Edition 11,
11 December 2023

Mary MacKillop College acknowledges the Kaurna people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and study. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Christmas Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

Lord God, we pray that you will turn our hearts toward you as Christmas approaches. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season this year and miss the chance to celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas. That first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, God, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray.

Amen

Blessings to all as we enter the liturgical season of Advent and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Last Sunday marked the first week of Advent, where the ‘Hope Candle’ on the Advent wreath was lit. This calls us to reflect on Christ’s coming into the world and the great hope it brings, especially in these times of global unrest.

Holding hope for the future, we also look on this past year with deep gratitude. It has been a wonderful 2023, with great learning both in and outside of the classroom, a plethora of activities, fun and total GIRL POWER!

I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the teachers and support staff, who have continued to go ‘above and beyond’ to ensure the holistic education and care of our students. With the building of relationships at the heart of our College, they have been true to our motto “In All Things Love”. We acknowledge and thank those who are moving from us to new positions next year: Elicia Baldwin (Music/HPE/English Teacher), Kate Casciano (Year 7 PCC, HaSS Teacher), Sarah Newman (Learning and Wellbeing Assistant) and Ella Turnbull (PE Support Officer). We also wish Ally McMichan (Science Teacher) well for her year of leave in 2024 and look forward to her re-joining us in 2025. Claudio Iannace (HaSS/Science/RE Teacher) will return in Semester 2 after a period of long service leave.

To our beautiful students, who have shown courage, compassion and resilience as they navigated the joys and challenges of the year – well done and thank you! You have continued the mission of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop by your advocacy for social justice and determination to be your best selves.

The success of our students also lies in the strong partnership with families, and we are grateful for the ongoing support you have given your daughters and the College, especially in times of challenge.

We are fortunate to have the College Board of Trustees and the Sisters of St Joseph as leaders and guides to help us grow and flourish into the future. We value the wisdom and support you have provided this year.

As 2023 comes to an end, I feel truly blessed to be of service in this special, special place! The College community has been so generous in its welcome and support this year. I wish each and every person a joyous and Christ-filled holiday season, celebrated with friends and loved ones.

I look forward to seeing you all again at the start of an amazing 2024 at Mary MacKillop College!

Go well and God bless.

Sonia Nelson
Principal

As we approach the season of Advent, we prepare the space for our Lord Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life.

At the same time, it is fitting to reflect with gratitude, the rich tapestry of life with all the joys and sorrows, the challenges and accomplishments, the welcomes and farewells.

On reflection, 2023 at Mary MacKillop College has been a year of consolidation, renewal and growth.

With joy and anticipation, we welcomed our Principal Ms Sonia Nelson and Deputy Principal Ms Jasmin Eckert, together they forge a strong partnership and make a formidable team. Their drive and energy are infectious, results are visible and their presence is positively reflected throughout the Mary MacKillop College community.

They are supported by the Leadership Team and staff, to educate and empower our girls to grow intellectually, spiritually, socially and emotionally.

Approaching the College this year you may have experienced some disruption due to the construction works for the Tenison Centre, due for completion at the end of this year. The project is a significant achievement and the result of many years of perseverance, dedication and planning. The facility will be enjoyed by many generations of students.

The future is cast with the imminent launch of the Mary MacKillop College Strategic Plan 2024 -2026, your engagement with the process has been both informative and valuable.

Graduates of 2023, congratulations you have worked hard and done yourselves and your families proud. You leave us as competent young women ready to take your place in the world, with the 'Courage to lead' in every facet of your lives. Once a MacKillop girl, always a MacKillop girl, you will stand out and you will shine.

On behalf of the Mary MacKillop College Board, thank you to the Sisters of St Joseph for entrusting us with the stewardship of the College. Thank you also to our Principal Ms Sonia Nelson, the Leadership Team, staff, students, families, caregivers and the entire Mary MacKillop College community, for your commitment to the College and to education in the Josephite tradition.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Gess Carbone
Board Chair

Following the footsteps of Mary MacKillop, all the way to Port Augusta.

