Blog

Sydney is taking its first steps this week out of its 107 day lockdown. Now's the perfect time to check in on yourself - the most important action you can take during these challenging times is to prioritize your own mental health and wellbeing. One of the most effective tools, to develop the ability to concentrate on one task at a time and stay focused in the here and now is Mindfulness Meditation. An ancient technique called “Grounding” utilizes the five senses of: SIGHT, SOUND, SCENT, TOUCH AND TASTE to help you become more empowered in the present moment.

At MCC we are committed to lifelong learning and have lots of options for you to stay connected, gain new skills and make 2021 your year of learning! As we look to Term 4 it’s still not too late to achieve this goal. We have been encouraged and inspired by the number of students who have adapted well to participating in online classes over Zoom from home instead of in the classroom. Our students and staff have risen above all the COVID challenges over the past 18 months, including lockdowns. 

Macquarie Community College were pleased to be announced winners for the best Adult Learners Week event for the second year in a row. During the event, we engaged 300 students who learned a variety of courses, including Lockdown Haircuts, Self Care During Lockdown, Stay at Home Beauty, Creating a Veggie Patch, as well as our classes from our current Leisure and Self Improvement offering, Flower Arrangement, Acrylic Pouring, Tai Chi, Guitar, Calligraphy and more!

At Macquarie Community College, we have always been firm believers that you should never stop learning because you can 'change your story' through learning a new skill! 'Change Your Story' is the theme for this year's Adult Learners Week. To celebrate Adult Learners' Week, we will be holding free taster classes and demonstrations in a variety of Leisure & Self Improvement courses. You can try Flower Arrangement, Acrylic Pouring, Meditation, Tai Chi & Qigong, Guitar, Self Care Beauty, Lockdown Haircuts and more!

We had a fantastic Seniors Week event last week, with more than 100 Seniors attending 20 classes over 2 days. We had a great time learning new skills in Dancing, Korean Brush Painting, using Digital Devices, Dru Yoga, Meditation, Guitar, Drawing, playing Bridge, learning Spanish and French and more!

We believe that you should never stop learning! During retirement, William Bourke decided to take up a new hobby and commenced Drawing & Painting classes with Melissa Sloan at the College. 17 years later, William has continued to hone his artistic skills in class and regularly enters the Art Show/Competitions at the Sydney and Brisbane Easter Shows. His latest piece is called "Winter at Brush Farm House".

Elaine, our talented Calligraphy tutor, has been teaching with Macquarie Community College for the last 30 years. She shares some of her memories as part of MCC's 70th birthday celebrations.

Online classes didn't stop the Calligraphy Intermediate students from producing a combined class project! The project has been sent to the Australian Society of Calligraphers and will likely be published in the September edition of their journal, 'Colophon'.

Our Creative Writing Tutor, Julie Thorndyke, gave us 3 fun creative writing exercises to do during the lockdown. Explore your creative side and you'll be writing in no time!

Only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. This means more than half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail! Make sure 2020 is your year for success!