Term 4, Week 2 Newsletter

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers of the Mary Help of Christians Catholic College Community,

A warm welcome to Term 4! It is hard to believe that we are in the final term of our foundation year. This term is jam packed with events and celebrations, including an Arts Showcase and Effort and Excellence Awards Evening. We are also excited to start the transition process for our incoming 2026 Year 7 students and their families.

Term 4 is a good time to reflect on how things are going with your child. In the very first newsletter back in Term 1, I encouraged our brand new Year 7 students to embrace a wide range of interests. We want them to take risks, discover new passions that capture their spirits and say “yes” to opportunities; approaching each new challenge with courage. How have they gone this year and taking up new challenges and opportunities? Our weekly What’s On is a great place to start to inspire conversations as to how students can get involved and hopefully spark them into action.

Guidance Counsellor Appreciation Day

Last Thursday we celebrated Guidance Counsellor Appreciation Day. This day coincided with Queensland Mental Health Week (4-12 October, 2025), emphasising the important role schools play in supporting children and young people to provide key opportunities to develop the foundations for good mental health and prevent mental health problems.

We are incredibly blessed to have Lesley Hutton working at our college as Guidance Counsellor. Lesley has provided countless forms of support this year for students and their families, as well as staff. Her wisdom, experience and expertise as an accredited Psychologist are a gift to our community and her caring, kind manner always makes every person she works with feel welcome and valued.

Thank you Lesley, we appreciate you!

Staffing Update

2026 staffing is well underway and we are very pleased with our new staff. At this stage all seven new teachers have been recruited, including the Year 7 Pastoral Leader.

In 2026, we welcome:

• Rhylie Mathiesen - Year 7 Pastoral Leader - currently at St Benedict’s and experienced in leading Pastoral Care and Inclusive Practices. Rhylie will also teach Religious Education.
• Lee Cox - experienced teacher, currently teaching at Ryan Catholic College  - Maths, Science and RE
• Susan McCosker - experienced teacher from Annandale Christian College of History, Humanities and English.
• Racheal De Luca - currently teaching Year 6 at Annandale State School - experienced teacher - Design and Technologies, Maths, Science
• Cory Arnold - was a student at Ryan Catholic College and has been teaching for the last three years after his final teaching prac at Calvary Christian College. Cory has a passion for History and teaches English as well.
• Zoe Carriere - Experienced teacher and middle leader currently at Northern Beaches SHS - Drama, English and History.
• Trent Bourke -  Experienced teacher and middle leader at Northern Beaches SHS - Media Arts, Drama, HPE

We will soon begin advertising for an Inclusive Practices Teacher and School Officers, including a First Nations Education School Officer (30.5 hours per week), along with School Officers - Assisting Student Learning.

We are truly blessed to have wonderful staff at our college and we look forward to growing the team.

We pray to Mary to magnify our prayers as we move ever closer to knowing and loving Jesus by building this community of learning, service and compassion.

Blessings.

Mardi Grubba
Principal

Catholic Identity, Mission and Wellbeing

Championing the Common Good in Term 4

In Term 4, our community joins other Catholic schools across the Diocese and across Australia in supporting two significant charitable causes: Catholic Mission’s Socktober initiative and St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas Appeal. By contributing to these events, we bring to life our calling to service by being champions of the common good. When combined together, our two charitable causes for Term 4 help our students to serve the community, both locally and globally.

Sockball – Catholic Mission

Catholic Mission is the Pope’s international Mission agency in Australia, recognising that all Catholics have a shared responsibility to bring the fullness of life to all people around the world. With their Socktober drive, they use the unifying power of soccer – “the world game” – to bring people together to support a common cause. At Mary Help of Christians, we use this period both to raise funds and to raise awareness. We will be hosting three events and encourage all students to get involved:

• Crazy Sock Day – Thursday 16/10. Students are encouraged to get creative with their socks for a gold coin donation.
• Inter-House Sockball Challenge – Week 3. Each Pastoral Care Group is challenged to create an improvised soccer ball using donated objects. We’ll be calling for rags, old clothing, plastic bags and other items to help with this cause.
• Sockball Shootout – Thursday 30/10. For a 50c donation, students will have the chance to put their improvised soccer balls into action and to win a $10.00 Canteen voucher.