Our newly appointed student leaders took a transformative journey to Port Augusta, delving deep into the rich history and values of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and immersing themselves in the Josephite ethos.

The journey began with a visit to the Wadlata Outback Centre, the original site of Saint Joseph High School. This immersive experience provided our students with a unique opportunity to travel back in time and witness the fascinating history of Port Augusta and the broader Australian Outback. The tunnel served as a metaphorical portal, connecting our student leaders with the roots of the Josephite mission.

A highlight of the trip was the exploration of the Arid Lands Botanic Garden, where students had the chance to engage with the unique flora and fauna that thrive in the arid Australian landscape. This experience allowed them to reflect on the resilience and adaptability exemplified by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in their mission work. Nature, as they discovered, holds profound lessons about endurance and growth.

The heart of the journey was the visit to Caritas College, a school deeply rooted in the Josephite tradition. Our students were warmly welcomed by the school community, and the connections forged between our leaders and the Caritas College student body were truly inspiring. The exchange of ideas and experiences provided a valuable insight into the diverse ways in which the Josephite ethos manifests in different educational settings.

During the tour of Caritas College, our students had the privilege of engaging with school leaders, sharing perspectives on leadership, and learning about the unique challenges and successes of their counterparts. This exchange not only strengthened the bonds between our schools but also fostered a sense of unity and shared purpose in the pursuit of educational excellence guided by Josephite values.

Wishing everyone a safe and merry Christmas.

Jasmin Eckert
Deputy Principal

Congratulations to the students who have excelled in our community over the course of 2023.

Service and Leadership Awards

Service and Leadership Award recipients have displayed active commitment, service and participation across all aspects of College life during 2023.

Year 7
Michaila C, Caitlin D, Olivia D, Lally E, Olivia L.

Year 8
Chiara C, Allegra C, Sienna C, Olivia S, Chloe T.

Year 9
Zara A, Eliana D, Aleah F, Mikayla R, Josephine S.

Year 10
Jessie C, Jennifer D, Chiara D, Kelsey J, Poppy M.

Year 11
Isabella B, Imogen L, Scarlett L, Kayla W, Isabelle W.

Year 12
Sofia C, Olivia D, Arabella H, Tara H, Emily P, Jessica R.

Academic Awards

Academic Award recipients are students who have shown particular endeavor and have achieved outstanding results in their mid-semester and end of semester reports. These students have maintained this level of endeavor and displayed high levels of academic achievement in all their subjects across the whole 2023 school year.

Year 7
Caitlin D, Olivia D.

Year 8
Chiara C, Amelie M, Savannah P.

Year 9
Zara A, Eliana D, Scarlett D, Gabriella P, Mikayla R, Josephine S, Sierra T, Kristal Z.

Year 10
Ella B, Daniella C, Chiara D, Asha H, Poppy M, Allegra M.

Year 11
Madeline B, Emilie C, Caitlyn G, Alexandra T, Jaymie G, Isabelle W.

College Awards

College Awards are donated by friends of the College, old scholars and representatives of the wider community and we thank them for their generosity. These awards give us an opportunity to acknowledge students who have excelled in a variety of areas of College life during 2023.

Rotary Club of Magill Sunrise Service Above Self General Community
Savannah C

Rotary Club of Magill Sunrise Service Above Self College Community
Elysse Z

Mary MacKillop College Old Scholars’ Award
Tara H

Mary MacKillop College Social Justice Award
Sienna M

Ampol Best All Rounder Award
Sabrina D                                                          

Australian Defence Force Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Awards
Emily P

Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award
Naaz G

Principal’s Leadership Award
London C and Cinzia D

Mary MacKillop Award ‘In All Things Love’
Emily P

The Max Harris Young Writer Award
Allegra M (Year 10)

The Girardi Performing Arts Award
Alessia C (Year 11)

