Principal’s Update

Welcome

Welcome to 2020 and our third year as Catherine McAuley College. It is our third year in the new uniform and the summer uniform is spreading across the College. It is strange to see only the new uniform at Coolock. We are starting the year with 1420 students, with nearly 280 Year 7s from primary schools across Central Victoria, and many new students across the other year levels. In our past estimates and forecasts we did not expect our numbers to start growing so soon, which is a strong endorsement.

We warmly welcome all our new students to Catherine McAuley College and to Mercy Education.

Bushfires

Our thoughts and prayers are extended to any families who have been impacted by the fires directly and indirectly over the summer break. There are many families with relatives who have been affected and we hope that the recent rains fall in the right locations. There are many families in our Sandhurst Diocese that were directly impacted and of course in the Sale Diocese that spreads all the way to the NSW border through South Gippsland.

Providence always prevails. When we determined the 2020 Theme ‘Mercy for our Common Home’, we didn’t realise the theme would become even more relevant in the context of the recent natural disasters and the impact of a changing environment.

Year 12s 2019 Results

Congratulations to our 2019 graduates, their results are the best the College has achieved in many years. They should be very proud of their achievements and success. The Catherine McAuley College Dux for 2019 was Samuel Angove, with an ATAR of 99.6. The Dux Proximus is Blaze Houlden with an ATAR of 97.75, followed by Ruby Kane with an ATAR of 97.7.

Staffing Announcement

We welcome the following recent staff appointments to our community and wish them every success in their time and adventures with us.

• Michael Goss – Director of Learning & Teaching – Coolock
• Mary-Ann Tonini – Applied Learning Coordinator
• Hayley Martiniello – Maths and Science
• Mallory Thompson – Maths and Science
• Sheridan Argus – Maths and Science
• Amanda Gardiner – Numeracy
• Steven Rutledge – English
• Kyrewyn O’Kane – English
• Kristie Woodward – Food Technology
• Cathy Samson – Teacher Librarian
• Hannah Johnston – Outdoor Education
• Kirra Coventry – Education Support Outdoor Education
• Sarsha Ward – Laboratory Technician
• Damien Tuohey – Building and Construction Support
• Josie Garner – Koorie Education Worker
• Stephanie Donnellon, Charlotte Turner, Samantha Hoyle and Rebecca Soulsby – Education Support Administration

Key Developments

Key developments this year will be the development of the sporting precinct at Coolock. There will be further news in the coming weeks.

This year will see the commencement of the iGen program at Bethlehem with the Year 10s. This program is in partnership with Mercy Health and the Australian Catholic University. We wish all involved every success and cannot wait to hear the stories and see the relationships that will flourish from this experience.

The other development will be the realization of the ReGen program. This is a partnership with Danihers and all of the various other groups who work with Catherine McAuley College. The purpose of this program is to educate our community around all of the elements and opportunities for environmental sustainability in our space and how we can impact the broader community and raise awareness. This work will be integrated into our curriculum and be evident in our masterplan and day-to-day management of the College. This program is a perfect fit with the theme for the year.

Finally, the College and Mercy Education Limited wish to express our thanks for your partnership, gracing us with the gift of sharing in the education and development of your child or children. It is a partnership that we want to make as genuine as possible and hopefully see greater contribution in feedback from the home front.

Have a great year.

Mr Brian Turner, Principal