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College Newsletter - 2 August 2024

Principal’s Report

Welcome to Semester Two. I hope that all College families enjoyed the school holiday period. I congratulate students for the manner in which they have started the term and thank parents and carers for your support of the College in ensuring that students have returned to school properly attired, well-groomed and ready to learn.

In my address to the students at the end of last semester's “Celebration of Excellence” ceremony, I spoke about the notion of excellence and how academic excellence can be compared to sporting excellence – how athletes train and set goals to improve and it is this commitment to improvement that leads to excellence and success. With the Olympic Games commencing in Paris recently we have already seen tremendous feats of sporting excellence in the swimming and other sports. My hope for this semester is that all students will remember this message and as they watch the Olympics, they see the results of hard work and commitment to improvement and emulate this in their approach to learning and extracurricular pursuits.

I pray that this will be a semester of joy and growth for all students where they strive for excellence and achieve success.

Term 3 will be an exciting and busy term with a variety of activities and events such as the Year 9 Camp, our Arts and TAS Showcase evening and selection of our new senior student leaders for 2025. It is also a significant time for our Year 12 students, who commence their final term of schooling. Year 12 will sit their Trial HSC Examinations commencing next week and celebrate their Graduation in the final week of the term.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Year 12 students as they commence their Trial HSC Examinations next Monday. It can be a time of high anxiety; however, it is also a time where students grow and learn where they can improve leading into the HSC Examinations in October. It was fantastic to see so many students at the recent HSC school holiday seminars and I thank the generous Year 12 teachers for giving of their time in the holidays to support our Year 12 students.

School Attendance

As I have written in previous College newsletters, attendance at school is vital for student success and an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement. Research over many years has shown the correlation between student absence and achievement at school.

In schools, we often talk about attendance rates. 90% sounds on the surface like a decent level of attendance, however, with 200 school days each year 90% means 20 school days absent – meaning a student misses a total of four full school weeks – that means a lot of learning the student misses. If a student is absent 8 days per term over their high school years, they miss almost a whole year of school!

Please ensure your sons are here at MCK, on time, every day. Of course, there are times of sickness and other circumstances, but family holidays during school terms should be avoided. Students must know that school is vital to their futures and missing days can accumulate to put them behind their peers.

At MCK we reward students who demonstrate outstanding attendance and recognise their commitment to school. Students with full attendance over a term receive an award and a canteen voucher. Those with outstanding attendance over the entire year get a free day at Sydney’s “Raging Waters” at the end of the year.

SCS Winter Sports

Congratulations to our Rugby League, Football and All Abilities Oz Tag teams who all had fantastic seasons in the Sydney Catholic Schools Winter Championship. Last week four of our teams – our junior and senior rugby league and junior and senior football teams played in the semi-finals of the SCS championship, but unfortunately none of the teams made it through to the championship game. I wish all our Term 3 representative teams the best of luck in their competitions.

May God bless all staff, students and families.

Mr Simon Ghantous
College Principal

Assistant Principal’s Report

It was lovely to see the students return to the College after the holiday break. As always, I would encourage all students to continue engagement in class work and do their very best in their classes. I wish all Year 12 students well in their coming Trial HSC exams.

College Tutor Program

The College Tutor program continues for Term 3. A reminder to all families the tutors are available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm in the College Library. I would ask parents/carers to ensure suitable arrangements for your son to get home after the library closes at 5.00 pm.

Not Present/Late to School

Just a reminder to parents, that if your son is going to be late to school or is absent from school you are required to add an Attendance Note in Compass to explain this absence/lateness. Last term the College emailed those parents whose sons have had unexplained absences for the previous term. Those parents are required to add an Attendance Note in Compass providing reasons for these unexplained absences. Failure to do so will result in his attendance record reflecting unexplained absences. All unexplained absences will be recorded on your son’s Semester Reports.

