19 March 2025

Message from the Principal

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

As we make our way through Week 8 of our very first term, our students are becoming familiar with routines, agreed protocols and their first experience of secondary school assessment, including NAPLAN testing, which has been smoothly implemented.

At Mary’s, we provide a number of supports for our students, including ongoing support from the Pastoral Care Teachers, the Year 7 Pastoral Leader, Shane Richardson, and Middle Leader of Inclusive Practices, Laura King. Our Guidance Counsellor, Lesley Hutton, is also available to work with students, helping them to navigate through this first term of high school and beyond. Sometimes students use their coping skills and  still feel like they need help. This is a good cue to talk to their Pastoral Leader or the Guidance Counsellor.

We are committed to working in partnership with you to help our students to thrive. 

Year 7 Parent Information Evening Cancelled

Due to the severe weather conditions, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight's Parent Information Evening. The safety of our staff and community is our highest priority, and we appreciate your understanding.

We will ensure you receive all the important information, and if you have any queries, please feel free to reach out via the Enquiries email. 

College Board

We are calling for expressions of interest from our College community to join the Mary Help of Christians Catholic College Board. This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the growth and mission of our College through a collaborative and advisory role. The Board will support the College in nurturing the Catholic Identity, enhancing student learning outcomes, and fostering excellence in education.

Meetings will be held monthly, with the first Board Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 2nd April. 

If you are interested in becoming a member, please submit an expression of interest by 3:00pm on Friday, 21st March to enquiries@mhoc.catholic.edu.au, including:
- Any previous experience with being on a school board.
- Particular skills you would bring to the board.

Bus Transport Update

We are grateful to David McNeale from the Townsville Catholic Education Office for being able to make contact and meet with Kinetic Bus Service.

It is crucial at this time that we make our best argument for the need for additional bus routes to and from our college. To this end, please ensure that you respond to the Google Form that is sent out as Kinetic requires the most updated information in order to approach the government for support. St Benedict’s will also provide their need for the service, which will provide more support for the implementation of new routes.

We have not had any guarantees, but we remain hopeful. We will survey our community over the next 1-2 weeks and will then pass this information onto Kinetic and David McNeale for the next steps to take place.

Open Day

As our foundation parents, you are very aware of the unfolding of our Stage 1 building plans. We are incredibly excited by the prospect that our Canteen is almost ready to open and that the Vocatus Centre (Block C) is also going to be available for our use soon. We had hoped that the Block C would have been ready for Open Day next Tuesday afternoon, along with more landscaping, but, as we know too well, plans are ever-changing and rain waits for no-one.

Despite these areas not being fully completed, our first Open Day will showcase our beautiful college, build on a great culture, in the spirit of Mary. All will be welcomed and will feel what we are building together in this community - a place where students are well known and loved.

Our foundation students will help to guide prospective families around and their ever-growing sense of pride in their College will be a wonderful thing to witness. 

Blessings,

Mardi Grubba
College Principal 

Catholic Identity, Mission and Wellbeing

Project Compassion

We are now in the second week of Lent, and our fundraising for Project Compassion is well underway. Our Pastoral Care Groups are setting goals for fundraising and running their own fundraising activities in support of this great cause. On Monday, the Green House celebrated St Patrick’s Day by selling snakes (the edible kind!), in honour of St Patrick’s legendary banishment of the snakes from Ireland. All week, the Purple House has been selling Zooper Doopers to combat the heat and raise much-needed funds. We are proud of our students for volunteering their time to raise money for people in need; we are also very grateful to the parents and carers who have supported this fundraiser by donating the Zooper Doopers.

In the spirit of almsgiving, we also encourage students to make donations – any loose change can be placed in the Project Compassion boxes around the school. We have also set up an online portal for parents and carers to make donations electronically – you can access it here. We appreciate your support!

Wellbeing Wednesday - Growth Mindset

Each Wednesday, our students have a short presentation on wellbeing during their Pastoral Care time. For the second half of Term 1, we have been focusing on the concept of the growth mindset: the belief that our abilities are not innate and immovable, but can be improved through persistent effort and support. Rather than being disheartened when they struggle with something that appears to “come naturally” to others, students with a growth mindset can embrace challenging tasks, recognising that it is helping them to improve.