Kick Goals For Good With Socktober in 2025 | Catholic Mission

Christmas Appeal – St Vincent de Paul

The St Vincent de Paul Society has a long tradition of supporting local families in need at Christmas time, and we will be working with our local Vinnies conference to make a contribution in 2025. The aim of this drive is to ensure that all families in our community have a Christmas that is filled with joy, regardless of hardships and financial strains. We will shift our focus from Catholic Mission Month to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal at the end of October, providing a range of activities and opportunities, as well as calling on our students’ generous spirits, for the remainder of the school year.

Initiatives at school – establishing an orderly classroom environment

This Term, we have also implemented a new initiative to support our students in developing and maintaining an orderly classroom environment, safeguarding their right to learn to the best of their ability. It is our intention that we will use this term to consolidate many of the ways of working and ways of being that our students have been developing over the course of Terms 1-3.

Behaviour Support Room

The Behaviour Support Room was introduced at the start of the term, and provides a space for students to refocus and reflect on their classroom behaviour and application to their learning. On occasions when students’ behaviour prevents their teacher from teaching effectively or distracts other students from their learning, they may be referred to the Behaviour Support Room, where they will have a chance to reflect on their behaviour and plan for success with the supervising teacher. 

If your child is referred to the Behaviour Support Room, you will be notified via email, which will provide a brief overview of the reason for the referral. If you require further information, you are encouraged to make contact with the referring teacher.

It is our intention that the Behaviour Support Room will serve two core purposes:

• It supports students’ self-regulation
• It helps to provide a distraction-free environment in which all students can learn

This is a short-term initiative that will be used periodically to maintain the culture of learning and mutual respect that we value in our community.

Learning and Thinking

Building resilience, sparking curiosity, and preparing for 2026

As we move through Term 4, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on the growth we’ve witnessed across our foundation year. Every learner at Mary Help of Christians Catholic College has achieved success - not only through academic progress, but through the resilience, perseverance and self-regulation they have been developing along the journey. These qualities don’t emerge overnight; they are cultivated through daily effort, encouragement, reflection, and where necessary, redirection and additional support. While this remains a work in progress for all of us, it’s inspiring to see students taking increasing ownership of their learning, managing challenges with growing maturity, and supporting one another along the way. This is what helping students to prepare for life beyond school is all about.

In week 1 this term, our students were treated to an electrifying start with a visit from Street Science. Matt’s high-energy presentation had everyone captivated — from exploding experiments to hands-on demonstrations that brought science to life. The presentation not only entertained but also reminded students how curiosity and creativity lie at the heart of scientific discovery. We’re grateful to Street Science for sparking such enthusiasm about science, and to our science teachers Owen Montgomery and Aimee Young, for organising this opportunity.

Looking ahead, preparations are underway for Year 8 in 2026. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing information about subjects, learning opportunities, and pathways for next year. As in all secondary schools, the focus in Years 7 & 8 is firmly on breadth of learning, with increasing choice and voice developing in Years 9 & 10.  It’s an exciting time as students begin to develop their areas of interest and build on the strong foundations established this year.

Paul Allan
Deputy Principal - Learning and Thinking

College Administration

Term 4 - Last Day of School

Please note that this an 8-week term. The last day of school for Year 7 students in all diocesan Catholic secondary schools, except boarding schools, is Friday, 28 November 2025.  Catholic primary schools finish one week later. 

College Calendar

Term 4 is short but busy!  Please make sure you visit the college calendar to make yourself aware of everything that is happening between now and the end of the year: https://www.mhoc.catholic.edu.au/about-us/calendar/ 

FACE Meeting

We warmly invite all current parents, carers, and community members of Mary Help of Christians Catholic College to attend our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Association meeting on Wednesday, 22 October.

This meeting is a wonderful opportunity to share ideas, stay connected, and be an active part of our growing College community.

Confirmation of Enrolment for 2026

To help us plan for 2026 enrolments, we kindly ask families to indicate whether their student will be continuing at the College by responding to the event sent via Compass earlier this week.