Extended Leave Forms

An Extended Leave Form must be submitted to the College if your son has a planned absence for 5 or more days. The Extended Leave Form can be found on Compass under the Community tab.

Mobile Phone Policy

Students are permitted to bring mobile phones to the College, however, they are to remain off and out of sight from the time a student enters the College grounds until departure. The College does not accept responsibility for lost or damaged student mobile phones. The College reserves the right to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones into certain spaces or during certain activities eg science, exam rooms, technology rooms, physical education classes etc.

Any student who uses a mobile phone will automatically receive an Assistant Principal detention. In the event of an emergency or should parents/caregivers need to contact their son during the school day, they are asked to contact the College Office who will ensure a message is passed onto your son. If a student needs to contact their parent/caregiver during the day, he is asked to go to the College Office to make the call.

Uniform

A reminder that students should wear their full winter uniform, including the College blazer, to and from school. Students should also be reminded of the College’s regulations around hair and grooming. Guidelines for hair and grooming are able to be found in the College Student Diary.

Mrs Catherine Roebuck
Assistant Principal

Religious Education Coordinator

Timor-Leste Immersion 2024 Update

We are excited to announce that 12 students from our College will participate in a 10-day immersion experience in Timor-Leste during the Term 3 school holidays. This trip promises to be a transformative journey, offering our students a chance to explore a rich culture and develop a global perspective.

Our itinerary includes visits to several significant locations:

Resistance Museum: Students will learn about Timor-Leste's inspiring struggle for independence, gaining insights into its history and resilience.
Baucau: As the second-largest city, Baucau offers a blend of colonial architecture and local culture, providing an authentic experience of Timorese life.
Catholic Teachers College: Here, students will engage with local educators, learning about the educational landscape and the role of faith in the community.
KATILOSA: At this NGO, students will see firsthand efforts to support children with disabilities, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and compassion.

Leading up to the trip, students will participate in formation sessions focusing on cultural awareness and basic Tetum language skills. These sessions aim to prepare them for meaningful interactions with Timorese communities.

This immersion program offers students a unique opportunity to grow personally and intellectually. They will gain a deeper appreciation for diversity, develop empathy, and become more informed global citizens.

Vinnies Van

On Tuesday, 23 July, Ryan Morton, Luke Martelletti, and Sergio Diaz of Year 11 took part in SVDP Night Patrol, which became a very rewarding experience. Taking part in community service granted them the opportunity to connect with the wider community. At both stops (Chifley and South Coogee), they met a wide range of different people from all walks of life. The night allowed the boys to live out their Marist charism, living in the way of Mary by becoming more empathetic with each conversation they held. This profound experience not only broadened their perspectives but also instilled a deeper sense of compassion and understanding.

Ryan Morton
Year 11

Ignite Conference 2024: Sydney

The Ignite Conference is a contemporary Catholic youth conference that has been held in Brisbane since 2001. This conference has been successful in engaging young people with the Gospel and drawing them into a relationship with the Church. Sydney Catholic Schools is supporting this initiative, and students are highly encouraged to attend. Some of the details of the event can be found below:

Date: Thursday 26 September to Sunday 29 September 2024 (End of Term 3)
Location: Broken Bay Cathedral Precinct, Waitara
Age: The conference is open to students and staff from Primary and Secondary schools (Other family members are welcome but will not receive SCS discounts if not staff or students from SCS)

Please also take the time to learn more about the conference via their website.

SCS Youth Nights for Years 7-12 Sponsored by The 10:10 Project

If you would like to attend or need any other information on the above events please contact Mr Ward in his office (room 17) or via email (mitchell.ward001@syd.catholic.edu.au)

Ms Lauren Abihanna
Religious Education Coordinator

Leader of Teaching and Learning

Years 7 and Year 9 NAPLAN Results

This week parents would have received their son’s NAPLAN 2024 results. NAPLAN underwent significant changes in 2023 to ensure its continued effectiveness in assessing student’s academic progress. One of the notable updates is the transition from numerical bands to proficiency standards. This will mean that your child’s NAPLAN results will look different from their previous test two years ago. These changes have been implemented to provide a clearer and more detailed understanding of your child's capabilities in literacy and numeracy at the time of the NAPLAN examination. Please review the NAPLAN 2024 Information for Parents and Carers Factsheet for additional information.

