It has been pleasing this week to see all of the activities that are currently happening and the experiences that are being offered to our students. Our Year 10 class are currently in Tasmania, exploring many of the sites as well as learning plenty about the history of the Apple Isle. Throughout this week, we have had our Year 12 Primary Industries students completing their mandatory work placements. These are valuable experiences, where the students learn important skills about the workplace. On Wednesday, our Year 8 students travelled to Yarrangobilly Caves as part of their Science unit. We currently have a group of Year 5 & 6 boys in Sydney competing at the NSW Basketball Championships. This coming Friday we welcome the Year 7 students for 2025 to the Secondary Campus for their Year 7 Orientation Day. Next week, our Year 9 students will travel to Tathra on the South Coast to participate in a range of activities from surf safety and learning how to surf to important team building activities. In week 9, our Year 5 & 6 students will get to enjoy the activities on offer at the Jindabyne Sport & Recreation camp. I would like to thank our teaching and administration staff for their organisation and coordination of these events. Thank you to our students also for representing our school with such great conduct at these events.  

Social Media Ban for Under 16s.

There has been a lot of talk recently regarding the ban on social media for children under the age of 16. As our Government has indicated, there does need to be some reforms around the use of social media, especially with young people. The Federal Parliament has recently passed legislation to ban people under 16 from having an account with some social media platforms. It will be interesting to see how that is enforced going forward. As we have communicated to families in the past, active supervision by parents and family members is paramount to ensure safety in online environments. A reminder that any negative activity should be reported to the eSafety Commissioner.

Building Projects 

Our building projects are progressing well. The Primary Campus renovations are nearing the stage where frames will be installed. We have been told that once this occurs, we will be able to see tangible progress as the buildings take shape. 

Building contractors have started work on the Secondary Campus this week, preparing the foundations for the next groups of modular buildings. There will be 3 classrooms installed at the back of the hall across from the classrooms that were installed at the start of this year. The contractors are hopeful these rooms will be installed before Christmas, which will allow us to have the rooms set up for the start of the school year in 2025.

Farewell for departing staff

Next week on Thursday 5 December at 5:00 pm, we have a function at the Star hotel to recognise the contribution of staff who are leaving McAuley at the end of 2024. The Community Council is sending out an invite to families if they wish to come along and say thanks. 

Semester Reports

Semester school reports will be made available for students K-10 on Thursday 12 December via the Compass Parent Portal. I encourage you to read these with your children, as it can be an affirming and positive experience for your children to discuss their academic success.  

Classroom/KLA Teachers 2025

We are in the process of finalising both Primary and Secondary classroom teachers for 2025. As some of you may have seen, we have been busy recruiting teachers to our College and we hope to be able to communicate our 2025 teaching staff to families soon. 

Transition Day for Primary Classes 

Our Primary class transition day is scheduled for Tuesday 10 December. Primary Students will have the opportunity to meet their new teacher for 2025. There will be more details communicated closer to the day so that parents understand the process involved with the transition time.

I hope you enjoy the last few days of spring . 

Mary our Mother, Look after us. 

David Turnbull,
Acting Principal

Our Year 12 graduates gathered on the grounds of Riverside Cafe for an outdoor formal evening to remember. Under a canopy of fairy lights and the soft glow of tapered candles, our students looked polished and elegant as they reunited for their final celebration marking the completion of their schooling journey. Families, staff, and special guests enjoyed a beautifully arranged, three-course sit-down meal, creating a night filled with warmth, pride and cherished memories.

Our Principal, Mr Moore, delivered a heartfelt speech, addressing each student, and drawing upon the wisdom of The Places You'll Go (Dr Seuss). With the words, 'The future is yours to create' displayed at the photo stand, the night was a reminder of all the possibilities that lie ahead for these remarkable young people. Congratulations, Year 12!

The Primary Campus held their Leadership 2025 speeches last Friday. All students spoke exceptionally well and should be proud of themselves.  The Leadership 2025 Team will be announced via Compass later today. Good luck and congratulations to all involved!