The Sister Mary Harradine Award for Service to School Music
Isabelle W (Year 11)

The Benbow Family Geography Award
Eloise J (Year 11)

The Gleeson Outstanding Athlete Award
Keeleigh O (Year 11)

The Australian Defence Force Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award
Chiara D (Year 10)

The Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award
Akaldeep K (Year 10)

At Mary MacKillop College we value the times where we unite to celebrate and develop our faith.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day, observed on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, stands as a solemn reminder of the impact of war on individuals, families and communities. Our school community came together in prayer to not only remember, but to honour the courage and selflessness of those who stood on the front lines.

The 2024 Social Justice captains led the prayer service with compassion and justice, encouraging us to reflect on the sacrifice of the men and women who were driven by a sense of duty and love for their country. During this service, red poppies were given to each person as a symbol of remembrance inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields”.

Lest we Forget.

End of Year Mass

The Mary MacKillop College community joined together at St Ignatius Church for The End of Year Mass celebrated by Fr Gaetan Pereira. The mass provided a time to reflect and offer gratitude for the courage that has defined our journey this school year. From the classroom to the sporting fields, from the Auditorium, Art and Music rooms to the laboratories, we have displayed courage in numerous ways - whether it be in academic pursuits, artistic endeavours or acts of kindness that define the spirit of our Josephite community. Just like our Patron Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, her courage and determination did not stop her from doing God’s work.

As we conclude this year, let us carry this spirit of courage forward into upcoming chapters of our lives. May lessons learned and bonds formed during this year’s journey serve as foundation for future endeavours.

As Christmas time is approaching, let us celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy and love sent to us by God in the birth of our Saviour Jesus.

Let us continue to offer our blessings to all those we meet.

Social Justice Outreach

Our students  follow in Mary MacKillop’s footsteps to "never see a need without doing something about it".

Throughout this term the students and staff donated food and other suitable items for the Vinnies' Christmas Hamper Appeal, Vinnie House of Welcome and Catherine House. We thank you all for your generosity! These hampers have been given to St Vincent De Paul Society and Catherine House, so they can be distributed to those in need, to make their Christmas a season of great joy. Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Wishing you all blessings for the Christmas season, may it bring you much joy and peace. May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the Magi, and the peace of the Christ child.

Adriana Sotira
Religious Education Coordinator

If ever you want to experience a world-class line-up of authors and illustrators who not only provide insights into their creative processes but nurture a love of literature and art, then the Once Upon A Festival is where you need to be. On 3 November, a passionate band of Mary MacKillop College students had the wonderful experience of attending the largest literary festival in South Australia dedicated to young people. 

Prior to attending the festival, students were encouraged to participate in the Impress Writing Competition where the first prize was a one-year subscription to award-winning author Tristan Bancks’ Young Writers’ Story School. With Bancks’ novel Detention being the Year 8 class novel, this was an extra incentive to enter the competition! Students also participated in a gallery walk reading some of the stories and poems shortlisted from the 191 submissions received and were awed by the range of writing styles and genres.

Also on offer were books, books and more books! QBD Books provided students with the opportunity to purchase books written and/or illustrated by the Once Upon A Festival’s presenters and our MacKillop students took advantage of this amazing opportunity to meet their literary idols, chatting happily as they had their books signed. Year 7 student Lally even reconnected with Sean Williams whom she had interviewed in March at Adelaide’s Writers Week. Much to Ms Papp’s delight, The Catherine Clark Library and Resource Centre now has a signed copy of Astrid Scholte’s Four Dead Queens. To support the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, organisers also facilitated a ‘Great Book Swap’ where students could support a very worthy cause and leave with a new book to devour, all for a gold coin donation.