Parents should be aware that these results do provide a snapshot of students' proficiency standards, however, this is only one exam on a given day and therefore should be reviewed with other assessment measures such as school reports and collaborative discussions with your son's teachers. This will help provide a more holistic assessment of your son’s learning

These results will be reviewed by teachers at the College in coming weeks to identify areas of strength as well as any literacy or numeracy areas that may require more support. NAPLAN results will also be able to be accessed via Compass. If you have not received your son’s results or require any further information, please do not hesitate in contacting the College.

Year 12 HSC Trial Examinations

As Year 12 students approach their HSC Trial Examinations, we wish students all the best. These exams are a vital step in preparation for the HSC Examination. Students and teachers have been working tirelessly in preparation for these exams. Many students attended holiday seminars and SCS masterclasses which offered students an opportunity to engage in activities to refresh their understanding of content and develop their skills in applying their knowledge through various activities. As part of their preparation for these exams, students have been engaging with their teachers in reviewing HSC style questions, sample exemplar scripts and have been involved in collaborative discussions to develop their critical thinking skills.

Students are reminded during these exams our teaching staff will be available to guide and support students when needed. Students are encouraged to sustain a study routine, get enough rest, and eat well while studying and ensure they find strategies to relax. Please do not hesitate to contact the College if you have any concerns, as this can be a stressful time for students.

The College community wishes students all the best for their HSC Trial Examinations and have every faith “The end will crown the work.

Bell Shakespeare brings Shakespeare to life at MCK

Bell Shakespeare, an Australian theatre company specialising in performing the works of Shakespeare, recently visited the College immersing our Year 9 and 10 students in the world of Shakespeare. Year 9 have been studying the play Romeo and Juliet whilst Year 10 have been exploring the corruptive nature of the desire for power in the play Macbeth. Students this week watched a 50-minute performance of key scenes and soliloquies for each play and engaged in Q&A sessions with performers discussing key themes and language of each play. Students were highly engaged, gaining a greater appreciation of Shakespeare’s relevance today through his exploration of universal themes. These sessions provided students with valuable insights into the plays' historical context, and language. The opportunity to see parts of the plays performed will allow students to deepen their understanding of these texts in preparation for their upcoming assessments later in the term.

Year 11 Biology visit Shelly Beach Cronulla

Year 11 Biology spent the day at Shelly Beach, Cronulla, measuring abiotic and biotic factors on a rock platform.

Students carried out transects where they stretched a line from the high tide mark of the rock platform to the water’s edge and counted the number of organisms in half a square metre every 2m along the line. This gave students a picture of how the distribution of species changed with different conditions on the rock platform.

Students were also able to explore the rock platform and investigate rock pools to see the different types of species they could find.

Mrs Gina Stavropoulos
Leader of Teaching and Learning

Leader of Student Wellbeing

Managing Exam Stress

With the Trial HSC Examinations approaching, stress levels in the home may be on the rise. Just like our Olympic athletes, there are some basic things that Year 12 students and families can do to manage stress and therefore increase their chances of success. School TV has two excellent editions that address the management of Year 12 exam stress and exam "jitters" that students may experience. You can see these resources at the links below.

Click here to view the Year 12 Exam Stress article

Click here to view the Exam Jitters article

Mr Shane Duff
Leader of Student Wellbeing

Sport Report

MCK had six teams compete in the SCS Championships in both Rugby League and Football in Week 10 of Term 2. Four of these six then progressed to SCS semi-finals in Week 1 of Term 3. Let’s hear from the coaches and see if we have any teams competing in SCS Championships Finals.

