Dear Members of our Community of Faith, Our school performance ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is on this coming weekend! Tickets can be purchased at the door for both the Friday 7:30pm show and the 1pm matinee on Saturday. A huge thank you to Mr Williams, Miss Costello and the students involved for the countless hours of work involved in putting this production together. It has been a joy to see the SMMC community working together and offering their time and talents to assist. Thank you to all those who have contributed in any way! The photos below of the students putting together the walls for the house epitomise the team spirit they have shown.

School Survey The annual Parent Survey was emailed out to all parents last week. Please take the time to fill in this anonymous survey as we appreciate your feedback on the various aspects of the college. Book Stall We have the Cardinal Newman bookshop visiting this Friday 24th of November after the 9.20am Mass. This will be set up in the Library and you are very welcome to come along and purchase some quality literature.

Swimming Primary students have enjoyed their intensive swimming program across this week, with the weather being perfect for it. Secondary students enjoyed a day at the pool today and will have one more session on Wednesday 6 th December.

Albury Show SMMC won the school garden bed competition at the Albury Show recently. A vertical garden was donated to the school if we entered a box of produce with a theme. We chose 'Science and Nature Working Together' as the theme. A power point presentation on the practices in the garden is now entered in the Sydney Royal Agricultural Show. Thank you to Mrs Tingle and her able gardeners. Well done! Lost Property The lost property bin is overflowing! We will endeavour to return any named items, but all unnamed uniform will go into the second hand uniform at the end of the term. See you at the Production over the weekend! God Bless, Luke Burton (Principal)

Week 7, Term 4 Wednesday 22nd November 2017

Saint Mary MacKillop College 197 Urana Street Jindera 2642 Phone: 02 6045 9422 Website: http://smmc.nsw.edu.au Email: office@smmc.nsw.edu.au

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

– Saint Mother Teresa

2017 Dates for your diary…

Extra-Curricular Activities

Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes– Library Open for all students

Wednesday lunchtimes – Martial Arts training in the Hall with Mr Williams

Monday Lunchtime –Secondary Reading Club with Miss Costello

Tuesday after school – Legion of Mary Term 4 – Tuesday 10th October – Thursday 7th December

Fridays 24th Nov and 1st December – 2018 Kinder Orientation 9:15am – 12:00pm

Friday 1st December – Orientation Day for any students beginning at SMMC in 2018

Monday 20th November – Friday 24th November – Primary Swimming Program

Wednesdays 22nd November and 6th December – Secondary Swimming 1:45 – 2:45pm

Thursday 23rd November – P&F AGM 7:30pm

Friday 24th 7.30pm and Saturday 25th November 1pm – SMMC Production of Fiddler on the Roof @ St John’s Jindera

Tuesday 5th December 7pm – School Presentation Night, outdoors at SMMC!

Saturday 9th December – Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser. Helpers will be needed! 2018 Term Dates for students

Term 1 – Tuesday 30th January – Friday 13th April

Term 2 – Tuesday 1st May – Friday 29th June

Term 3 – Tuesday 24th July – Friday 28th September

Term 4 – Monday 15th October – Thursday 6th December

Curriculum Corner – Mr Mathieu Couture

Stage 4 Music Choir

The Stage 4 Music class learnt to sign a harmonised Mass setting called Mass in Re. They

worshiped God in full song during a Friday Mass along with other chant and hymns. Being very happy with the sound, we recorded the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus dei from Mass in Re and the Slavonic hymn Sub Tuum (links to the files inserted). It was the first time many of them sang in polyphony, which can be difficult to get used to! The pressure of singing for

Our Lord at Mass with new music was a great learning experience for them.

LIVING OUT THE FAITH IN FAMILY LIFE

On Motherhood

Modern feminist women seek to destroy God's creation of the loving mother. They seek to emasculate

women by taking them out of the heart of the home and giving them worldly and monetary success

in the workforce. I read a story once about a Christian couple who had left their young children to be

babysat while they were out 'proclaiming the good news'. When they returned home they found that

the baby Jesus had gone missing from the nativity set. On asking their daughter where he was they

were given a lesson they weren't prepared for. She replied, “Oh the Three Wise Men are babysitting

baby Jesus over here, while Mary and Joseph go off evangelising!” Our blessed Mother teaches us

about the importance of the hidden life of Nazareth. She, who is the greatest creature to have ever

lived was a simple Jewish mother in a rural locality.

Mothers are close to the mystery of life. Mothers are graced by the divine touch when the soul of her

child is created within her body. (Alice Von Hildebrand) What an honour that a new soul created to

exist for all eternity dwells within her body. This closeness to life makes women more vulnerable to

suffering. Saint Teresa of Avila speaks of a woman's role being to 'love and to suffer'. A mother's

vocation is to love and the greater the depth of love the more a woman is vulnerable to suffering. In

loving their children they share in their joys and sufferings. One of the greatest sufferings a Catholic

mother can have is for her children to lose the precious gift of their faith, which they have tried so

hard to pass on to them. As mothers we have our children with us for such a short time but our hearts

are forever entwined with theirs.

Women have a unique role to play in family life in being person centred. Relationships mean a lot to

men but to women they are everything. To mothers this means that they are essential to caring and

nurturing each of their children. A mother's heart expands to hold each of her children. Each child

being to their mother a work in progress. The work of educating and perfecting them on earth,

preparing them for eternal life. The Roman matron Cornelia was asked one day by a high born Roman

woman to view her jewels. Cornelia returned with her two sons, “these are my jewels”. After her

death a statue was erected in her honour, it was marked 'Cornelia, Mother of the Grachi.' A man may

build many buildings and make much money but for a mother the dedication to home and family is

where her greatest achievements lie.

Fr Robert J Fox spoke of his mother on her death.

“A mother's love is special for each one of her children. A mother has room for every child in her

heart. She loves each one as a unique individual and sees in each child what only a mother can

comprehend. A true mother has no favourites, except to favour everyone of the children God has given

her, and show no special considerations, unless it be to the one who hurts at the moment. Such was

our mother. Such was her love, her concern, until her last breath.”

Virtue for the Month – Faith

“You are great, O Lord, and to be praised...You have made us for Yourself and our heart is restless

until it rests in You.”(Saint Augustine)

Mother/Daughter Camp 2017 Howmans Gap by Lucy von Marburg

During the weekend of the 10th to

the 12th of November the Mothers'

and Daughters’ camp was very

enjoyable. It was my first

experience of one and it lived up to

and exceeded expectations.

Following a day of journeying via

either the Brookfield Maze or the

Bogong Village we launched into

the high ropes. This was a great

way for the girls to bond with their

mothers. Many of the daughters

were “belaying” the support ropes

for their mothers and vice versa.

There was still plenty of energy left

over for a most competitive game

of trivia that night!

On Saturday following an early

morning Mass and talk by Fr

Murphy we all set off from camp.

The walk to Wallace's Hut was

most enjoyable and the alpine

scenery was spectacular. Nearly

every single girl had a jaunt in the

snow that was still in large patches

on the southern slopes. The

afternoon was spent with a series

of talks and activities for all.

The talent night was most

entertaining. No one will ever

forget Catherine Stewart acting as

Julie McCormack in charge of all

the mums pretending to be

members of the 5/6 class. Mrs

McCrohan stood on a chair to

make sure she was the correct

height for Dominic, her son. Many

other talents were show cased and

will be reflected on for years to

come.

The 2017 camp was a great

bonding experience and a

wonderful fun weekend spent with

friends.