McAuley held a Gifting Mass on Wednesday morning in the College Hall. Donations of non perishable food, toys and gifts were given by our students, staff and families to support the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. Thank you to everyone for your generosity.

 "On Friday 15 November, McAuley girls took part in a talk from Asha Holland. She is an Award-winning Confidence Coach, Keynote Speaker, Body Image Educator and Mum of 2. She came all the way from Western Australia to talk to our Stage 4 and 5 students about these topics. The girls really enjoyed Asha’s talk and got a lot from her experience and how she dealt with body image issues in her life. Asha spoke quite openly to our students about how to deal with these types of situations and tools to help themselves with confidence and body image. Apart from Asha’s knowledge she was also quite engaging with our students by asking them to participate in activities she had organised. McAuley students were very happy to host Asha and we hope to get to have an experience similar to this again". Stella and Penny. 

On the same day, Daniel Principe, Youth Advocate and Educator came to see the Stage 4 and 5 boys. Daniel spoke to them about many of the issues that young people face today, navigating a very challenging digital world, discussing hypersexualised content and toxic influences that may be harmful to our young community. Daniel spoke about living courageously, leading lives of empathy, respect and kindness. Students spoke about the talk being valued, and recommended listening to Daniel again next year. Daniel has been nominated for NSW Australian of the Year 2025 for his work advocating for our youth in a challenging world.

Our Year 10 class have just returned from their trip to Tasmania. They had a wonderful time and packed a lot into the few days they had there.

They went to MONA art gallery, Port Arthur and Cataract Gorge to name a few and did a ghost tour, an aerial ropes course and an eco cruise with whales and seals spotted! 

Their last day was a big day! Started out in the rain but they still managed to pat and feed the kangaroos, tassie devils and the spotted quolls. Then went into the caves and saw glow worms and the magical world of caves. From there headed to Sheffield to see some great murals on the walls! 

What an incredible experience for our lucky Year 10s.

Students on the Primary Campus were excited last Friday to attend stalls set up by Secondary Commerce students. They were selling items to raise money for local charities.

McAuley had 7 teams at the Cootamundra Gala Day last week. All teams had a win with 7/8 girls and 9/10 girls winning all their games up till the finals. Everyone showed great skill and sportsmanship and enjoyed the day!

Our Year 7/8 girls won their division! This is a great effort as they won this carnival 2 years in a row. In what were hot conditions and with only 1 sub the girls played brilliantly as a team. A special mention and congratulations to Sierra Roddy who was named MVP of the GF. Well done team! 

In Year 2 Science, we have been researching lifecycles. Mrs Piper bought us some mealworms so we could see their transition from mealworms to pupa to beetles. We have been taking care of our mealworms - feeding them, ensuring they have enough water through vegetables and some fresh air and keeping them in darkness. The students have been so excited this week to find that some of their mealworms have changed into beetles!

Year 2 are enjoying their writing task, "Inside Santa's Workshop". Some budding authors in this group for sure!

We also have some poets in Year 1. They are writing poems about Santa - awesome work! 

Year 12 are having a great time learning about DNA base pairing and replication in Biology. The best bit..... eating the end product!

The annual Sam Roddy Scholarship (formerly known as Songs For Sam 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.  

http://www.songsforsam.org

Applications close on Monday 16th December 2024 

Past successful applicants: 

2023 Caitlin Crawford (equestrian) and Bonnie Eastlake (artist)

2022 Eddie Dodds (swimming)

2021 Grace Whyte (netball) and Rory Phillips (music)

2020 Jacob Ambrose (swimming) 

2019 Kade Knight (swimming) 

2018 Maddy Hibbert (guitar) and Dominic Erbacher (volunteering abroad) 

2017 Zac Maher (design artist) 

2016 Piper Duck (basketball) and Zara Burgess (Photography) 

2015 Jack Bundy (DJ course) 

2014 Jaimee McQuellin (Riding for the Disabled) 

Any questions, please contact Cooryna Ackroyd on 0432697673 

WEEK 6 

WEEK 7