Motto	Inspiring Hearts, Minds, and Spirits
Address	1 MacKillop Rd (Cnr Mt Peter Rd), MOUNT PETER QLD 4869
Postal Address	PO Box 1027, Edmonton QLD 4869
Phone Number	(07) 4045 5262
Fax Number	-
Email Address	office.mountpeter@cns.catholic.edu.au
Web Site	http://www.mackillopcatholiccollege.qld.edu.au
Total Enrolments	365
Year Levels Offered	P-12
Student Population	Co-Educational
Principal	Luke Reed
Parish Priest	Fr Karel Duivenvoorden PP
Parish Number	(07) 4055 4315

About our School

2019 is our fourth year since foundation.  MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter, was established in 2016 with Prep to Year 3.  In 2019, 17 learning groups across Prep to Year 6 cater for 365 students.  Over successive years, the College will expand its offerings to full P-12, with the first Year 12 group graduating in 2025.  Next year, 2020, will see the commencement of the secondary phase of schooling with the introduction of Year 7.  Purpose designed specialist teaching spaces for science, materials technology, visual arts, food technology, dram and music performance arts are under construction in 2019.  These will be complemented by general learning areas for secondary students.

As a Catholic School, we strive to create an environment in which our students, families and staff are engaged and inspired by the living spirit of Christ.   We are motivated by our own experience of the God's life-giving love, and endeavour to share this with others.

Our College is named for St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop), Australia's first saint.  Mary MacKillop lived out her life as a disciple of Christ responding to the needs of others, particularly in the fields of education and social care. Our College values, themselves an expression of Gospel values, are inspired by Mary MacKillop's life, faith and work.

Inspired by the love of Jesus and following in the footsteps of St Mary MacKillop, we value:

• Community in the manner of family
• Learning that is engaging and lifelong
• Reaching out to others in compassion and service
• The Nurturing of spirituality and faith

The dispositions of Respect, Engagement and Personal Best characterise our learning and living.

Characteristics of Student Body

Enrolment of 365 (48% male - 52% female)

• Students who identify as Aborigine and/or Torres Strait Islander - 11.6% of enrolments
• Students with a verified disability - 4.7% of enrolments
• Student Attendance rate of 72.7%
• SES score of 93 (National average is 100)

School Annual Improvement

Distinctive Curriculum Offerings

As a new school, inside and outside learning spaces have been purpose-designed to provide innovative, flexible environments to support contemporary inquiry/investigative pedagogies.

Literacy and numeracy skill development is our key curriculum focus in the early years, then with ongoing consolidation through primary schooling.

Religious Education is a formal component of our College curriculum at every year level.  The RE curriculum has been designed to offer students an age-appropriate program exploring what Christians of the Catholic tradition believe and understand about God's loving action through history, particularly in the person of Jesus of Nazareth -his life, teaching and action.  An appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures as a foundational communication of God's Word from generation to generation is addressed by the RE curriculum.  It also presents students with an understanding of the role of the Church as the ongoing presence of Christ in the world - its pastoral outreach, its way of ritual celebrations, its social structure and history.

The curriculum also builds student capacity in the learning areas of Science, Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), Technology and Health.  As an integral part of our strong academic program, Mackillop provides specialty classes across years Prep to 6 to students in Music, Visual Art and Design, LOTE (Japanese); and Physical Education.

A mentoring program is in place offering participants an opportunity to learn about and develop skills in positive and supportive relationships. All program participants contribute to and benefit from the mentoring program.

Students about the age of 10 are offered an opportunity to participate in preparation for the celebration of the Catholic sacraments of initiation: Confirmation and Eucharist.  The liturgical celebrations occur within the Parish community of St Therese, Edmonton.

