MSB Messenger Friday 3rd March 2023

Principal

A Lenten Prayer

Term 1 has been a busy and productive time for staff and students and as we enter Lent, we take time to stop, reflect and prepare for Easter.  Catherine McAuley, the Catholic Sister who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin would say, “The simplest and most practical lessons I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow,” and this reminds us to bring comfort, compassion, and mercy to those around us, especially during the Lenten season.

The Year 12 Religion and Ethics class drew witness to this in the lead up to Lent with their leadership at the Shrove Tuesday pancake charity event.  Students’ handmade pancakes, set up stalls, served students and staff, and raised money for the people of Nepal by donating the profits to Project Compassion.  This is a lived example of our students modelling the words of Sister Catherine McAuley, “They were good today, for a better tomorrow.”  I am humbled that the students better tomorrow was created for others and this gives me so much hope for the future. 

We then officially commenced Lent with the Ash Wednesday Mass. Thank you to Father Mathew Kochuuvvetil of reminding us to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and prepare us for the Easter season.  Throughout the Mass we reflected on Gospels that reminded us about the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and the challenges he faced during his fasting period.  We received the Ashes, the ashes of the burnt palms from the 2022 Palm Sunday Mass, as a symbol of repentance.  I was so humbled by the students respect and reverence throughout the Mass and thanks to the College for providing witness to God in our College community.

2023 Annual Plan

The College has finalised the School Annual Improvement Plan for 2023.  This years’ plan aligns very closely with the Diocesan Strategic Direction of Encounter, First Nations Perspectives, Engagement and Wellbeing and Capabilities.  Our improvement foci for 2023 are: 

Our improvement goals for this year focus on building leader and teacher capacity to improve outcomes for our students.

Cairns Catholic Education, Diocese of Cairns. (2023). Strategic Direction 2021 – 2025. Retrieved from https://www.cns.catholic.edu.au/strategic-directions-2021-2025-thumb/

Celebrating Success

2023 Scholarship recipients were presented with a scholarship certificate at a luncheon at Herberton’s Historic Village Bakerville Teahouse, held to recognise and celebrates the talents and achievements of the scholarship recipients and acknowledge the contributions they have made to the College community.

Congratulations go to the following recipients:

Sr Pam Murray Performing Arts Scholarship - Thomas Turner and Lachlan Murray

Sr Mary McHugh General Excellence Scholarship - Keely Hedges

MSB Mercy Outreach Scholarship - Melinda Burns

Sr Anne Moule Principal’s General Excellence Scholarship - Caitlin Murray

Senior Academic Scholarships - Miren Garate, Natasha Webb, Satayha Stephen, Mahalia Jones & Liam Hoskins

Recognition of past scholarship awardees:

Sr Pam Murray Performing Arts Scholarship - Blossom Turner (2018), Becky Purt (2020), Meena Riber (2020) & Crystal-Lee Linnell (2021)

Sr Mary Randle Year 7 Academic Scholarship - Johnny Yuen (2020)

Sr Mary McHugh General Excellence Scholarship - Jorgie Ward (2019), Liam Hedges (2020) & Megan Trezise (2020)

Preparations Underway for Senior Graduation and Formal

The Year 12s commenced fundraising for their end of year graduation and formal celebrations through their initiation of the Valentines Day Fundraiser.  Students shared their love of the college and sharing it with the whole community by selling roses, lollipops and chocolates.  All proceeds will go towards the year 12s end of year celebrations.  Thanks also go to Nikki Symons and Emily Caferra who supported the students with this initiative.

Students Learning

Improving student outcomes is one out the College’s prioritised goals for 2023 and a high percentage of students are committing to classes, homework and assessment work and ensuring they are making the most of every opportunity available to them.  These students are engaging in learning activities and building their knowledge and capabilities and preparing themselves for life past schooling.

Students Learning

A small number of students are struggling to transition back into the routine of classes and teachers are observing students arriving late to class, student requesting to the leave the classroom for drinks and toilet breaks and for some students, arriving without the necessary materials.  These students are interrupting the learning of their peers.  The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) highlights that on average student who are arriving 10 - 15 minutes late to each class, miss the equivalent of 20 or more school days per year (AITSL, 2023).  This is a concerning statistic and not something we want for our students.  We encourage parents and carers to remind their students about the importance of being on time and prepared for lessons and ensuring they fill their water bottle and go to the toilet during recess and lunch breaks.  This will allow their teachers to focus on delivering quality and innovative education without disruption and will place the focus on engagement and improving learning outcomes for all students.