The day was divided into diverse presentations and workshops. MacKillop students in Years 7 to 9 attended sessions by brilliant authors Katrina Nannestad, Nova Weetman and Sean Williams while senior students attended presentations and workshops by the very talented Amie Kaufman and Aśka. Multi award-winning children’s author Katrina Nannestad, whose books include Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief and We Are Wolves, presented an address on "Bringing History Alive" while Nova Weetman, who has published 16 books for children and young adults, including The Secrets We Keep and The Edge of Thirteen, spoke on "Where Stories Come From and Where Characters Are Made". Best-selling author of Her Perilous Mansion, Impossible Music, and Honour Among Ghosts, Sean Williams presented the inspiring address, “A Practical Guide to the Impossible”.  

Conversely, Year 11 students were enthralled by a presentation from the international bestselling author of The Illuminae Files series and the Starbound Trilogy series, Amie Kaufman. Her address “Inside A Writer’s Brain: How do writers see the world?” proved both enlightening and enjoyable. For the lovers of graphic novels and to complement her informative and entertaining presentation, “How do comics work?”, award-winning author and graphic novelist Aśka humorously workshopped how students could create their own comics and narratives.

We congratulate MacKillop students on their enthusiasm and engagement, and for being exemplary ambassadors of our College. We look forward to attending the Once Upon A Festival in 2024 and hope more students revel in the awe-inspiring presentations and workshops conducted by nationally and internationally published writers and illustrators.

Mini Del Corso English Leader of Learning and Mary Lepore, Languages Leader of Learning
Read and Roam Book Club Facilitators

"I found Sean Williams' workshop about creating a story idea to be interesting. Contributing to the discussion was fun, and it was great to hear everyone else's thoughts. It was also fascinating to find out where people's inspiration came from - as it definitely varied from person to person. Overall, Once Upon A Festival was a thoroughly enjoyable event, and I gained a lot of valuable knowledge that I can apply to my life." - Liliana (Year 8)

"I really enjoyed attending the festival and having the chance to meet illustrator Aśka and author Amie Kauffman. I found Amie's talk quite inspirational, especially hearing about her creative process and I had fun learning everything to know about comics with Aśka." - Scar (Year 11)

Languages Week 2023 was a week filled with much activity, where the Italian and Spanish cultures were embraced by all. It was a week which allowed opportunity to highlight the importance of learning a language and the benefits associated with it such as giving an insight into other cultures; making those studying a language more prepared and confident to travel the world and explore other people’s ways of living. In fact, studies have shown that those who speak more than one language are more logical, have better working memories and can switch between tasks more quickly.

To celebrate the first day of Languages Week, our Stage One Italian students welcomed family, friends and Years 9 and 10 students studying Italian at Rostrevor College for a Scopa and Briscola Tournament. The College Gymnasium was full of fun, laughter and a strong competitive spirit, as the teams played the traditional Italian card games throughout the afternoon.

As a special event to celebrate Languages Week, the Year 7 students participated in a Latin dance workshop, featuring a fusion of different Latin American styles of dance. The workshop was facilitated by Val Alonso from El Ritmo productions, a Latin American dance school in Adelaide. The Year 7s participated with enthusiasm, energy, fun and some excellent and impressive moves.

The Year 8 students took part in different activities ranging from some competitive rounds of bocce to some culturally challenging questions in rounds of Family Feud, which in Italian is called Tutti in Famiglia. Students also made some delicious sweet and savoury toppings for bruschetta – think Nutella with strawberries and diced seasoned tomato with fresh basil - yum! The year level also took part in Bingo with numbers being called in both Italian and Spanish.

The Year 9 students undertook the challenge of preparing and tasting a very traditional dish, Gli Spaghetti alla Carbonara. One group prepared the dish following a traditional recipe, whilst another group followed a recipe which had a particular ingredient which is definitely not part of the traditional recipe (and that ingredient is cream)! Both groups overall preferred the traditional recipe of making this dish.

