Dear Parents and Carers,

This week I will share my opening speech from our recent Opening Mass.

"May I say how proud and excited I am to be here as your new Principal.  It is my honour to work with a staff who so obviously care about their students.  It is with pride that I see a student body who love coming to school each day and it is with gratitude that we begin a year that has already brought us many challenges.

As we begin I would like to reflect on the three words of our school crest – Believe, Strive, Achieve.  I think they are the foundational words we need to set our course for 2020.  They are the bedrock on which this school and its ethos are built and they are words that are key to our future success.

We are people of faith.  That means that we believe.  Catherine McAuley herself said “… put all your faith in God.”  In our prayers and petitions, we believe that God will support us in our struggles and provide us with the strength we need. We need to believe in ourselves.  We need to believe in our own abilities and skills.  Venus Williams says “…you need to believe in yourself… you just have to… no matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to… every time…” We need to believe in others…because when we show trust in other people they will show trust in us.  These are core foundations that I want to build in our school.

We have to work.  We have to make efforts not only to improve in the areas we set goals in but to hone and sharpen the skills we have already. Catherine McAuley says “… resolve to be good today but better tomorrow…”  We have to strive.  Will Smith says “… I strive to be like the greatest people I know…”  Catherine McAuley says “… we can never say it is enough…”  When we strive, we build in ourselves lifelong habits.  We build on courage, strength and confidence.  We look different, we look tall and confident and happy.  Those should be the marks of McAuley School.  We should believe and we should strive.

With those habits supporting us then we will achieve.  We will achieve our simple goals… we will achieve our complex goals.  We will build strength, self-confidence… we will achieve mastery. John C Maxwell says “…the truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great success…”  As I have said to the High School students let’s make the mark of this place the way we are seen to treat each other.  Let’s show the local community that we are a team and a school who supports, challenges, encourages, believes and strives for one another.  A team who shows the Mercy values to every student, every family and every visitor.  Let’s believe, strive, and achieve what Catherine McAuley prayed for establishing the Sisters of Mercy.  She prayed and hoped that the convents and schools would be welcoming places… places that were cordial… “… Places that renew, invigorate and warm others…”.  May we all work to believe, strive and achieve that goal as we begin 2020".

Mary our Mother… Look after us.

Eamonn Moore

Your current school fee statement was emailed last week.

If you have not already done so, please attend to full payment as soon as possible. Thank you for your support. 

Please click on the the link below which may be of assistance. 

We also provide the link to information regarding the Qkr! app, by MasterCard, which allows parents/carers to pay for a variety of school items such as canteen, excursions and school fees. 

Thank you to the Clay family who have donated some great books to our classroom reading tubs.

Thank you also to the wonderful families who have offered to cover books for us. The response to this request was OVERWHELMING! Thank you generous parents :)

Please click on the link below to keep up to date with all school events.

During Religion lessons on Tuesday, our youngest students enjoyed creating beautiful paintings around the theme of "Creation".

“Attitudes are contagious is ours worth catching"

This program is aligned with Religious Education programs, Values Education and many aspects of Well Being and Spirituality throughout Australia. It calls on students "to work for peace, justice and the promotion of the common good of society" (Good News for Living, 2005, p110). The National Framework for Values Education in Australian schools (2005) states that all schools should be "ensuring values are incorporated into school policies and teaching programs across the key learning areas". Our values are showing: care and compassion, respect, honesty, trustworthiness, understanding, tolerance and inclusion.

These values also encourage students to do their best, treat others fairly, be responsible for their actions, follow principles of moral and ethical conduct and to stand up for the rights of others The Making Jesus Real program fully supports these values.

Making Jesus Real is a way of life that allows students to see Jesus working in their lives through people and creation. These are the God Moments and they happen in our schools, on our playgrounds and in our homes 100s of times a day. We just need to ‘Get Switched On’ to recognise them. It is about being a witness and sharing Jesus’ love with others.

Anita Mason, REC

Next week marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent, with 'Ash Wednesday'.

Lent offers us an invaluable opportunity to renew our love for one another. From this love flows our mission to be a sign of God’s presence in the world. Through us, people will come to recognise – not ‘perfection,’ but something very precious, something worth finding out about, perhaps worth giving our lives to. Let’s make the most of our journey through Lent 2020.

Reflection: The Australian Story

In the Australian bush, a fire is a sign of cleansing and new life. Many animals of the bush are harmed by fire. The trees have learnt to adapt to these changes and quickly regrow and thrive on the nutrients from the ashes. New seedlings grow in the bed of the ashes. Ashes are a symbol of a new beginning. The ashes placed on our foreheads today are a symbol of change and a new beginning. Just like the Australian bush the ashes are a sign of a new beginning and of renewed growth.

