The present faith dimension of the community of St Mary MacKillop is displayed
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·Faith and Family Demographics
St Mary Mackillop School is a co-educational school with a current enrolment of 573. from Prep to Year 6. Currently just under 75% of our student population are Baptised Catholic, with a further 15% belonging to another Christian faith, 3% are of other faith traditions and approximately 7% state no religious affiliation. St Mary Mackillop's Religion Program takes into consideration the demographics of the students, their families and the local community. Evidence of this is shown by:
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Our Vision for Religious Education
St Mary MacKillop Catholic School shares and promotes the Vision for Religious Education articulated by Brisbane Catholic Education and the wider church. This vision includes the two dimensions of formation- namely, of students’ religious literacy and their personal faith: Religious Education at St Mary MacKillop seeks to develop the religious literacy of students in light of the Catholic Christian tradition, so that they might participate critically and authentically in contemporary culture. In this school, religious literacy includes ways of talking, acting, creating, communicating, critiquing, evaluating, participating, ritualising, theologising, worshipping, reading, reflecting, and writing with others in a variety of religious and secular contexts. Examination of the sample units of work reveal how, in all units of work, teachers and students seek to integrate the two dimensions of religious education, so that religious literacy and faith formation can complement each other as students seek to find meaning in their place and time. The integration of both dimensions in the daily life of the school includes prayer in every classroom to start the day and the timetabling of the mandatory hours of classroom based engagement with the religion curriculum at the school. Evidence of this is shown by
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The Contemporary Contexts of Religious Education
At St Mary MacKillop Catholic School recognition is given to the four contexts identified as having a significant impact on Religious Education in contemporary Catholic and ecumenical schools. They are the Societal Context, Ecclesial Context, Educational Context and Digital Context. Our Societal Context Like all Catholic and ecumenical schools of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, St Mary MacKillop operates in a complex and ever-changing environment. Contemporary students are immersed in a global world and from an early age are exposed to a range of values represented through diverse media. As a consequence, our school is continually challenged to engage families in Religious Education in rich and relevant ways. At St Mary MacKillop, Religious Education seeks to reflect a Catholic Christian worldview that integrates faith, life and culture. At the same time it seeks to embrace an ecumenical perspective and reflect the multi-faith context and reality of this school. Evidence of this is shown by:
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Our Ecclesial Context
At St Mary MacKillop, as is the case with many Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, an increasing number of students and their families are less engaged with the formal life of the Church than in the past. Consequently, for many students, the culture and language of religion is underdeveloped. This school, along with many Archdiocesan schools, increasingly provides the introductory and developmental understanding and experience of Church for students and their families. This is supported when the school is a place where students and their families encounter the mission and outreach of the Church, especially through pastoral care and the experience of Catholic Christian community. At St Mary MacKillop, a cohesive and integrated approach to nurturing and promoting the religious life of the school, the faith formation of students and participation in the worshipping community is identified as a key priority. Practical ways that this is achieved are through:
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Our Educational Context
St Mary MacKillop School, along with each Archdiocesan school, seeks transformation of the whole person so that those in the school community are empowered to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives. In the Catholic Christian tradition, education is a work of love and service. At St Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School, we seek to nurture and develop the faith of individuals in ways that are mindful of their cultural and religious identity. Evidence of this is shown by:
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Our Digital Context
Religious Education in St Mary MacKillop seeks to engage students in the critical, creative, and responsible use of digital tools which is an important component of digital citizenship. It includes provision and use of digital technology including laptops, ipads, ipad minis, ipods and interactive whiteboards. This enables them to express their learning in rich and relevant ways and connect with individuals and communities in a global context. Evidence is shown by:
An example of the use of technology in religious education can be found here. |
Collaborative Planning
St Mary MacKillop School has a population of 573 students, with 4 classes in Prep and 3 classes at each year level from Years 1-6. The planning and development of units of work in Religious Education therefore takes the following format(s).
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Communication to Parents/Wider Community
At St Mary MacKillop School, every effort is made to ensure parents are informed and engaged in the religious education of students. Evidence is Shown by:
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Impact of System Institute Initiatives
The Delivering Excellence in Learning and Teaching strategy (DELT) of Brisbane Catholic Education has impacted in every aspect of learning and teaching at St Mary MacKillop School. St Mary MacKillop School has been a part of the Visible Learning initiative and the Learning Collaborative with a focus on Literacy. Evidence is shown by:.
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