The Year 9 students also joined the Senior Students of Italian in a Regional Cooking Workshop run by well renowned chef, Rosa Matto, and her very experienced helper, Nancy. Students first learnt about various influences on the Italian cuisine followed by an opportunity to prepare regional dishes including gnocchi with pumpkin sauce; cauliflower and cumin fritters; pea and cauliflower salad; and chicken schnitzel. This was followed by mouthwatering treats of almond biscuits and migliaccio napoletano, which is a ricotta based cake.

On Saturday 4 November, senior students of Italian, Jessie, Tiana and Angel were wonderful ambassadors of our College at the Unity Day Wreath Laying Ceremony in Payneham. The students read the Prayers of the Faithful and laid wreaths to commemorate the Fallen for the Day of Unification of Italy. Many in attendance spoke of the exceptional manner in which the girls presented themselves.

Languages Week was also a whole school celebration with students able to purchase gnocchi which were provided by Domenic of Di Luggo and Co. The atmosphere at lunch time as the gnocchi were being served from the Lambretta, a three wheeled commercial vehicle, was festive and very cultural. The week ended with all students being given a refreshing Italian flavoured icy pole.

Without a doubt, Languages Week was a great celebration and a big thank you to all our Languages teachers for providing the students with all of these opportunities. We are already looking forward to next year’s celebration.

Mary Lepore
Languages Learning Area Leader

Congratulations to the 2023 Year 12 Visual Arts students and thank you to the families and friends who attended the exhibition opening on Friday 10 November. It was a privilege to celebrate the commitment of these students who dedicated so much time and effort to this subject. Hours of experimentation, planning and refinement were undertaken with great perseverance by Stage 2 Visual Art students to create an excellent display of artworks.

Students recorded their ideas and processes in their 40-page Folio through abundant journalling, sketches, sculptures, and photos exploring a variety of media. They studied the styles and techniques of inspiring artists related to their chosen themes, evaluating each problem faced to factor what improvements needed to be made or what new skills and approaches were needed to achieve their vision.

Themes explored included portraits of important family patriarchs in Liana’s ‘Heroes of My Generation’. Arabella expressed fears for her sister’s generation and the future of our environment in a deteriorating landscape. Sleep was documented in Monique’s dreamy bubbles showing her ‘toss and turn’ through symbols of her fears and desires. Kaleb’s paleontological puzzle uncovered impressions of digital dinosaur art compared to 3d dinosaur remains. ChanteI demonstrated feelings of being overwhelmed with contrasts between large objects and small figurines in, ‘In Over My Head’, influenced by Magritte’s Surrealist art. The distorted perspectives that Body Dysmorphia sufferers experience have been expressed through bold, exploratory applications of media by Melani. ‘Unpacking Life’ presented Sienna’s photographic family portraits to provide the inspiration for a mixed media collection of keepsakes, drawings and paintings held in small vintage cases in honour of her family’s and her memories.

“Visual Arts can offer artists an opportunity to express abstract, painful experiences through a cathartic process and outcome, something viewers can hopefully appreciate or relate to.” - Melani, Year 12 Student

Romina Penna
Visual Art and Design Teacher

Drama

As the term comes to an end, Drama classes have enjoyed performing for each other, celebrating the growth in performance skills over the term.

Year 10 students performed their self-devised play 'Who’s Going to Hollywood?' to a Year 7 audience. The play was full of twists, turns and plenty of laughs as the contestants tried their hardest to convince the judges they were worthy of the ultimate prize.

“I learnt how to interact with other characters in the performance in a way that makes my character shine and compliments the other characters’ personalities.” - Sophia (Year 10)

“I learnt about recognising the importance of audience engagement and interaction by using humour and unexpected moments to captivate and entertain.” - Ella (Year 10)

Year 8 Drama classes created game show performances, combining elements from well-known game shows, while Year 7 Drama students presented 'Twisted Tales', manipulating fairytales into their own creative performances. Congratulations to all Semester 2 drama students for the commitment it takes to rehearse and perform such entertaining plays.

