Dear McAuley Families

Welcome back to Term 3. I trust all enjoyed a break from the routines of school and study.

Please ensure your children are compliant with uniform expectations. Remember that our rules around tying long hair back, hooped and dangling earrings and bangles are for safety.  Pastoral and class teachers will be reminding students of their need to be warm and safe.

On Monday, staff participated in school based Professional Learning around High Impact Teaching methods, Compass communication, timetables, rosters and organisation. In the coming weeks we will be reviewing our emergency and evacuation policies and procedures with the assistance of professional advisors.

McAuley hosted the regional NAIDOC Mass on Wednesday. Our students provided a beautiful welcome and were excellently behaved for the Mass celebrated by Father Renoir Oliver. Welcome to country with a smoking ceremony and speeches were provided by Shane Herrington and Aunty Sue Bulger. We welcomed representatives from Catholic Education and the Archdiocese. It was a particular honour to welcome Dr Patrick McArdle who is the Vicar for Education for the Archdiocese.

It was very exciting for Katrina Cambridge (CE Teaching and Learning Officer – Aboriginal Education) to present a NAIDOC Award to our Nakia Morris. Nakia is well known to us all for her work here at school with Primary and Secondary students and, for her efforts in supporting and promoting our aboriginal education programs.

The award citation reads… 

Our recipient of a 2023 NAIDOC Award is Nakia Morris.

Nakia is an Aboriginal Education Worker at McAuley Central School and is receiving a Cultural and Identity Award.

Nakia seeks resources and ideas to build and enhance Wiradjuri culture at McAuley. She promotes language, cultural connections, and student activities always. She works to enrich our NAIDOC and Sorry Day activities and celebrations. She shows commitment and dedication to enhancing our capacity as a culturally sensitive, inclusive, and welcoming school. Most recently Nakia has personally designed and organised staff shirts with an artwork depicting our local area.

We are very proud and grateful for the work Nakia does for our community and so pleased to have her recognised in such a significant way.

This term is filling up quickly with a lot of in school and out of school events taking place. Please ensure that your contact details are correct in Compass and Classroom so that all communications are received and responded to in good time. Please also be sure that your

sons and daughters are in good routines for study and revision and have a good mapping of what id due and when for them in terms of schoolwork and assignments. This helps lower anxiety and stress (for all of us!).

Andrew Fuller has written about “Reigniting your teenager’s motivation” and get them out of their winter slump. He suggests:

1. Identify their learning strengths (see the link in article)

2. Develop a personal learning plan.

3. Lower anxiety.

4. Get up – stand up – be active.

5. Rev up – dance, basketball, drumming – increase dopamine.

6. Establish systems rather than goals.

7. Imagine forwards – plan backwards!

(Refer to the parentswebsite.com.au)

I hope Term 3 is productive and rewarding for us all.

Mary our Mother, Look after us.

Eamonn Moore