The Joy of Music at MSB

The new music teachers Tobias Moldenhauer and Brad McKenna have been working very hard behind the scenes to reignite the love of music in the College.  This has seen students jamming in the music room during breaks and after school.  A small number of musicians entertained the whole College community in a lunch time concert in Week 5 and the talent was incredibly impressive.  I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing more from our musical students.

Assessment Time 

With only a few weeks left of term 1 student are working through assessment tasks.  It is important for students to implement a range of study skills to help them prepare themselves for these tasks.  Study techniques can include reviewing class reads and notes, summarising notes, writing practice short answer responses/essays, solving mathematics problems, preparing cue cards/flash cards, drawing mind maps, and reviewing revision worksheets and practice exams.  Meeting deadlines is also an important life skill for students to acquire.

Study Strategies

When revising, students will find they need to read and comprehend a range of texts.  The following three strategies can help students improve their comprehension skills.

Purpose of Strategy

• The purpose of this strategy is to aid in the comprehension of written material.   
• Can be used by students to help remember more of what has been read, particularly for detailed material or that which is abstract.   
• Also useful for note taking and studying.

Description of Strategy

Purpose of Strategy

• Comprehension of written material.
• Can be used by students to help remember more of what has been read, particularly narrative and descriptive material.

Description of Strategy

Purpose of Strategy

• This strategy helps students to edit or correct their own writing.
• It can be used for proofreading their own writing after completion of a rough draft or for checking of other students’ work prior to handing in.
• The strategy may also be used for proof reading essay exam questions.

Description of Strategy

Students read through the piece of writing four times, checking each time for only one aspect as represented by the COPS mnemonic.

Narelle Hunt - Principal

Deputy Principal Residential

Dear Parents and Friends of MSB,

Many of you already know the adage of healthy body – healthy mind. This is even more important for students who live in a residential setting like MSB. Staying active is the key to improving both academic and wellbeing goals.  It is often too easy for boarders to sit in their rooms and watch movies or listen to music instead of being outdoors.

At MSB we have wonderful facilities that promote a healthy lifestyle for all students. Many students take part in the following activities each week: Gym sessions, Yoga or Pilates, Recreational Touch Football, Basketball, Netball, Volleyball, Tennis, Mountain Biking, Bushwalking and Rugby. All residential staff promote physical activity every day and encourage students to get involved in a wide variety of sports.

Often students sign up for a sport and then withdraw a few weeks later stating they feel slack. We encourage all students who sign up for sport to persevere and show commitment to their teammates and coach. Often, we must forfeit games due to students pulling out at the last minute. I ask all families to encourage your student to stick with their sporting endeavours to ensure future opportunities and partnerships for all involved with MSB.

One of our longest partnerships is with the Herberton Magpies Rugby Club. This club relies heavily of students from MSB each year and shows enormous commitment to the development of our players. We are most fortunate to have a rugby club 5 minutes down the road where our players are nurtured and care for by dedicated staff.

We are attempting to get our girls involved in rugby league this year with the Roosters in Atherton. At this stage we may only be able to offer this to senior players due to staff availability. We will keep you posted on how this develops.

Lastly, we have a two exeat weekends each term for students who have family they can visit and stay with in and around Cairns. I wish to remind all families that if your child is grounded for the weekend due to poor behaviour in dorm, then they will miss out on the exeat weekend. All students have been reminded about this and know they must follow the expectations of the boarding house in order to go out for weekend leave.

With over 100 students in boarding currently, I am extremely impressed with the progress our young people are making. Please continue to encourage your child to show resilience and grit whilst they are away from home. It is essential for all families, carers and guardians to regularly make contact with their young people in order to maintain connections and show interest in their school activities.

Yours sincerely,

Scott Whitters

Deputy Principal Curriculum & Admin

Students in years 7 and 9 will undertake the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests.

The official testing window opens on 15 March 2023 and closes on 27 March 2023. Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. Students may undertake a practice test before the official testing takes place. The purpose of this is to familiarise students with the testing conditions and the NAPLAN platform. 

NAPLAN provides the school, students and families with valuable information showing how the student is progressing in literacy and numeracy. This information is used to differentiate teaching and learning during lessons to ensure all students are learning to the best of their ability.