Students with a growth mindset appreciate the learning process as well as the outcome. Parents and carers can help to nurture a growth mindset in a number of ways, including:

• Congratulating effort rather than achievement: “I am impressed by your hard work on this!” rather than “Well done – you’re so smart!”
• Talking about your own struggles with learning and how you overcame them.
• Encouraging persistence and perseverance, especially when children make mistakes: “How could you do that differently next time?” rather than “Maybe you’re just not cut out to do that task!”

We will continue to focus on the growth mindset over the coming weeks, establishing a firm foundation for our students’ approach to their learning.

Mr Graham Joseph
Assistant Principal - Catholic Identity, Mission and Wellbeing

Learning and Thinking

The value of being present

As we approach the final phase of the term, I'd like to take a moment to emphasise the importance of consistent attendance at school. Regular attendance is not only a legal requirement in Queensland, but it is also fundamental to academic success and social development.

Educational research consistently shows that students who maintain high attendance rates achieve better academic outcomes. Each day at school builds upon previous learning, and gaps in attendance can create significant challenges in understanding key concepts. As students move into senior secondary (a few years away yet for our foundation Year 7 students), every lesson counts toward QCE attainment and tertiary entrance possibilities. It is important to support our young people to build a habit of excellent attendance now to support their future aspirations and goals.

Managing assessment pressures

With assessment due dates approaching, I understand that some students may be experiencing additional pressures connected with workload. Here are some practical strategies to help manage workload effectively:

• Use student diaries to map out all upcoming assessments and break tasks into smaller, manageable steps
• Ensure excellent use of independent learning time in class.  While teachers monitor and support students to stay on task during this independent learning time, ultimately it is up to every individual student to learn to take responsibility for their own learning and manage this time effectively.
• Attend back-on-track sessions offered by teachers during lunch breaks if requested to do so
• Create study groups with peers to share understanding and maintain motivation
• Communicate early with teachers if struggling with concepts or deadlines
• Maintain balance with adequate sleep, nutrition, and physical activity

Remember that attendance during assessment periods is particularly important as teachers provide valuable guidance and clarification during these times.

If your child is experiencing genuine difficulties that are affecting attendance, please contact their Pastoral Care teacher promptly so we can provide appropriate support.  Together, we can ensure all students have the opportunity to achieve their personal best during the assessment period over the next couple of weeks.

God bless,

Mr Paul Allan
Deputy Principal - Learning and Thinking

College Administration

Our Canteen is launching - register for Flexischools now!

We are on track to open our Canteen for business very soon! When open, the canteen will operate five days per week and offer online pre-ordering via the Flexischools app alongside over-the-counter payments using student Compass ID cards. Information will be sent home with students this week detailing how you can sign up for Flexischools to take advantage of online ordering, or add your child’s Compass ID card to your Flexischools account so they can order and pay over the counter using their Compass card. Please note: The use of Apple Pay and Google Pay services by students to make payments at the canteen during the school day is not permitted under the college’s Connected Devices Policy. 

Visit www.flexischools.com.au today to download the Flexischools app and register for ordering. For further information, please contact our Canteen Convenor, Mrs Cathy Grieve, via the college office.

Do you know about the College Calendar?

There is a public-facing calendar on our college website where you can see all of the important dates coming up in the life of the college.  You can access the calendar by visiting this link:

https://www.mhoc.catholic.edu.au/about-us/calendar/ 

First Nations Education

Thank you to the families who were involved in the Parent Information Night (PIN) for the Emerging Leaders Program, which was held on the 11th March. It was wonderful to meet some of the parents, siblings and extended family members of our new Emerging Leaders for 2025. Thanks heaps to Pelly Morganson and Lauren Newman from the First Nations team at Townsville Catholic Education, for your assistance in facilitating the event. For the First Nations families who were unable to attend the event, you have a final opportunity to register your child in the program on Tuesday 25th March (Week 9) from 6:30pm-7:30pm. This can be done via an online zoom or in person at the College with online support from Mrs Young. Please email me at ayoung9@mhoc.catholic.edu.au if you require more information.

