From our Principal 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

As this week is drawing to a close, I am getting a strong sense that the routines synonymous with school are starting to be embedded. This is in part due to the re-establishment of our school-wide expectations for 2023 and also due to the running of traditional events such as the Opening School Mass and the House Swimming Sports. There is comfort to be gained in coming together for these communal events.

A significant factor to contemplate in this conversation is also the execution of our new mobile phone policy. In discussing its impact with the School Advisory Committee last week and parents at our Welcome Evening, there has been a tangible change in the atmosphere as you walk around the campus. The vibe is happier and more relaxed. Students are smiling more and greeting each other and staff more. The feedback from parents is extremely positive and it appears from both parents and students that what is appreciated most is the consistency applied to the execution of the policy. I take this opportunity to congratulate students on the way they have adapted to the new policy.

Parent Welcome Evening

Held last week on both campuses, the Year Seven Parent Welcome Evenings were a great success. The numbers in attendance were impressive with parents very grateful for the opportunity to engage in conversations with Learning Advisors, experience tours of the College, learn about our learning management system (S.P.A.C.E) and hear about the upcoming Year Seven camp. It was encouraging to also hear the many excited students taking their parents around the campus showing them where their classes were being held. The adage of it takes a village to raise a child was never more on show than on these evenings. I thank parents for their attendance and their engagement with the night. May it continue throughout the next six years.

Swimming Sports

Congratulations to MacKillop House (Cranbourne Campus) and  Assisi House (Clyde North) as winners of this year’s House Swimming Sports. A major thrust of the day is involvement and participation. They were both fantastic days which enable the community to come together and be together. The atmosphere of both events was incredibly positive and showcased the leadership of our student house captains and sports captains. Congratulations also to our two Houses who were awarded the prestigious best House Spirit Award, Assisi (Cranbourne campus) and Augustine (Clyde North campus).

Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) – Catholic Identity and Religious Education

In the last edition I presented an overview of our new SIP. This week I drill down into the first domain, Catholic Identity and Religious Education. The work of the next four years in this area of school improvement includes a goal, specifically: Catholic Social Teaching animates our work both within and beyond the classroom; and this will be coupled with the ‘To Live in Christ Jesus’ curriculum to design the progression of learning in RE. 

This goal directs our work not only in Religious Education classes but beyond. It speaks of the importance of embedding Catholic Social Teaching into our daily practice. Specifically, within the RE faculty, work will continue on the construction of a set of articulated learning progressions to ensure teachers deliver high quality Religious Education across the six years of learning. It is anticipated that the work in this space will build staff confidence to create recontextualised dialogical communities and deepen the expertise of teachers to deliver high quality Religious Education and Enhance parish, community and school partnerships

We continue to be deeply committed to depthing the understanding of teachers which will ultimately lead to improvements in outcomes for students.

Lent

Lent, the most significant season in the Catholic-Christian calendar, provides us with the opportunity to stop, reflect and prepare for the loss experienced on Good Friday as we are reminded once again of the death by crucifixion of Christ. It is followed then by the joy and jubilation experienced in the realisation that Christ is risen on Easter morning. Lent is an opportunity to reflect on self and encourages us to be selfless in building a fairer, more just world for all. Sometimes this is referred to as “Building the Kingdom of God”. Fasting is one way we prepare. It is a challenging concept. One way of looking at it is to reflect on a fasting period as “feasting”. This might appear counter-intuitive. The prayer below perfectly unpacks this. I encourage all students during this time of Lent to feast on the themes illustrated in the prayer below:

The Fast Life

Fast from judging others;                                                             

Feast on Christ dwelling in them.

Fast from fear of illness;

Feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute;

Feast on speech that purifies.

Fast from discontent;

Feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger;

Feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism;                                                                     

Feast on hope.

Fast from negatives;

Feast on encouragement.

Fast from bitterness;

Feast on forgiveness.

Fast from self-concern;

Feast on compassion.

Fast from suspicion;

Feast on truth.

Fast from gossip;

Feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from problems that overwhelm;

Feast on prayer that sustains.

Fast from anxiety;

Feast on faith.

- Author Unknown

Enjoy the week ahead.

Mr Chris Black

Principal