Extra Curricular Activities

The College Choir has formed in 2017 and has grown in successive.  Under the leadership of the Director Music, the choir is a very popular student activity.  Choir performances are very well received by the College community.  At the 2019 Cairns and District Junior Eisteddfod, our Choir achieved significant success being awarded trophies for Unison Chorus, Sacred Chorus, Novelty Song and the overall Aggregate Choral Award.  A popular co-curricular instrumental music program is in place and expanding to include both string and wind instruments and ensembles.

MCC students represent the College in a range of activities and competitions including:

• Cairns Junior Eisteddfod
• Calanna Public Speaking
• Mt Sheridan Spelling Bee
• Readers Cup
• Catholic Education Week activities

A number of seasonal sporting activities are offered after school, including, AFL, Netball and Field Hockey.

Social Climate

MacKillop Catholic College's pastoral care strategy and school-wide positive relations framework is designed in part to provide protective pro-social support factors and response strategies to address incidences of bullying.

Relationships and Community are at the very core of Christian belief. The vitality of relationships is expressed in God's own nature as Trinity. This theology inspires those in Catholic Education, to strive to be a living Christian community in relationship with God, others and the world. When God is central, we purposefully orientate our relationships into express faith, hope and love.
 
There is nothing more important than healthy, positive relationships and well-being within a community. Positive relationships allow everyone to achieve maximum potential and growth. A College which lives out its values is a happy, welcoming, caring and safe place where there is great potential for everybody's needs to be met, and where all have the opportunity to succeed and develop to their full potential.

As stated in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008): 'students need to have a sense of self-worth, self-awareness and personal identity that enables them to manage their emotional, mental, spiritual and physical well-being', with a sense of hope and 'optimism about their lives and the future'.

On a social level, it helps students to 'form and maintain healthy relationships' and prepares them 'for their potential life roles as family, community and workforce members' (MCEETYA, p. 9).

At MacKillop, a range of beliefs, practices, programs and strategies are in place across the College which aim to develop healthy, positive school culture. These include:

• Student engagement in deep learning experiences
• The Religious Education Curriculum
• The Second Step Program
• Circle Solutions
• The Classroom Management Framework
• Restorative Practices Strategies
   

Read more about the College Wide Positive Relationships Framework on our website: http://www.mackillopcatholiccollege.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MCCSchoolWidePositiveRelationships20180810.pdf

Parent Engagement

Catholic schools are focused on support of families in the education and personal and spiritual development of their children. Therefore, a sense of partnership between home and school is considered vital. When parents, carers, families and teachers share in the common vision of the school, the effectiveness of the school and the child's experience is greatly enhanced.

MacKillop Catholic College is determined on being a welcoming and inclusive community; parents are strongly encouraged to become involved in the life of our school. Often by doing this, support networks and friendships are formed which enrich family life.

There are various ways in which parents and carers can become involved in the school community:

• Parent-teacher positive communication as a hallmark of partnership
• Voluntary support activities eg: tuckshop, library, working bees, excursions
• Classroom activities and celebrations
• Participation in school liturgies and events eg: fetes, sporting carnivals
• Parents and Friends Association
• School Board (in-formation)
• Other committees and groups as formed from time to time
  

Parents are the first and most important educators of their children.  The positive, open and collaborative partnership between home and school is encouraged throughout the learning journey at MacKillop; from enrolment inquiry to graduation.

Parent Satisfaction

MYP Corporation conducted a School Results Survey with parents of MacKillop Catholic College (Mount Peter) commencing 15 July 2019 and concluding 5 August 2019.
MacKillop Catholic College (Mount Peter) provides educational services to students from 248 families. Survey responses were received from 109 out of a total of 431 eligible respondents. This equates to a response rate of 25.3%.

MacKillop Catholic College (Mount Peter) recorded an overall satisfaction score of 76% (3.82 out of 5).

• Fair to good areas include: Resources, General, Leadership, Student Protection, Catholic Ethos, Learning + Teaching, Improvement Processes, Bullying + Behaviour Management.

Data Last Updated Tue 28 Apr 2020