Emerging Leaders will be meeting their mentors in some of the Integrating Learning time this Wednesday the 19th March. Mentors will conduct their first check-ins of the year, as well as assisting students with the completion of their Personal Learning Goal (PIG) for 2025. On Thursday afternoon, First Nations students will be bringing home their PIG to sign by an adult. The quick return of this documentation is much appreciated, as this will finalise their place in the Emerging Leaders Program for 2025.  
 
The Smoking Ceremony that will be conducted by Wulgurukaba Walkabouts is temporarily postponed, due to the delay in construction of the Vocatus Hall. Once this wonderful space is available to staff and students, we will finalise the date for this important event.
  
Mrs Aimee Young
First Nations Education Teacher

Co-Curricular Update

Co-Curricular Activities

We are thrilled to see so many students actively participating in our co-curricular activities, both during lunch breaks and before and after school. Students are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones by trying new activities or further developing their passions in the current offerings of co-curricular activities. As the year progresses, we will continue to offer a wider variety of co-curricular opportunities for students to engage in. We kindly encourage parents to remind their children to regularly check student notices for the latest updates on all co-curricular activities. Morning notices can be accessed on the student intranet, and additional information will be available for parents through the fortnightly "What’s On at Mary’s" and our College newsletter.

Co-Curricular Timetable for Weeks 8 and 9

NQ Sports

Congratulations to Asharia A., who has been selected for the NQ Region School Sports 13-15 Years Girls Australian Football team! Asharia has displayed excellent sportsmanship throughout the trials and has represented our College with pride, both on and off the field. We wish her the best of luck in her upcoming games and look forward to cheering her on!

Current Townsville District Trials on Offer

Nominations are now open for the upcoming Townsville Secondary School Sports (TSSS) district trials. Please see the details of the available trials below:

If your child is interested in participating in any of the trials, please encourage them to speak with Mrs. Young or Mrs. Arnold to assess their suitability for the trial. Should your child be deemed eligible, Mrs. Arnold will provide the necessary paperwork to complete the nomination process.

We encourage all interested students to take advantage of this opportunity to represent the College at the district level.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email larnold5@mhoc.catholic.edu.au. 

Mrs Lisa Arnold
Co-Curricular Design and Delivery Leader

Guidance Counsellor

Social Media & Comparison Culture

Young people today are growing up in a world where exposure to other people's lives is constant. Through social media and other platforms, they are regularly presented with curated highlights - from flawless holiday photos and academic milestones to the latest fashion trends and fitness achievements. This continuous stream of idealised content fuels what is known as comparison culture, where self-worth is often measured by how someone stacks up against others.

For children and adolescents, who are still figuring out who they are, this culture can be particularly damaging. Constantly comparing their appearance, achievements, or social standing to friends, influencers, and even strangers can lead to unrealistic expectations and a skewed sense of self-worth. This relentless need to measure up can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety - undermining both confidence and emotional wellbeing.

It's vital that parents and caregivers understand how deeply comparison culture can influence a child's self-perception and sense of value. Left unchecked, it can foster perfectionism and a dependence on external validation, where a 'like' or comment becomes the measure of their worth.

The good news is, families have a powerful role to play in helping young people navigate these challenges. This Special Report will help you empower your child to build the resilience and confidence needed to navigate today's comparison-driven world and embrace their own unique path.

Here is the link to your Special Report

Here is the key points fact sheet regarding social media comparison culture to empower confidence in starting this conversation with your child 

Meet the Staff

Laura King
Inclusive Practices Leader

• What is your role at the college?
  Inclusive Practices Leader
  
  
• What did you do before joining Mary’s?
  Inclusive Practice Teacher at St Benedict's Catholic School and prior to that I was a classroom teacher.
  
  
• A couple of fun or interesting facts about you?
  I am married with 2 children, a son and a daughter.  My family and I love camping and travelling and have been lucky enough to do 2 trips travelling Australia in a camper trailer! I love reading and baking sweet treats and taking my dog for a walk in the afternoon! 
  
  
• What do you love about working at Mary’s?
  I love working at Mary's as it is an honour to be part of a foundation community where you have the opportunity to build a culture of excellence.  I am enjoying getting to know all our staff and students and working in a school with such amazing people and facilities!