Kieran Ryan - Deputy Princiapl - Curriculum & Administration

Assistant Principal Mission

Mission Matters 

As a church we have moved into the liturgical season of Lent – a time of preparation for Easter, when we will remember Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection. This is a time rich in Catholic traditions.  

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of prayer, fasting and abstinence. The liturgical colour changes from the green of Ordinary Time to purple for Lent. We remove flowers and decorations from the church and pare back our liturgy. The Alleluia is not sung again until Easter.  During the liturgy, we are marked with a cross on our foreheads, using ashes made from burning palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.  

The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday because it was the last day to indulge before the harsh restrictions of Lent. Even though our Lenten obligations are not as strict as they once were, it is still a tradition enjoyed today. 

Catholics are asked to do three things during Lent: pray, fast and give.  We pray to develop our relationship with our God. We fast to develop our relationship with ourselves – we may come to realise what is important in our lives, and what we can live without. Fasting isn’t just going without meat or giving up chocolate; it can be cutting back on social media, resisting the temptation to buy whatever we want or simply deciding to stop being negative towards people and have a more positive attitude.  We give to develop our relationship with others. We can give our time and talents to help others and we can give financial assistance.   

This year we continue our MSB tradition of joining with schools and parishes around the country to support Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion.  The Year 12s began the fundraising with a hugely successful Pancake Stall that raised $280!  As part of their Social Justice unit, Year 11 Religion & Ethics students are busy fundraising and promoting awareness of the difference your donations can make to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. When they found out that $7 could buy a chicken for a family in Zimbabwe, they decided to count the money our college raises in chickens!  They have created a chicken wall outside M17 and will add a chicken for every $7 the school raises. Keep an eye out for the many opportunities to support their fundraising efforts - beginning with a disco next Friday! 

Janet Wigan - Assistant Principal Mission 

Mission Matters

Assistant Principal Wellbeing

Social Media

The introduction of social media apps has had many positive and negative effects on our young people. The ability to connect with family and friends from anywhere can be a positive experience, however unfortunately research shows that social media can have a damaging effect on teenagers mental health ( University of Queensland, 2021). 

The Australian Government safety Commissioner carried out research that found in a 6 month period 44% of teens surveyed had a negative experience online. These included being sent inappropriate content, being deliberately excluded from events or social groups, or chats, having people post negative comments about them and being contacted by a stranger. 

A lot of parents have mixed emotions about social media. Please be aware that often teenagers will tell their parents they don’t have social media or they will accept their parents follow/friend request on a social media account, but they have another account they keep secret from parents/guardians. The need to be a part of a group is very high for teenagers and they can feel like they are ‘missing out’ and ‘not part of the group’ when they are not online.  

There are some ways to help keep your child safe on social media platforms and some of these include:  

• Reminding your child that every social media platform has privacy settings, and showing them how to use them. 
• Talking to your child about the sort of information they want to keep private. 
• Making sure your child understands how to report or block things that aren’t appropriate. 
• Helping your child to understand that they shouldn’t feel the need to be available all the time on social media. It’s okay to take a break, and you don’t need to take part in every conversation. 

The esafety commissioner website is a great source of information around social media safety 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents?gclid=CjwKCAiAr4GgBhBFEiwAgwORrT28ZhlXP1_vfv2QnDBzhDeeoe5CFOqjdgq3U00BlpNLtAHIQjoDHRoC73sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 

Nikki Symons - Assistant Principal Wellbeing 

Transition Support

Hello families – A reminder you're entitled to three support and/or special event visits a year funded through ABSTUDY.  

• If you feel your child requires extra support please contact me to organise a support visit.  
• If you would like to attend our NAIDOC celebrations on Thursday 31st August in Term 3 please request this by the 12th June.
• Families of Year 12 students please remember your special event visits include Graduation and Formal travel.  

Support visits assist MSB staff to ensure better life outcomes for your child’s education.  For any questions – contact me on 0408 074 962 or agower@cns.catholic.edu.au  

Andrea Gower - Transition Support Officer

Indigenous Liaison Officer

As we forge our way to a stronger future, we embody the millennia of footsteps that came before us. We feel the presence of our ancestors and their guidance, as we navigate our continued responsibility to the lands, seas and skies in which we connect to. Their spirit will carry on in the generations to come as we inspire, equip and empower our people and our community.  

I would like to acknowledge the Jirrbal people whose country we work and live on. 

