MacKillop Catholic College

General information

Who doesn't like the finals season?? I know with any audience, this is a risky question Sport is so good in so many ways. At its best: Sport promotes health and wellbeing; skills us in working together for a common goal; teaches us to seek improvement and pursue excellence; offers an existential sense of enjoyment and achievement; promotes resilience through positive competition, particularly when not everything goes our way; rallies loyalties around supporting our team; gifts us with a valuable sense of perspective, as after all, it is only a game. Sport schools us for life. I like the notion of 'the premiership quarter' which comes from AFL parlance. AFL games are played across four quarters. When the competition is tough, it is during the third quarter when scores are close, players are exhausted, and the outcome hangs in the balance. Teams that can in the third quarter stay focused and hold it together, dig deep to find that extra something, and call upon skills honed through training, are best placed to prevail in the competition and win the game. Teams who week on week repeat this 'third quarter character' set themselves up to win the premiership flag at season's end. The lessons of the 'premiership quarter' schools us to develop resilience, seek improvement and stick with the plan. It is this very spirit we want for our kids here in their learning and living at MacKillop. Just as behind every score-line there is a story, so too behind every school report is a child. Our conviction as a school (and as a system of Catholic schools in the Cairns Diocese) is to pursue growth in the learning and wellbeing of every student. And we draw on the character traits of the 'premiership quarter' to do so: pursuit of excellence, growth mindset, teamwork, resilience, loyalty and healthy perspective. This past week at MacKillop was 'premiership quarter' like in character – putting our best foot forward, so to speak; MCC Prep Circus was amazing at dress rehearsal Wednesday and fantastic on debut on Friday; MCC Showcase twilight on Wednesday was an insightful and informal celebration of learning for students, family and staff in so many aspects; P&F Disco Friday evening was an uplifting expression of 'joy de vivre' – cheerful enjoyment of life – for our students and their young siblings; and Saturday afternoon's working bee was a happy expression of solidarity in tidying our garden environment for school pride. Thank you to parents and staff who made all of this happen.