Important dates
- Parents and guardians are reminded that Friday 11 September will be a student free day, allowing for catch-up with remote learning.
- The online practice GAT for Unit 3 and 4 students will be held on Friday 11 September.
- Term 3 will conclude on Friday 18 September.
Fees
Dean de Munk
Business Manager
Thank you to all parents and guardians who have once again cooperated and made the payment of school fees a priority during 2020. This year has been an incredibly challenging time for us all with some having work hours reduced or even having their employment position made redundant. This, together with the responsibility of remote learning, has impacted household budgets.
The College has been able to assist some families and many parents and guardians have altered payment plans to assist with family cash flow. The due date for payment of fees has now been extended to Monday 30 November 2020.
I urge parents and guardians to continue with regular payments of fees to ensure that the 30 November deadline is met. At the end of 2019, the College only had a handful of outstanding accounts which have all been collected within early 2020. Our aim is to have zero outstanding accounts come December 2020. Among other priorities, this will assist with planning and allow a minimum fee increase for 2021.
Unfortunately, the operation of the College is still to budget and the College is not in a position to offer discounted fees in 2020 as some other exclusive independent schools are doing. Overall, this year will be an expensive one for the College. MLMC operates on a balanced budget keeping fees to a minimum, which makes it hard to offer any type of discount. This, together with additional unplanned COVID-19 expenditure in 2020, makes it very difficult to do so.
If any specialist levied activity does not eventuate within 2020, refunds will be made. This has already been the case for Semester 1 Outdoor Education charges and we intend to do the same in Semester 2 if necessary. We hope that in Term 4 some activities will proceed.
I welcome any parent or guardian to make contact with me directly at the College to discuss their own school fee situation, if help is required.
Online mass
Fr Dean Bradbury SAC
College Chaplain
An important part of being in a Catholic school such as MLMC is having the opportunity to celebrate the Sacraments available to us. Class Masses are a great way to come together and celebrate the faith that helps make MLMC the great community that it is. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced a disrupted school year. Carefully laid plans to schedule Class Masses for students have had to be abandoned.
Putting in practice the pastoral aims of Catherine McAuley to use the means at our disposal, we have adapted to the limitations placed on us by the lockdown and have found a creative solution. Through the hard work of our Youth Ministry Officer, Miss Ava Brown, we have been able to schedule Class Masses online for Year 7 to 9 students during this term.
While this is certainly nowhere near the ideal way of gathering together as God’s family in the beautiful College Chapel and receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it has enabled us to experience some form of community and to keep us joined together prayerfully. I have been grateful for the participation of staff and students through the reading of Scripture and their shared prayer. It has been great to be a part of this initiative and we pray for an end to the pandemic and the opportunity to gather together in the Chapel.
Each Friday at 8.00am there is the opportunity to join in a College Mass. The link is in SIMON.