What a great start to the year. We have some great leadership and work experience programs installed for our students this year.

This year’s is NAIDOC should be a real cracker. We’re looking forward to seeing all students and their families come along on the 31^st August. This years NAIDOC theme is “For our Elders”. We’re busy planning our NAIDOC celebrations with lots of input from families and students. See you there. Stay deadly.

Kenny O'Brien - Indigenous Liaison Officer

Residential News

The term has been a wet one but in boarding we have managed to still have some fun between the downpours. 

Students have been taken on mystery tours where they visited places like the Long Horns (cattle) in Tolga, Lake Tinaroo Dam which is over 100% at the moment, a warm coffee/hot chocolate at the Markets plus other local areas. 

The kitchen continues to supply us with birthday cakes for those lucky students with birthdays throughout the term. If a birthday falls on the holidays, we do a big cake for all students at the start of each term for those who missed out on the holidays. 

It is looking like we may have a female team for the local footy season this year.  This is very exciting as it has not happened before.  We had 18 girls attend the sign on with interest to play this year.  We can’t wait to show you photos from when they start their season. 

Please ensure your student has adequate warm clothing. Although it is meant to be summer, we are in the wet season and experiencing some unusual weather which at times can be cooler than usual. This includes Pyjama’s, foot wear and day to day clothing.  

Students get the opportunity to go shopping almost every weekend. This gives them plenty of chances to go shopping for what they need. 

Student Free Weekend from today Friday 3rd March.  We now have 2 per term, week 3 and week 6.  Please ensure your student has done the electronic leave BEFORE Wednesday to when they are going out on leave.  If you know your child has done an electronic form but you have not received the text message, please contact boarding as soon as possible so we can make alternative arrangements. 

Sonya Frost - Residential Administration Officer 

Weekend Mystery Tours and activities

Junior Years 7 -9

Hello everyone,  

It has been a busy week as we begin the assessment phase of the term.  

I would just like to give a few reminders for students and parents. 

Ready to Learn: Please ensure that your child has a water bottle with them during the day.  Please ask your child if they require more equipment eg. pencils, glue and ensure they bring this to school.  

Social Media Use: We have had a number of issues regarding social media use this week.  Where possible, I would encourage you to monitor your children’s social media interactions and discuss the possible consequences of inappropriate interactions on these platforms.  

The Esafety commission has FREE webinars you can attend to gain skills and tools to support your child to have safe online experiences. Click the link below for more information. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars    

Assessment Deadlines: Please check in with your child and see how they are coping as it can be quite stressful as deadlines start approaching. If you find they are struggling to meet a deadline, please email myself and I will liaise with their teacher to devise a plan to assist them. 

Year 7 Parents: The camp is fast approaching. Please fill in the permission form on Parent Slips. If you have any questions or issues completing the form feel free to email me and I will assist you. 

If you have any further questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me on 4096 1444 or kwaugh@cns.catholic.edu.au  

Kieren Waugh - Junior Years 7-9 Middle Leader

Science & Mathematics

The diverse ways of learning Maths and Science at MSB is exciting and very productive. Students in 8B Science have been exploring plant and animal cell structures by building models and labelling them.  They also explored the digestive system by building a model using playdoh. Well done, Mr Handa and 8B! 

Year 9s, with Miss Brewster, have been learning about the physics of energy transfer this term.  They have studied how kinetic energy transfers through heat, longitudinal and transverse wave types, sound energy and how our ears hear, and finally this week the magic of how our eyes take light and convert them into images. This cumulated in an eyeball dissection (either pig or cow). The students were very respectful and had fun learning about the wonderful eye. Well done everyone.  

Ms Chambers Year 11 students in Math Methods are learning about functions and their properties.  Also, her Year 8B Maths students are learning squared and cubed numbers by modelling them with Unifex cubes. 

Teachers at Mount St Bernard College are dedicated in providing a variety of teaching strategies, to enable students to gain a deep understanding of mathematical and scientific concepts. 

Wendell Majer - Mathematics and Science Middle Leader

8B Cells Investigation

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8B Mathematics

11 Mathematics Methods

Year 9 Science

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Diversity

EALD (English as Additional Language or Dialect) at MSB

Last Friday we listed 76 students on our Census EALD Register. These students count for approximately 40% of our current student population and identify with a diverse range of languages.

