MacKillop Catholic College

Current Events
Year 10 Careers Taster Week On behalf of all our Year 10 students and staff at MacKillop Catholic College sincere thanks to the many volunteers who gave generously of the time to help with our Year 10 Careers Taster Week. The week genuinely exceeded expectations particularly for our students. We have been surprised by just how many have made the comment “ better than I expected, I got a lot out of the three days, talking to our specialist guest speakers has really helped me think about what I might do next.” The Careers Taster Week built momentum over the three days, commencing with a series of CBA Start Smart financial workshops on day one. The Careers Expo, on day two, was launched by Tanya Ahmed of Sharkra. Tanya is an inspirational young business woman who has faced many barriers and broken down a stereotype on her way to success. Next followed the Careers Expo, where 25 specialist guest speakers spent time with small groups of students sharing their career journey and “exploring the possibilities” across a diverse range of careers and industries. Day three, the culmination of the Careers Taster Week, had our students listening to Jeff Bendall give key pointers on interview techniques as each student made final reparations for their mock interviews. For those of you not present, it was a wonderful sight seeing 120 very well dressed young men and women present for their interviews with a mixture of nerves and savvy. The feedback received from a dedicated band of 18 mock interviewers, suggests our Year 10 students have definitely understood the need for personal goals and plans together with ability to present extremely well at interview. This is the second year we have run the Careers Taster Week in such a way and again the students have certainly raised the bar for our Year 10s in 2010 and in no small way as a result of your input. Once again sincere thanks for all your help.

Tasmania Awards for Environmental Excellence Sally Towns, Principal of MacKillop Catholic College, and Corey Peterson, Sustainability Officer talked to ABC Hobart Radio about MacKillop Catholic College's Sustainability Initiatives. To hear the interview click Here.

MacKillop Catholic College Science and Robotics Teacher Wins Award - Part 2 To hear his second radio interview with ABC Hobart radio, click through to our Robotics Page

MacKillop Catholic College Science and Robotics Teacher Wins Award - Part 1 To hear his radio interview from ABC Hobart radio, click through to our Robotics Page

Anzac Day at MacKillop Catholic College

MacKillop Catholic College sports uniforms worn with pride in Uganda (Mary Immaculate Primary School, Gulu, Uganda) Over the last three years students and staff at MacKillop College have developed supportive ties with the Mary Immaculate Primary School in Gulu, Uganda; all from a chance meeting 3 years ago in Kingston. In 2006 the Principal of Mary Immaculate Primary School, Sr Hellen Ayaa, was visiting her relative in Kingston (Mrs Catherine Hillary). A chance meeting between Sr. Hellen, Catherine Hillary and Cathy Sandric, a teacher at MacKillop, led Sr. Hellen to visit MacKillop College where she spoke of her dream to provide better facilities for her students in Uganda. Cathy Sandric kept up contact with Sr Hellen and found out that, whilst Mary Immaculate is a primary school, many of the children are of secondary school age because they have had their education interrupted by war, militia attacks, been abducted as child - soldiers or been trafficked. Sr. Hellen spoke to Cathy about wanting to build a large fence around the school to give the children more time to run to the sanctuary of the Church when they were under attack from militia. Cathy couldn’t begin to imagine teaching under such circumstances in a world so different to her own. MacKillop College has run a number of appeals to support the Mary Immaculate Primary School in Uganda both because of the relationships and to support one of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals: donating money directly, giving educational items such as books and calculators, educational posters and even a laminator donated by a generous teacher. MacKillop has also helped with internet access. Students and staff have donated a wide range of toys and stationery to the students and, most recently new but discontinued lines of our school uniform, some of which are in the photos. Postcript: The second United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal is to achieve Universal Primary Education, more specifically, to “ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling." Currently, there are more than 100 million children around the world of primary school age who are not in school. The majority of these children are in regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and within these countries, girls are at the greatest disadvantage in receiving access to primary education at the primary school age. If you would like to make a donation to the building of the library or to teaching resources for the school please contact: Catherine Sandric, MacKillop College, Mornington 03 6245 0099

Dr Edward Hall Environment Awards, 2008: Catholic Colleges Excel Two Tasmanian Catholic Colleges were acknowledged for showing the way in the 2008 Hobart City Council’s Dr Edward Hall Environment Awards. St Virgil’s and MacKillop Catholic Colleges took first and second place in the Secondary Schools Project section of the 10th annual Dr Edward Hall Environment Awards on 8 December 2008. St Virgil’s College winning project was titled "Quarry site restoration from environmental eyesore to natural bushland beauty”. MacKillop Catholic College took out second place for their project titled "Sustainability & Awareness Initiative - Do what you can!" What are the Awards?
Each year the Hobart City Council requests entries in the Dr EdwardHall Environment Awards, which recognise the efforts made by schools, communities and businesses in Southern Tasmania who conserve and protect the environment. The Awards are designed to acknowledge innovative projects and initiatives that work towards increasing sustainability and thereby reducing our impact on the natural environment. These initiatives help to create a clean and healthy environment which supports natural living systems and improves the quality of life for present and future generations. St Virgil’s and MacKillop students involved in the projects were asked to clearly identify: What was the environmental issue? What were the objectives of their project? What did the project involve? What have been the outcomes of the project? Why should your project win an award? St Virgil’s students and staff sought to show what could be done to reverse past environmental damage and neglect. A disused quarry (from which, coincidentally, some of the stone used to construct the Town Hall had been sourced) had, through a combination of poor landfill operations and weed infestation, become a low quality overgrown space. Weed management practices and endemic native plant rehabilitation plantings were used to begin returning the area to a natural environment. MacKillop Catholic College students and staff demonstrated how schools can incorporate sustainability measures encompassing rainwater, solar energy, threatened cultures, food production, animal husbandry and waste into a co-ordinated school environmental management plan. Who was Dr Edward Hall? Dr Edward Swarbreck Hall was a great humanitarian, deeply concerned for the welfare of this fellow citizens and the environment. Dr Edward Hall and his wife emigrated to Hobart Town in 1831, where he found employment as a government medical officer and was transferred to various rural districts. In 1853 he returned to Hobart as resident house surgeon at the hospital. His tasks included ministering to the health needs of the prison establishments in Hobart. Appalled by the high infant mortality rate at the Cascades female prison, Hall wrote highly critical comments in the press. Despite achieving many worthwhile reforms, he was forced to resign in 1855 due to his controversial attitudes. He took up private practice in Hobart. In 1863 Hall was appointed Superintendent of Vaccination of the colony, but this position was abolished some three years later although Dr Hall continued to discharge the duties gratuitously. He continued to speak out for compulsory vaccinations against diseases such as smallpox, which was finally realised through an ACT of Parliament, after his death. From 1875 to 1880 he was appointed by the Government as Health Officer. His outspoken annual reports stressed the dangers of polluted water supply, which carried diseases such as diphtheria and typhoid. His reputation continued to grow, both in the colonies and in Europe, as he conducted research into sanitation, public health and nutrition. Hall published many articles, advocating reform and remedial measures. One of his greatest legacies to Hobart was the introduction of a sewerage system that would prevent the pollution of the River Derwent. Dr Hall died at the age of 76 on 30 July, 1881. Dr Edward Hall was a man who acted solely from a sense of duty and was uninfluenced by private or personal considerations often to the detriment of his career.