Dear Parents, Students and Friends

Today began in prayer at the College with staff joining for Mass for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today is a holy day of obligation in the Church’s liturgical calendar.   Fr Steve celebrated mass at 8.00am and it was a special way to begin our day.

World Challenge

We are very excited to announce that we are partnering with World Challenge to offer a two week Community and Cultural experience to Cambodia in September/October 2020. With the focus on global citizenship and community engagement, students will deep-dive into local life, gain a greater perspective on the world around them and their place within it. Students will spend three days living with a local community, collaborating on local education initiatives, such as building classrooms and learning about daily life in rural Cambodia. From the Temples of Angkor to floating villages, to the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, this adventure will take students out of their everyday experiences, and expand their hearts and minds through the sharing of cultures. This opportunity is open to current Year 8 and Year 9 students. Please join us at our information evening on Monday 9 September at 6.00pm to find out more about this incredible opportunity. This is an optional adventure. Follow the link below to find out more about the trip: https://weareworldchallenge.com/australasia/carrollcollegecambodia

Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) Competition
Tomorrow, three of our students, Teagan Moses, Emma Tuckwell and Hugh Tuckwell will be travelling to Canberra to compete in the National MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly) Competition. These students, accompanied by Mrs Anna Smart and Mrs Belle Barling as team counsellors, will represent New Zealand. They will be debating six United Nations resolutions over the three-day event, in the former House of Representatives in the Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House). The resolutions debated will cover topics of international interest including trade and development, human rights issues and other important global concerns. MUNA is organised and coordinated by Rotary Australia and is endorsed by the United Nations. The students will also attend a formal dinner at the Australian National University on Saturday evening where they will listen to keynote speakers discussing current international and human rights issues. These dedicated students have spent many hours researching international laws and conventions, as well as New Zealand's foreign affairs policy, to prepare their debates and are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete in this event alongside schools from all over Australia. On behalf of the College, I wish them well and thank Mrs Smart and Mrs Barling for accompanying the students for the weekend.

MacKillop Day
MacKillop Day is taking place on Tuesday 27 August (Week 6).​ It is an e-free day. Students will be encouraged to refrain from using their devices - particularly their phones - all day! Ideally, we will be encouraging little to no use (where possible) of technology in classrooms.

There will be a short whole school assembly following homeroom where House Captains, Faith and Braith will speak to the students about a number of issues including:

• social media and phone use (overuse)
• benefits of refraining from mobile phone use
• mental health, anxiety and its links to social media
• increase in cyberbullying
• the rising issue of e-waste and its impact on the environment

Students can come casually dressed on this day and are encouraged to wear blue. We ask that students contribute a gold coin donation with monies raised going to Beyond Blue. Thank you in advance for your support. 

Our College Registration was a positive experience last week. The panel was very impressed during their visit. As the finalised report becomes available, I will share the major Commendations and Recommendations with you. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the staff for their preparation and level of professionalism. Panel members commented on our positive College culture as they visited classrooms and interacted with students, parents and community partners.

Year 12
HSC Trials are almost complete. I have been impressed by the commitment and perseverance of our Year 12 students over the past fortnight. They have prepared well for exams and shown the necessary diligence required for this point in their studies. Well done to all.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – UAC 2019-20
Is your child considering university? Do you know…

• Early bird applications close Monday 30 September 2019 ($70)
• Standard applications Tuesday 1 October – Friday 7 February 2020 ($200)
• Early offer schemes - Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS) is open to all Year 12 applicants completing a Year 12 qualification. SRS enables institutions to make early offers to current Year 12 students who have applied for undergraduate admission through UAC. SRS applications close at midnight on Monday 30 September 2019.

Staffing
Mrs Belle Barling commences Maternity leave next Friday 23 August. We wish Mrs Barling and her husband Brett all the very best as they await the arrival of their fourth child. Mrs Barling plans to return to work at the beginning of Term 2, 2020.

Mrs Emma Kenna is awaiting the arrival of her second child. Mrs Kenna commences leave on Friday 6 September. Ms Jane Garland has been successful in gaining a temporary senior teaching role to replace Mrs Kenna. Ms Garland will be teaching Years 11 & 12 Hospitality classes until Mrs Kenna returns at the beginning of Term 3, 2020. I congratulate Ms Garland on her appointment. There are a few details still to confirm regarding staffing changes in this area. I will communicate these once finalised. Best wishes to Mrs Kenna and her husband Steve at this exciting time.

Warm regards

Jacqueline Heffernan
Principal