This is required to be completed by Friday, 24 October 2025.

To view and respond, please go to Events within the Compass App.

Co-Curricular Update

House Cup Challenge

At the end of last term, we held our very first House Cup Challenge — an exciting afternoon of friendly competition, teamwork, and house spirit!

Students competed in soccer, volleyball, and a thrilling handball challenge, where we crowned our 2025 Handball Champion. The afternoon was filled with fun, laughter, and plenty of house pride as students came together to earn points for their house.

A huge congratulations to Bakhita House, who took out the House Cup on the day, and to Fletcher C, who was named our Handball Champion of the Year!

Well done to everyone who participated — we’re already looking forward to the next House Cup Challenge!

QAMT Maths Quiz

On Tuesday, Maxon, Alice, and Logan proudly represented the College at the QAMT Townsville Region Year 7 Mathematics Quiz. This annual event, hosted by the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers, brings together students from schools across the region to compete in a variety of challenging rounds. These include general mathematics, mental computation, written computation, problem solving, and estimation.

A special thank you to Mrs Hakanson for her dedication in preparing our students for the regional round. Maxon, Alice, and Logan demonstrated great teamwork, enthusiasm, and mathematical skill throughout the competition. We are extremely proud of their efforts and the way they represented the College.

Interschool Swimming Carnival

This Thursday, a group of selected students will proudly represent the College at the Townsville Inter School Swimming Carnival.

Congratulations to all students who have been selected — we are confident you will represent the College with pride and determination. We look forward to celebrating your efforts and successes following the carnival. 

Best of luck to all participants!

Interhouse Mixed Netball Competition

Following the recent success of our Interhouse Touch Football competition, we’re excited to announce the launch of this term’s Interhouse Mixed Netball Competition!

Each week, house teams will go head-to-head in a fun and spirited battle for bragging rights and the highly coveted Golden Ball. This event is open to everyone and is all about building positive relationships, friendships, and a strong sense of house spirit.

Students are encouraged to get involved—whether by joining their house netball team or showing their support from the sidelines.

The game draw is available in the Student Morning Notices, with matches taking place during Second Break, starting this week.

Let the games begin — and may the best house win!

Arts Showcase

Later this term, we will be holding an Arts Showcase — a special event celebrating the creativity and talents of our students in both visual art and music.

All families are warmly invited to attend this exciting event, which will feature an art exhibition showcasing student artwork, as well as musical performances from our classroom and instrumental music programs.

Please keep an eye on Facebook, your emails, and our college newsletter for more information coming soon. We look forward to welcoming you to this wonderful celebration of student achievement in the arts!

Guidance Counsellor

Parentline Telephone Counselling

Parentline is funded by the Qld government to offer free and confidential, one-off or ongoing telephone counselling and support for parents and others who care for young people.

Parentline is  available from 6am to midnight, 7 days per week. Every day of the year.

Parents and carers have the option to call or use the web chat and they are always speaking with a degree qualified counsellor who is able to offer a trauma-informed and attachment-based model of therapeutic care. 

"Whether concerns feel big or small, we are here to support Qld families.” Parentline can be contacted by phone 1300 30 1300 or visit www.parentline.com.au. 

Meet the Staff

Phillipa Dwyer
Teacher

What is your role at the college?
I am a Secondary Teacher, and this term I am teaching Health and Physical Education as well as Humanities.

What did you do before joining Mary Help of Christians?

Before joining Mary Help of Christians Catholic College, I worked at Southern Cross Catholic College. Prior to starting my position here, I was also fortunate to spend a few weeks travelling through Europe - an unforgettable experience!

A couple of fun or interesting facts about you?

Teaching runs in the family - both of my parents are teachers! I have a strong passion for sport, particularly touch football and netball, and I’m an avid Rugby League supporter. Up the Broncos! I also enjoy engaging with the Arts, particularly in the area of drama.

What do you love about working at Mary Help of Christians?

From my very first day, Mary Help of Christians Catholic College has been an incredibly warm and welcoming community. The students, staff, and families have all contributed to creating a supportive and positive environment that I feel very grateful to be part of.