Dance

Year 7 Dance students have been learning about the Restless Dance Theatre, Australia’s leading creator of dance theatre by dancers with and without disabilities. A group of MacKillop girls visited the company to participate in a dance workshop. Their morning was filled with improvisation, contemporary dance movement and the creative development of choreography, building on knowledge of the work and ethos of the Restless Dance Theatre.

“We learned many dance techniques at Restless, such as thinking outside the box and allowing our bodies to flow and feel the music while we danced. We met the Artistic Director, Michelle Ryan who is such an inspiring person.

We had the opportunity to work with some of the Restless dancers, using our imaginations to re-enact a plastic bag flowing in the wind and combining our movements to create a short dance sequence.” - Malia (Year 7)

Our Dance Academy’s contemporary dance piece, 'The Earth Speaks' has been selected to be part of the 2024 Adelaide Festival in the Create4Adelaide Art Exhibition.

Create4Adelaide aims to raise awareness of environmental issues such as climate change, extinction, extreme weather events and pollution by creating an exhibition of visual and performance art. They received over 1,000 submissions of artwork so it is an honour to be part of this initiative. Thank you to everyone who voted for their engaging performance and we hope you will enjoy viewing the exhibition in the new year.

https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/create4adelaide/

Senior dance students enjoyed the opportunity to gain experience from Australian Dance Theatre artists, Zachary Lopez and Karra Nam. Students watched 'Cultivate: One' performed at the Odeon Theatre and learned movement phrases and choreographic techniques from the performance in a dance workshop led by the artists. The performance explored themes such as language being used as a tool of oppression, the human psyche’s response to trauma and the relationship between time and human connection. Students came away with newfound inspiration and we look forward to seeing these ideas develop in their own work next year.

“Being exposed to new styles and techniques has really inspired us to challenge ourselves and try some new approaches to developing choreography in the years to come. We really enjoyed both learning and watching the performance by the Australian Dance Theatre as their work is unique and different from other dance performances we have seen.” - Alana and Eliana (Year 9)

Congratulations on a year filled with so many wonderful opportunities to learn and grow.

Rachel Scott
The Arts Leader of Learning

The Term 4 Good News Assembly showcased many aspects of the wonderful offerings and achievements of Mary MacKillop girls this term.

Sport - Three teams competed at the School Sport SA Boccia Tournament. Two MacKillop teams played off in the grand final. The Year 7 team finished in second place, with our Year 10 team being crowned State Champions! We watched a video which captured the success and fun that the Queensland Netball team experienced on their annual netball trip.

Curriculum Areas

Languages - There were many wonderful events across Languages Week as outlined in Mrs Lepore's article in this newsletter.

Arts - The Year 12 Visual Art Exhibition was shared through a video demonstrating the work of our very talented Art students.

Science - Science Oliphant Awards were presented to some Years 7 and 9 students for producing work recognised by their teachers as being of a high enough quality to be entered in this competition. ICAS Awards were also presented to those girls who undertook the English, Mathematics and Science challenges.

English - This year many students participated in the Premiers Reading Challenge, 17 of these reading over 20 books. Some students received a Hall of Fame medal as a result of their participation which spans from 7-13 years.  We are very proud to share that 10 MMC students had their poetry published in the 2023 South Australian English Teachers Spring Poetry Anthology.

It is very easy to find items to share each term at the Good News Assemblies. It has been a pleasure to organise them and to celebrate everything that makes MacKillop College such a special place.

Liz Stewart
Director of Students

On Tuesday 14 November, we welcomed our Year 7 2024 students for their last Transition Visit.

The students were enthused throughout the day and thoroughly enjoyed their visit at the College, which included a visit from the College’s much-loved turtle, Turbo.

Our new students also had the opportunity to reconnect with each other through a series of get to know you activities. They were able to share some of their expectations regarding starting high school through a letter to their Year 7 teachers and took part in a Kahoot where they were able to determine how much they know about their new school.