Football (Soccer)

Senior A Team

It was a very rewarding season played with fantastic team spirit. We started with a draw at Revesby and built from there. Each round the team's performance got stronger with us only having one loss all season and qualifying for the Grand Final of our Conference. What a performance! The team played in front of a crowd of supporters and put on a show, taking out the title for Conference 3 with a 3-2 win over St Pats Sutherland.

This then took us into the quarter finals of the SCS Championships against Clancy. Although we were missing a few of our regular players through injury, the strength of the whole squad with a few late additions put in a gritty performance and took out a 1-0 against Clancy. Our semi-final against Randwick the following week began at a frantic pace. Randwick scored early on from a corner with the ball bouncing around in the box and Randwick managed to head in from short range. We controlled large parts of the game from then on with the majority of possession, hitting the post and coming close on a number of occasions. However, we could not get the decisive goal and went down 1-0.

Thanks to all players in our talented squad. It has been a pleasure coaching you. You should all be proud of the team’s achievement this season, winning our Conference final and being one of the top four sides within Sydney Catholic Schools. Thanks also to Dion, David and Zac for joining the squad to cover for injuries. Special mention to our Captain Nicholas Dogias and Vice-Captain Ivan Vuksic for their leadership on the field and motivational speeches throughout the season.

Well done boys!

Mr Simon Fisher
Coach

Junior A Team

The Junior A Football side made the Sydney Catholic Schools Championships Semi-Final and faced the old rival, Marcellin College Randwick. The boys were without Captain Julian Catanzariti but started the game brilliantly with Luke Fraccaro dominating down the right-hand side and scoring a well-deserved goal to put MCK in the lead. The game was evenly poised with both teams unable to convert chances. Marcellin, unfortunately, scored two quick goals on either side of halftime to lead 2-1. Despite strong performances in the midfield from Francesco Genua and Antohny Zagari our attack could not find the equaliser and Marcellin ran out 2-1 winners. Despite this disappointing loss, the boys should be extremely proud of their efforts this season winning the SCS Conference 3 Junior Championship for the first time in MCK's history. It has been a pleasure coaching these boys and watching them come together as teammates over the last 12 weeks and look out in 2025!

Mr Ryan Ziegenfusz
Coach

Rugby League

Open’s Team

The MCK Open's rugby league team qualified to compete in the SCS Championships semi finals on Thursday 25th July. We had a tough task ahead of us competing against old foes Holy Cross Ryde. MCK took the lead early scoring first with some beautiful attack from Marat Nahas and Jacob Fong. However Ryde were just too strong scoring multiple tries leading the break 16-6. The second half started strong again for MCK narrowing the gap to 22-12 with some big hit ups from Hadi Said, Michael Boskovski and Angus Tsougranis. Jarrad Grskovic and Jack Slabbert were tasked with some huge defensive plays but none bigger than Jacob Fongs hit off the kick off that kept us in the game. However, as fatigue settled in, Ryde took home the victory. A huge congratulations to all participants. Being ranked in the top 4 Rugby League Schools in SCS is a huge honour. We thank the Year 12 boys who finish their service at MCK and look forward to 2025.

Mr Marc Vassallo and Mr Angelo Scali
Coaches

Under 13’s Team

The season has come to an end for the under 13's Rugby League team who went down 38-0 last Thursday against Holy Cross Ryde in the SCS Championships semi-final. On the back of a thumping win in the quarter final against Lewisham, the boys started the game very strong especially in defence, only conceding one try in the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the star-studded Holy Cross team got on a roll by the end of the first half and throughout the second and were very hard to stop. Michael Pappas was immense in defence by putting on a number of big hits, and Logan Thompson's ball running in attack was one of our highlights. Congratulations to all the boys on their efforts throughout the season. It was always going to be a tough task competing in the SCS A-Grade competition, but everyone did themselves very proud. Hopefully everyone puts their name down for the team next year for a bigger and better season!