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- PRINCIPAL's REPORT
- OPENING AND BLESSING
- 2023 ENROLMENTS
- PRIMARY AWARDS WEEK 4 AND 5
- YEAR 5/6 JINDABYNE EXCURSION
- KINDERGARTEN 2023 ORIENTATION
- NEW CHROME BOOKS
- MELBOURNE CUP
- KINDERGARTEN
- YEAR 6 WITH THEIR KINDERGARTEN BUDDIES
- COMBINED CATHOLIC COLLEGES BASKETBALL.
- SONGS FOR SAM SCHOLARSHIP 2022
- VAPING - WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW
- CROSSING SUPERVISOR
- PARENTING RIVERINA
Dear McAuley Families
Last week we celebrated the opening and blessing of our refurbished classrooms and learning areas with guests from Catholic Education and local member Kristy McBain. The opening highlighted the $2 million plus that has been spent over the last two years on facilities upgrades with more to come as we apply for grants and develop building concepts into the future. My speech is below for your information.
Our school is firmly grounded in the devotion, dedication and commitment of the Mercy Sisters. Their work evolved directly from the charism of Catherine McAuley their founder. Catherine McAuley was an innovator, a woman who worked to bring to life her goals. She saw a need for women to be educated in literacy and numeracy. She planned, contributed and constructed a house for this to take place. She was generous, using her own inherited money for this work to happen and continue for the poor of Dublin. She was collaborative, using and enhancing the skills of others to nurse, teach and journey with those on the often on the fringe of society.
It is that charism that we, the staff and families of McAuley work to continue today and into the future. That dream of growth, building, innovation and collaboration comes to a reality for us as we move into Senior Schooling next year and work to prepare the Graduating Class of Year 12, 2024.
We are grateful for the support of the Commonwealth Government Block Grant Authority, the financial and personnel support offered by the Catholic Education Office and for the shared vision and encouragement of the teams of experts who collaborated to bring this project to completion.
We are fortunate to have a supportive parent community led by Natalie Bartlett, our Community Council chair who shares our desire for our students to learn and work in the best possible environment, taught by expert teachers and achieving the best possible outcomes.
I am deeply proud of our excellent teaching and support staff who teach with care, compassion, and expertise to assist each and every student to grow and improve. Their own grounding in the Mercy Values continues our culture of hospitality, compassion, dignity and justice. We create and maintain an atmosphere of excellence – all sustained through a spirit of Mercy.
Our dreams become reality through our simple but powerful school motto “Believe, Strive, Achieve…” these renovations and our plans for the future are concrete examples of that pledge and are a fine achievement created through teamwork, research and action.
I am confident that those lay and religious people who have worked in this school for some 140 years would be in awe of the progress we have made and equally in awe of the future we will achieve as we move into Senior Secondary Schooling utilizing the most cutting edge and innovative practices.
We know as Colin Powell said “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work…” for that determination, hard work and even the sweat (!) I am very grateful.
Thanks to our School Leaders both senior and junior for your hospitality and welcome to our guests and to our Year 5/6 students who are the first classes to benefit from our renovations.
Special thanks to Miss Mason our REC and her team of helpers who have worked to make today a meaningful and memorable occasion for our community.
We continue to make excellent progress in staffing appointments. It adds to our excitement to have such high-quality expert staff wanting to work at our excellent school. Following another round of recruiting we have made a small number of appointments in both primary and secondary campuses.
We are almost there with a couple of small gaps to fill!
In a Year 11 update we will be able to soon clarify fees (knowing that CE have offered around a 35% discount on tuition fees for the graduating class of 2024. A laptop lease program is about to be finalized also where student laptops will be provided at somewhere close to $80 per term.
We have had the expertise of Karen Ruppert here this week. Karen is the Catholic Education VET representative and is finalizing pathways with apprenticeship (ASBA) students and VET (Vocational Education Training) options. It is excellent that we can support our students in tailored pathways that embrace opportunity moving forward into the future.
Mary Our Mother Look After Us.
Eamonn Moore
Principal
The blessing and official opening of the refurbishments of the Year 5/6 and Year 2 classrooms took place on Thursday November 3. The official party consisted of Monsignor John Woods, Episcopal Vicar for Education, Fr Namora Anderson our assistant priest, Aunty Sue Bulger, Wiradjuri elder, The Hon Kristy McBain, Member for Eden-Monaro, Mr Ross Fox, Director Catholic Education – Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn, Mr Geoff Whitnall, Catholic Education Facilities Manager, Tony and Fran Butler, who represented our Tumut Parish Council, Miss Samantha Taylor, a former student, Mrs Jeanette Dumbrell a McAuley parent and Mrs Natalie Bartlett chair of McAuley’s Community Council.
The ceremony was held under the undercroft outside the primary classrooms with Year 5/6 students, teachers and the 4 secondary leaders attending.
Following the opening and blessing, the guests toured through the three Year 5/6 and Year 2 classrooms. Guests then had a light luncheon in the breakout area.
Please advise the school if your sons or daughters are not returning to McAuley in 2023. All students in Year 6 and Year 10 are considered enrolled for next year unless advised otherwise.
This is necessary information as we plan staffing and classes for next year. The school also needs to know the ‘destination’ school of students for our records.
The year 5/6 Jindabyne excursion is fast approaching, November 23 to November 25.
Can final payments for this excursion be made as soon as possible.
On orientation day one our new Mcauley members read and joined in activities about 'The Wonky Donkey' by Craig Smith. Day number two saw the children read 'The Magic Lunchbox' by Angela Barrett and explore healthy foods. Day three was the last orientation day and we read 'A Squash and a Squeeze' by Julia Donalson and had fun learning about farm animals. On these days we also had fun with some sport activities, visited the garden and met buddies for next year. McAuley can't wait to have these special little people join us at bug school next year!
Kinder 2023 with their Year 5 buddies.
We have purchased 5 Chromebooks with the proceeds of the Mother's and Father's day stalls. Thanks to parents for supporting these two fabulous fundraisers.
Our Year 7 boys competed at the NSW CCC basketball carnival in Bankstown last week. Their teamwork, enthusiasm and encouragement has been great to see. The boys have performed exceptionally against some of the biggest Catholic Schools in the state. A huge thanks to Coach Todd Beavan and Manager Anna Stubbs and the parents who transported the boys.
The team consisted of - Ryan Beavan, Archie Webb, Aidan Turnbull, Will Crampton, Mack Dean, Zach Brown, Reuben Phillips and Billy Cribb-Kelly.
The Songs For Sam Annual Scholarship is open to students aged 15 and over. This scholarship is designed to assist them financially in pursuing their hobby or passion.
Each year the committee awards up to $1000 to a member of our community between the ages of 15-25. The application process is online & simple to navigate. Applicants must provide a letter from a referee. They must also demonstrate how they will give back to our local community.
