Year 10

from MCC Yearbook 2021 Website

Year 8

International Program

Nicole Biggelaar - International Student Coordinator

All our International students, both on campus and off campus in China, are commended for their resilience and commitment to their studies in 2021.

Congratulations also, to Jiayu Zhang who was a winner in the Social Justice and Stewardship (SoJuSt) Week Photography Competition for her landscape submission.

This year has undoubtedly been challenging and memorable. The school actively maintained contact with us during remote learning and provided comprehensive assistance. The extra tutoring in English and Mathematics was a great help and consolidated any knowledge weaknesses. I am grateful for the support provided by the school. They stood with all our students through this difficult period.

Sylvia Zhou Year 12 It is certainly hard for Chinese students to feel excited and celebrate Chinese New Year while we are away from our families. However, at school I spoke about Chinese traditional culture with staff, and international students had a ‘Tuan Yuan Fan’ (reunion lunch) together. This really allowed us to feel warm and connected while we are in a foreign country. The Chinese food was prepared by the teachers and students, and everyone listened to the traditional song ‘Nan Wang Jin Xiao’. All these programs remind us of home. I really appreciate everything we did at Mater Christi in 2021.

Jacqueline Mei International Student Captain

Careers

Andy Donnelly - Careers Coordinator

We began 2021 with the launch of our new MCC Careers website (www.matercareers.info) which provides students with the latest information to help them make decisions about their future career and life beyond school. Through the site, students can locate University, TAFE and any other type of course across Australia, get information about VCE, search for job vacancies and much more.

Careers Week in March focussed on the health industry, including nursing, sport and outdoor education. Students were engaged through activities such as ‘Bike n Blend’ (blending your own fresh fruit smoothie by pedalling on a stationary bike), making career journals, playing careers bingo, and participating in University information sessions.

When it came time for 2022 subject selection, Year 11 students had a one-on-one interview with our Careers Coordinator, Mrs Donnelly, and Year 9 and 10 students were interviewed by Senior or Middle School staff to discuss their options and choices.

Year 12 students received in-depth support to plan their post school options. This included assistance with identifying their strengths and interests, researching courses, visiting tertiary institutions, decision making, course applications, scholarships, special consideration, and developing a backup plan.

We look forward to 2022 and further expanding Careers Education in the classroom.

Learning Commons

Rebecca Nettleton - Librarian Kaitlyn Woods - Library Technician

The Learning Commons offers a collaborative physical and online space that is studentcentred and where all are supported and welcomed by the Librarians. The learning environment has continued to become more flexible, with an online presence, ensuring that connections between students and the space are maintained.

The Learning Commons is the BEST. The Librarians have helped me feel really accepted, be more comfortable talking to people and voicing my opinions.

Charlotte Gaynor

Year 7 DEAR Challenge Year 7 students were encouraged to ‘Drop Everything and Read’ for at least 10 minutes a day in Term 3. The competition between Pastoral Groups was fierce and students flourished with record-breaking reading numbers.

Knowledge Week The theme for our Knowledge Week celebrations was ‘Adventures in Space and Time’. Students participated in Speaker’s Corner, worked in teams to build their own Sphero Chariot, and persevered with the daily trivia questions. Entrepreneur’s Day involved transforming the Learning Commons into a Market Fair of artisan goods sold by our creative student cohort.

Book Club The numbers in Book Club continued to rise, proving one of the most popular lunchtime activities, where students passionately discuss their love of literature, while building friendships and a fervent community of book lovers. The Learning Commons is always the best place to hang out. It is a bright, happy, and welcoming space, thanks to the Librarians.