For Census purposes, EALD students are defined as those whose first language is other than English and who are developing proficiency in Standard Australian English.

The College uses the EALD ACARA Progressions to assess students in the strands of reading, writing, speaking and listening. This information is used to inform teachers where the students are working and how to best support them to improve their literacy.

Leah Whiting - Diversity Middle Leader

The Arts

In Year 9 Media Arts, students have been studying a unit called ‘Culture Jamming’. We have discussed many issues that are affecting the world like Climate Change, Community Health and Reconciliation.  Students will use Media Arts techniques to voice their opinions about social issues. Ramona, Desley, Rotannah and Georgia have been enjoying the small class size. Here are a few of their first artworks, using drawing, pastels, collage and photoshop: 

In Year 8 Drama, students are currently studying the lives of children who worked in the coal mines in the 1840s. The students slip into the shoes of a young family with 5 children, who are struggling with the reality that their children need to work to meet the financial needs of the family. 

Students explore roles of parents and children alike and uncover social circumstances of the times. Students bring drama as well as joy to the stage, as they adapt the lives of the characters for the stage with both heartache and humour. 

Students learn about stage setup, light and curtain operation, audience awareness, voice projection in a large theatre space, and have already written and improvised a few scenes based on the fictional family’s home. The picture shows the students in action on stage of the school’s Mercy Hall. 

Part of our Music Department revamp is the addition of a large stage to the Music room, making use of a performance space including coloured lights, band instruments and on-stage sound system. Students are frequently coming in at lunch times to practice or collaborate on shared performances with their peers.  

On Friday 24th February students from grades 8 to 12 performed cover songs and original works. Students performed their music with the school community at our weekly shared lunch. The balcony was packed with fans and the students enjoyed presenting their material in a real-life concert scenario. 

Students not only performed that day, but learned aspects on what it takes to facilitate a concert from a technical point of view, setting up a PA system in a new space, participating in sound check routines, setting up a band performance space, creating an effective setlist and running a tight concert schedule efficiently. 

We look forward to many more students joining the buzz in the Performing Arts and contributing their talents. 

MSB'S GOT TALENT FRIDAY 24 FEB

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Health & Physical Education

Coming up in week 8 we will have our MSB cross country being run on Tuesday 14 March. The course is the same course that was run last year. I encourage our competitive runners to be training if they wish to put in their best efforts.  

Our swimming carnival is also happening this term, Monday week 10, 27 March.  We are hoping for beautiful weather to maximise student participation. 

Volleyball 

Congratulations to the following students who were successful in making their respective volleyball teams.  Megan, Caitlin M, Shandrella, Sannah, Tony, Billy, Jimmy and Limferd.  Unfortunately the weather prevented the senior students attending their Peninsula trials, however Limferd Lui was still selected in the Peninsula Boys 16-19 team.  He will now compete at the State Championships in Brisbane during April.  We wish Limferd the best of luck at this competition. 

Netball 

This week two MSB students attended the Peninsula netball trials in Cairns, Sesa Banu and Megan Trezise.  The girls had a great day, well done. 

Rugby League – Boys 

We offer congratulations to the boys who were selected to compete at the Peninsula Rugby League trials this week – Limferd, Reem, Pensio, Gariam, Ashton and Lochlan.  A special mention to Pensio Gela who has been given the opportunity to take the next step as a part of the Peninsula 14-15years team when they compete in Townsville in May at the State Championships.  Good luck Pensio! 

Rugby League – Girls 

As well as success in our boys Rugby League, we are seeing increased participation and opportunity for the girls, which they are very excited about.  Congratulations to Megan, Maddison, Taylah, Lizekerah, Rose, Sannah, Sajida, Tae, Milliana, Saskia & Rotannah who were all selected in the Tablelands teams.  These girls will head to Cairns on Thursday to compete at Peninsula trials, a massive day, leaving school at 5.30am! 

Touch Football

MSB students represented the College, their families and themselves in an exemplary manner yesterday at the district trials held in Atherton. The following students were selected for the Tablelands team to compete at the upcoming Peninsula trials ; Boys - Lochlan Dalgety & Owen Waianga. Girls - Tara Bevan (Shadow player). As they attend training sessions over the coming weeks in preparation for Peninsula trials, we wish them well in their pursuit to reach the next level. Well done to the following students who attended, we are super proud of their efforts. Rotannah Joe-Gela, Ramona Yellub, Kimberley Gothakchalkenin, Desley Brain, Tara Bevan, Rylee Finch, Lochlan Dalgety, Owen Waianga & Zowel Gibuma.

