camp. This is always a very worthwhile experience and also requires the support of staff and I thank in advance all involved.
School Review
We have received our report and are currently in the process of reflecting on both the successes that were identified and equally as important the recommended further opportunities for success.
Deputy Principal Formative Appraisal
As you are aware from correspondence sent to the community earlier this week the Formative Appraisal of Ms. Jodie Connell, Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching of Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College will take place on Tuesday 15th August 2023.
The appraisal aims to provide Jodie with an opportunity for deep reflection on the early years of her contract, informed by considered feedback from members of the school community.
In preparation for her appraisal, Jodie will prepare a Self-Reflection Report for the Panel covering areas of her leadership role.
In the letter that was sent, there is a link to complete a short survey. https://forms.gle/eBsPEXQusmGFe9y57 Thank you to all who have completed the survey to date and I encourage you to consider completing it by Friday 28 July 2023.
Year 7 2024 Enrolments
I would like to remind all current families that enrolment applications closed on 31 May 2023. Formal applications must be made for students for enrolment into Year 7 next year. We are accepting applications, but as a matter of justice, priority will be given to those who have submitted their applications on time.
Please also be aware that we will hold enrolment interviews on 1 August and 3 August and all families who have applied to date would have received a letter at the end of last term to book a time.
We look forward to meeting current and new families on those days.
Staff News
At the start of this term, we welcomed:
Peter Preston who returned from over 18 months leave. He is teaching Visual Communication and Design Technology.
Jessica Stein who is teaching English from Years 8 to 10 and has a Year 9 Homeroom; and
Ben Stein who is currently teaching Mathematics, Media, and Design Technology
Today is Ben Abbott’s last day with us and we wish him the best of success in his new career.
Last Friday we farewelled Tayla Diggerman and we wish her the best in her studies and related work.
Sapientia Domini Docet Nos
John M Freeman