Principal’s Update
Staff Appointments 2019-2021
POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP (POL)
On behalf of Mercy Education Limited, Catherine McAuley College is delighted to announce the following successful applicants for the recently advertised POL 4 leadership roles.
Year 7 Learning Leaders: Alana Burke and Damian Driscoll
Year 8 Learning Leaders: Jan Lake and Cara Lewis
Year 9 Learning Leaders: Selinna Bartved-Forward (from Guilford College, W.A.) and Kerrin Smith (Assumption College, Kilmore, Vic.)
Year 10 Learning Leaders: Colin Hogan and Kym Wilton
Years 11 &12 Learning Leaders: Maria Slater, Richard Graham, Suzie Kemp and Fiona Bell
Interdisciplinary Leaders: Karen Lichnovsky, Ember Chittenden, Daniel McKee and Glenn Solomons (Assumption College, Kilmore, Vic.)
We congratulate these successful applicants and look forward to the development and integration of their various roles as we move forward into our new structure for 2019.
On behalf of the College I would like to express my thanks to every applicant for the time and courage that it takes to apply for these roles and work through the process.
Staff Announcements
The College will advertise internally for a Learning and Teaching Director (POL 6), Data Moderator (POL 4) and Activities Leader (POL 3) in the coming week.
Mrs Gina Giblin has resigned from the Director of Learning & Teaching position at the end of 2018 for personal reasons. We want to thank Gina for her outstanding work over the past semester in this role at Coolock. Gina will continue to teach and be actively involved in 2019.
Subject Selection Information Evening
Considering the weather on Monday night, the College was delighted with the attendance and energy of the Subject Information Evening. There were lots of questions during and after the various presentations, which is great. The Veritas program at Years 7 – 9 was introduced as was the Virtues program at Year 10. For further details about programs and Subject Selection visit: http://www.cmc.vic.edu.au/?p=3883&preview=1&_ppp=8a176679e1.
There has been an enormous level of preparation and research dedicated to the development of our learning and teaching programs. This has been undertaken to ensure that the structure provides our students with the opportunity to understand how they learn, how they think and how they form the skills that make them analytical thinkers when they graduate. We want young people who are deep thinkers and armed for success in a changing world.
Congratulations to our Agriculture Show Team on their impressive representation of our College at the Sheep and Wool Show. Our various sporting teams have also been outstanding in their representation at all levels. Once again, the College has been successful against the local competition to move onto regional and state levels. Our College has a phenomenal history of sporting success and that has not faltered despite the various programs of local competing schools.
Developments
A quick note on the various developments. The design and planning for the Kelly Building works at St Mary’s is moving forward. Upstairs, a new Allied Health facility is being developed. This is part of Catherine McAuley College’s partnership with Mercy Health and Australian Catholic University. Downstairs, a new hospitality kitchen and canteen are in the planning phase. These buildings are scheduled to be completed for 2019, although as we know that does not always eventuate for a range of reasons. Presently the build at Coolock is behind schedule, however we know that we will have access at some point in Term 4 through the ongoing efforts of Walsh & O’Meara and our Project Manager RMG. Unfortunately, they have had to deal with technical issues that have created significant delays.
Seeing It Through Winter
On a final note, during these winter months it can be a real challenge to stay motivated and keep to a routine of study. Please keep up the support at home. The Year 12s and students completing Unit 3/4 subjects have less than fifty school days left, and things start moving pretty fast. One of the big challenges is procrastination and avoidance. Two of the biggest obstacles are games and digital media. The growing number of concerns being presented by parents is a worry. Anecdotally many of these are associated with game addiction. The number of students who are tired after a late night playing games is increasing all the time. Please be vigilant in setting boundaries and expectations on this front – young people need their sleep. There must be a balance. This article, relating to teenage girls and the growing loneliness some experience in a contemporary digital world, may be of interest: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/
Have a good week.
Mr Brian Turner, Principal