Also in the girls Rugby League space there is the Karyn Murphy Cup coming up, this starts next week on Thursday after school.  We have 18 girls in the Grade 9/10 competition and 10 girls in the Grade 11/12 competition.  A fabulous turn out as the girls prepare for their first season playing competitive Rugby League.  Good luck! 

In the community we have a lot of local sport happening. Soccer, Netball and Rugby League are all starting up and their sign on/training days are advertised on the clubs Facebook pages. I encourage students to get involved in community sport. In addition to this there is an interschool mountain biking competition coming up at Davies Creek. See flyer attached to this newsletter.  This is an exciting new initiative for our students and again I would encourage them to be a part of it. 

Andrea Goetze - Health & Physical Education Middle Leader

Term 1 District & Peninsula Trials

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English & Humanities

As we approach the end of term, our English and Humanities classes start to focus on the summative assessment for our units. For most classes this involves writing, whether it’s an analytical essay or the script for a persuasive speech. And although this can be challenging for many students, developing strong writing skills is one of the most important aspects of learning. Across the school, we carefully backward-map our assessment from what is expected in Year 12, so that students have the opportunity to practice and refine their skills in creating texts in various genres, learning the techniques and structures of good writing gradually as they mature. We design tasks to be challenging yet doable for every one of our students, and relevant to the skills they will need in the future. They can start senior schooling with the knowledge that they have what it takes to succeed. I’ve been impressed with the confidence that my Year 12 English and Modern History students have in approaching their assessment tasks and know that it’s the result of years of training from our teachers here at MSB!  

I’d like to encourage all our students to keep up the good work as we move towards the end of term and encourage parents and carers to check in with their children about their assessment progress. Submitting drafts, editing work and reading books and articles will all help to develop writing skills. Year 7 and 9 students will also be participating in the NAPLAN tests in Week 7, and we will be completing unaided writing assessment soon, so that we can monitor our students’ progress over the course of the year. Many of our Year 11 and 12 students will be completing assessment in the next two weeks, so that they can move on to the second unit for the year. This is to ensure that we have thoroughly covered the curriculum before the hectic, event-filled Term 4. I hope that all our students will maintain their academic momentum and take on the challenges that the rest of the year holds. 

Sarah Riber - English & Humanities Middle Leader

MSB & Community News

PROJECT COMPASSION FUNDRAISING MSB DISCO 

WHEN : Friday 10 March WHERE : Mercy Hall     

TIME : 6.45pm - 9pm THEME : 90's - 2000's themed dress

COST: Entry Gold Coin Donation

SNACKS AND DRINKS : Chips, chocolates & drinks all $2.50 each

                         All proceeds will support Project Compassion.

NOTE: The disco is for MSB students only.

Staff Supervision: Teachers and boarding supervisors will be on site in Mercy Hall. All students will remain in Mercy Hall and students leaving for bathroom breaks will be managed by staff on site.

Parent drop off & pickup requirements: All day student parents/carers are requested to contact the College prior to the event to advise of their child's attendance - Email: msb.office@cns.catholic.edu.au or call Hillary O'Brien on Ph: 4096 1485. 

Information required: Name of child, person collecting student and their mobile number. Students will only be released into the care of an approved adult.

Parents/carers are required to collect their children from Mercy Hall by 9.00pm at the latest

MSB Calendar

Term 1 2023 - March

Sat 4 & Sun 5 March - Boarders Exeat (Free) Weekend  

Fri 10 March - MSB Student Disco supporting Project Compassion

Tues 14 March - MSB Cross Country

Thurs 16 March - National Close The Gap Day

Wed 22 - Fri 24 March - Year 7 Camp

Mon 27 March - MSB Swimming Carnival 

Wed 29 March - Term 1 ends at 3pm

Thurs 30 March - Boarders Travel Day - Pupil Free Day

Fri 31 March - Pupil Free Day

                   - MSB Office closed for Easter School Holidays

EASTER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS THURSDAY 30 MARCH - MONDAY 17 APRIL

Term 2 2023 - April

Mon 17 April - Boarders Travel to School

                   - MSB Office Reopens

Tues 18 April - Term 2 commences for all classes

Tues 25 April - Anzac Day Public Holiday

Mon 1 May - Labour Day Public Holiday