The students found out the House Team they will be joining when they start at MacKillop and were presented with a House badge by their 2024 House Captains. Next year’s Swimming Carnival theme was also shared with students and they were sworn to secrecy due to it not having yet been revealed to the rest of the College community.

Students had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about some of their subjects, namely Food & Fabric and PE. They made some delicious scones under the guidance of Mrs Witton and took part in some active games led by Mr Mott and the 2024 Sports Captains.

Throughout the visit, the girls were well supported by some our students in Years 7 and 10 along with our 2024 Year 7 Prefect, Jade.

After having a group photo, students departed feeling happy and looking forward to returning next year as Mary MacKillop Girls.

Mary Lepore
Year 7 Pastoral Care Coordinator

In the spirit of promoting physical activity and overall well-being, Week 5 marked the celebration of Physical Education (PE) Week, which was filled with engaging activities designed to highlight the importance of staying active and healthy.

Our Year 7 students embarked on an exciting adventure at AFL Max, where they experienced a day of trampolining, bouncing in the inflatable bump zone, and honing their kicking and passing skills in Australian Rules Football (AFL). Our Year 8s took on the challenge of MMC's annual Orienteering championships at Hazelwood Park. Despite initial challenges with map reading and finding their bearings, the girls demonstrated exceptional teamwork and resilience, successfully completing the course. A special shout-out to the Snowy Angels team for their outstanding 23-minute finish! Kudos to 8 Green for accumulating the highest total points, contributing to their Omnibus Cup score. Year 9 students engaged in wheelchair basketball sessions, gaining valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals living with disabilities. The sessions not only pushed students physically but also provided an opportunity for fun and increased awareness.

Adding to the excitement of PE Week, our annual Interhouse Tournament took centre stage this year with Fast 5 Netball. Students from Years 7-11 showcased their skills and sportsmanship in a fierce yet enjoyable competition. Congratulations to Alexander house on clinching the championship, and a special mention to house captain Keeleigh for leading the team to victory. We anticipate more thrilling interhouse tournaments in the upcoming year.

Term 4 Sport wrapped up in Week 6 with our basketball, touch football and volleyball teams finishing their final round of games. Congratulations to all teams involved - we cannot wait to see you compete again in Term 1 Sport next year. The Swim Squad had their season finish abruptly thanks to the thunderstorm in Week 7. The squad will recommence in Term 1 next year. If your daughter would like to be involved, please keep an eye out for posters and emails with information on how to join early in Term 1.

As we bid farewell to 2023, anticipation is building for the upcoming 2024 Swimming Carnival. Scheduled for Week 1 Friday, MacKillop Girls will dive into the pool in a spirited race for the title of Swimming Carnival Champions! We are delighted to unveil the much-anticipated theme for the event ‘Rhyme Without a Reason’ and encourage all students to get creative with their costumes. Do not forget, there are prizes for the best-dressed participants!

Wishing you a Christmas break filled with activity and good health. May you return to the College in 2024 ready for another busy year filled with memorable moments in the pool and on the court, track or field.

Zoe Duffy
Sport Coordinator

Join our Principal, Sonia Nelson for a tour of the College.

Principal’s Tours are a great opportunity for prospective MacKillop girls and families to visit the College and to meet our Principal. You will meet senior staff and students on an intimate tour of the school and experience our warm hospitality.

Term 1
Tuesday 20 February 9.30am
Tuesday 26 March 4.30pm until 7.00pm (Open Night)
Wednesday 3 April 5.00pm

Term 2
Wednesday 1 May 5.00pm
Friday 31 May 9.30am
Wednesday 26 June 9.30am

Book Now

Mary MacKillop College warmly invites girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 to spend a day with us as a MacKillop girl.

Come 'n' Try MacKillop Days are a wonderful opportunity for your daughter to meet our staff and students while being involved in a range of interactive lessons and meeting new friends.

Term 1
Wednesday 28 February
Wednesday 10 April

Term 2
Wednesday 5 June

Click here to book a Come 'n' Try MacKillop Day.