Principal's  Message

 

Mission and Vision

During this Semester we have been looking at the Mission Statement and Draft Vision Statement of the College. Many parents would work in organisations that have such documents available, often prominently displayed in the work place. For us, the Mission is what we attempt to do each day to bring about our Vision. We are blessed to be a Catholic College that is enhanced by a Lasallian tradition that spans more than 300 years. Over those years this tradition has adapted to the context of the time without ever losing original purpose or meaning.

In addition to the staff and the College Board, we have also worked with our senior students in looking at the wording of our documents to ensure they are reflective of our context. The Board of the College will eventually ratify the final Statements; these will be used for decision making and planning purposes over the coming years.

Parish Primary Schools

I have recently been travelling to visit all of the Parish Primary schools from which we draw our students. It has been enlightening for me to see the classrooms, specialist spaces and playgrounds of these schools. More so, it has been interesting to listen to the Principal from each school as they describe their Community. St Bede’s College is fortunate to have students who transition so well from such well organised, faithful and caring Communities. A number of potential cross activities between our schools were also discussed.

Year 12 Formal

The Brighton International hosted its final Year 12 Formal as our young men gathered last Thursday evening. Over 500 students and guests gathered at the venue. It was a night of fine dress and good spirit; it was also a night of fun for those who are in the midst of many study and work demands. Congratulations to the Year 12 cohort for the positive and respectful way they enjoyed themselves, the way they looked after their partners and the manner in which they freely mixed with staff.

Performing Arts

Moonlight and Magnolias was presented on two evenings as well as a dress rehearsal. This was a finely acted piece that required great concentration as the script is very wordy and is shared amongst a limited size cast. Our boys were magnificent as they played the characters who decided to re-write Gone with the Wind, even though it had already started production. Well done to our Theatre Studies students.

College Production

Grease, the Musical is now well into production. We look forward to this very entertaining effort which will be staged in the second last week of this term. Based on the ticket sales to date, it is going to be a popular production.

Public Speaking

Congratulations to Jeremy Mann who competed in the VCAA PESA Public Speaking Competition held at St Leonard’s College. Jeremy spoke about Donald Trump’s time as the US President. Jeremy won this event and is now going to compete in the Semi-Final at the Department of Education and Training in June.  We have many students currently in debating and public speaking. This is a wonderful skill to encourage in young men.

Information Evening for Year 11 Students

A very large number of current St James College families, accompanied by a substantial band of their staff, attended this evening which offered guided tours and a summary of the offerings available to year 11 students. We are fortunate to have an excellent relationship with St James. St Bede’s has been enhanced by the presence of students from this College over many years.

Examinations

We have entered the mid-year examination period. Whilst many of our senior students are undertaking SACs, we also have students in Years 9-11 undertaking examinations. Given the current structure of senior studies, examination preparation and practise is a necessary feature of any secondary school. We wish all of our students well and encourage them to perform up to their best.

Per Vias Rectas

John Finn 

Principal