Prayer

Let us pray:

God of all our journeys, send the consuming fire of your love upon us as we travel these weeks of lent. Be with us as we grow closer to you during Lent. Through the ashes of Ash Wednesday, help us to grow to be better people who love you and care for each other. Help us to be ever ready to forgive and heal so that all may feel part of our community. We ask this through Jesus your Son.

Amen

As mentioned earlier, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. To mark this special time in the Church year, we will gather on Shrove Tuesday to burn palms which were blessed and used during Palm Sunday last year as we recalled Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The ashes that will be produced will be blessed with holy water on Ash Wednesday and they will be used to mark our foreheads with a sign of the cross. The 'Burning of the Palms Ceremony' will take place next Tuesday 25th Feb at 10:15 on our Primary Campus. 

This special cross is a reminder for us to follow Jesus during our Lenten season. For the next forty days until we come to the celebration of Easter, we pray that the light of Christ who has taught us how to pray, how to live simply and how to reach out to those who are in need will be with us during Lent.

Prayer

God our Father, you have called each one of us by name and have bought us together in your love. Be with us during this coming Lent and help us to walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.

Anita Mason - Religious Education Coordinator

“The person of each individual human being, in her or his material and spiritual needs, is at the heart of Christ’s teaching; this is why the promotion of the human person is the goal of the Catholic School"  -  John Paul II

Our secondary students have always been encouraged to be of service to their school, parish and local community, as this involvement develops the values, knowledge and skills within our students necessary to undertake lifelong personal and spiritual growth. Each year the student’s efforts are recorded and each student that reaches the level of activities for their year group is presented with Spirit of Service Award to celebrate their service to the community.

Students who have exceeded the number of activities for their year group during the year will be considered for the Secondary Catherine McAuley Award at the end of year Awards Ceremony.

Each time a student assists at a school, parish or community event their pastoral teacher records this activity. Each child’s aim is to reach the same number of activities as they are in year groups. ie. Year 9, nine different activities they have supported our school, parish or community during the year.

A Reflection - Spirit of Service

The Mercy Value of Human Dignity is a focus throughout this term. One woman whose life was spent helping the poorest of the poor and showing them respect and human dignity was Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who worked with the poorest of the poor in India.

A journalist once asked Mother Teresa why she bothered working with the poor in Calcutta, because it was all just a drop in the ocean - there being millions of poor people in India. Mother Teresa said in reply that she was not concerned with a big way of doing things - she was concerned with individuals: “This person”, she pointed to someone, “thinks it makes all the difference!”

Prayer:

Let us pray:

Loving Lord, inspire me

to be welcoming and generous

in my attitude to others,

showing individuals

that they matter and are important.

May I make a difference to someone

in my part of the world today.

Amen.

- Anita Mason, REC

Year 7 gets active outdoors at Borambola! Our Year 7 students swapped desks and computers for fresh air and fun last week when they visited Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre. This group of students attended as part of their orientation to secondary school.

The day active outdoor learning program included kayaking, archery, swimming, rock climbing. As well as evening activities that aimed at developing teamwork and communication.

The adventurous activities were certainly a lot of fun, but they also provided a significant educational advantage. The program was a great opportunity for the students to get to know each other outside the formal classroom, as well as to challenge their abilities and practice initiative, teamwork and communication.

Thanks everyone for a really terrific couple of days - please refer to our Facebook page for the full photo gallery. 

On Wednesday 12^th February McAuley celebrated the beginning of school with Mass in our school hall. During this Mass, the newly elected leaders of the school were inducted into our McAuley Community.

The school captains introduced Aunty Sue for the Welcome to Country and then Mr Moore welcomed Fr George, students, staff, parents and friends. Mr Moore spoke of the importance of relationship and community and how much he is looking forward to the year ahead.

The school community prayed for 2020 to be a new beginning for McAuley with the theme of ‘Belonging’ the focus for the school year.

‘When two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them’ Matthew 18:20

Following the Mass, parents and our school leaders joined with the staff for morning tea. It was pleasing to see so many parents who joined in our celebration and our morning tea. 

McAuley is extremely proud of our leaders for 2020. Through their example they will provide a model for all students through Christian leadership and service to our school.

McAuley’s first Parish Mass is THIS Saturday 22^nd February at 6pm. Our school leadership team for 2020 have been invited to lead this celebration. All of the leadership team have received a letter inviting them to one of their first official duties as a representative of McAuley.

PRAYER - Loving God, may we open our hearts and minds to all that you call us to be. May we strive to reach our potential and shine forth your glory in us.

Amen.

- Anita Mason, REC

Catherine McAuley designed the original Mercy Cross which was an ebony cross with an ivory insert. It was attached to a large rosary hanging from the belt of the Sisters of Mercy.

The Mercy Cross that we see today still has a white cross in the middle of a dark coloured cross. Catherine chose the cross to be the symbol of the Sisters of Mercy because of her deep love for the crucified Jesus.

You may have notice that the Cross does not actually have the crucified Jesus on the Cross. This is because Catherine believed that each Sister of Mercy places herself upon the cross in union with Jesus. Sisters of Mercy all around the world wear this cross so we can recognise who they are.

- Anita Mason, REC

Buddy classes helping each other out!

What a great way to build school spirit - Year 6 helping the children in Year 1.

Students are immersing themselves in the wonderful culture of Spain and other Spanish speaking countries during LOTE lessons.

They have been learning greetings and how to communicate their basic travel needs. Using the Duolingo App, students are currently preparing for their first speaking assessment where they will conduct basic conversations with each other.

The exciting 'Little Champions' Gymnastic and Circus Coaching Program continues this week for our K-6 children. The children really seem to be benefiting from and enjoying this program. 

History is dead... but not for our Year 7 students. 

This term, that's exactly what our Year 7 students have been doing. In the words of Indiana Jones: “If you want to be a good archaeologist, you need to get out of the library”.

Week one found us learning how to examine an artifact, how to probe it for evidence, then propose a hypothesis from the collected data. 

I then decided that I would draw on my own archaeological experience, and recreate a 'dig' for the students. Students were required to use the techniques that they had learnt in class to excavate an area, record their finds, and recover any artifacts. I love being able to share hands on learning with the students, their discoveries are exciting, and they enjoy the learning process, solving their own mysteries. Some students found ancient tools, others broken crockery, some found musket balls and others the Venus of Willendorf. These artefacts will be taken back to class to be analysed and recorded. The students may only be in their first year of high school, but they are enthusiastic learners who are learning real life history, uncovering artifacts and engaging with our past. History is far from dead for this enthusiastic class.

Patrick McCabe - Year 7 History teacher

It was great to see all the enthusiastic participation at the McAuley Swimming Carnival last Friday. Whether taking part in races or cheering on their house mates, everyone was involved in building a terrific atmosphere that showcases our wonderful school spirit. It was also awesome to see so many parents and family members at the pool cheering on their children. 

Mackillop once again showed it is the dominant house when it comes to swimming, claiming the carnival with an impressive 1255 points. Therry took out second place with 709 points and Chisholm finished third, with 579 points. 

Sports coordinators, Mrs Bathgate and Mrs Stewart, would like to thank all of the parents and teachers who helped out throughout the day and made sure the carnival ran as smoothly as it did. They extend a huge thank you to Mr Max Hargreaves for starting the races throughout the day and Mrs Narelle Buckingham and her staff at the pool for all their support. We would also like to acknowledge Kurt Torio and Gabby Dalisay (Photography Elective Class) who were our official photographers on the day. See photos on our Facebook page.  

The following students were crowned age champions and runners up in their respective age groups:

On Monday, 25 McAuley students travelled to Harden to compete in the Western Region Swimming Carnival. With some fierce competition our students performed strongly with many students improving their times from our school carnival. Stand out performances on the day came from Macy White and Ashton Ambrose who have both qualified for multiple events at the Archdiocesan Carnival. Macy finished first in Backstroke, and third in the IM and Breastroke and Ashton won his Backstoke and placed third in Freestyle, IM and Butterfly. Our Junior Boy’s relay (Ashton Ambrose, Joe Pearce, Ethan Buckley and Eric Bartlett) also won their event and will head to Narooma to take on swimmers from the Northern and Southern regions. Other students to qualify for the Archdiocesan carnival are Sophie Webb, Isabella Oliver, Aidan Turnbull and Sidney Roche. Thank you to the parents who provided transport and assisted with timekeeping on the day.

Lyn Bathgate - Sport Coordinator

Our staff came together last week for a special morning-tea in honour of our friend and colleague, Michael Hughes, who lost his home during the recent fires. We will support Michael now and into the future. 

Thanks to the parents who were able to come along to our "Meet & Greet" evening which was held last week. Parents enjoyed the opportunity to meet our Principal Eamonn Moore and to have an informal chat with teachers before individual classroom sessions. 

I am sure you are now aware of individual classroom rountines, upcoming events and expectations. Please contact the office or your child's teacher if you are unsure of anything. 

Students and teachers ROCKED RED last Friday to build school spirt and support CHISHOLM HOUSE!
Fundraising efforts raised a wonderful $349-00 which will be donated to the St Vinnies Bush Fire Relief.

Well done everyone. 

The McAuley community is very proud of Year 8 student Rory Phillips who was a worthy recipient of the prestigious community Australia Day Awards.

Rory is a talented and hard working 'muso', graduating from the CMAA (Country Music Academy of Australia) not once but twice! Rory is heavily involved in supporting events and charity gigs. Rory is passionate about his music and we wish him every success with his career in the future. 

Well done Rory. 

Lessons are available at the school during school hours - Year 1 students upwards. Qualified teacher, individual lessons. Contact Vanessa Hall on 0448 609 479.