From the Principal
Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and Friends of St Norbert College,
A shining light in our College calendar is Harmony Day, a day in which we gather to celebrate the diversity of culture and heritage in our community. It was also a day to pause and reflect on the tragic events that had unfolded in Christchurch only a few days before, as we as a community, stand in solidarity with the people of New Zealand and those of all faiths.
With permission, I would like to share an excerpt from a reflection given by two students of New Zealand heritage, Paige Hale and Harriet McCready. It was a beautifully prepared and delivered statement containing humility, personal sentiment, composure and a message to challenge us all to do our bit in making the world a better place.
An excerpt from Paige and Harriet...
Paige
As New Zealand citizens, both Harriet and I, along with our families are devastated by these events that have forever marked our peaceful and loving country. New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern marked March 15th as one of New Zealand's darkest days. To put into perspective how small New Zealand is and how big this terrorist attack was, the 50 people who were murdered in New Zealand is the statistical equivalent by population of a mass killing of 3,344 people in the USA. The terror attack on Friday was the worst attack of terrorism in New Zealand ever, it also was in fact one of the worst globally in recent times. With heavy hearts, we send our thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected and also to their families and friends. Our prayers also, to those in Christchurch who are still dealing with an unfolding situation.
Harriet
My aunty is a resident in Christchurch, she lives no less than 100 metres away from one of the two mosques that were targeted. My aunty was able to help a young couple who managed to survive the bullets that were being fired at them. As I am sure you can imagine, this was a horrific experience that no one should ever have to go through. Now, more than ever, we need to come together and spread love, kindness and hope with one another. Paige and I ask that we acknowledge all the lives that were lost, and the families that are suffering. This is not what we, as New Zealanders stand for nor is it something we will tolerate in this world. We are the next generation. We have the ability to make a change. We need to come together to make this world a better place. Thank you.
I acknowledge Paige and Harriet for their initiative in seeking this important opportunity and the courage to share their message with our College community following such sad circumstances.
This week we sadly farewelled Mr Matthew Biddle, our College Community Relations and Marketing Officer, who has departed for the east coast with his family. Mr Biddle has been an integral part of the College and has done some amazing work in the promotion of our College as a school of choice in our region. We thank Mr Biddle and wish him, wife Carmel and their four children, all of God’s blessings in the future.
I acknowledge the wonderful work and commitment of Mr Luke Ford, our staff and College Swim Team at the recent ACC Swimming Carnival. It was another passionate, determined and committed performance from so many in helping our way to second on the overall shield. Well done and congratulations – further results are included in this newsletter.
In closing, I would like to draw to your attention, an article further in this newsletter authored by our College Dean of Studies, Mr Rod Dowling. In this article, Mr Dowling captures the importance of questions – and how appropriate questioning can lead to a greater understanding of the important things in life. I recommend this article and thank Mr Dowling for his insights.
God Bless,
Mr S Harvey (Principal)
Fr Joseph Tran
Our thoughts and prayers remain with all those affected by the tragedy and circumstances surrounding the death of Fr Joseph Tran last week. This has caused much sadness, confusion and distress and is a timely reminder of the importance of caring for one another. I remind all of the message I sent to all parents and guardians earlier this week that included a letter from Dr Debra Sayce, the Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia, and a statement from Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, the Archbishop of Perth. If you have any queries or concerns about your children, please contact us, we are always available to assist where needed.
New Criminal Law Amendment (Intimate Images) Bill
We were recently informed of the passing of a new Criminal Law Amendment (Intimate Images) Bill by State Parliament, making it illegal to distribute an intimate image of a person without consent.
In the case of someone under 16, the law says they cannot legally consent to an image of themselves being shared. The law aims to strike a balance between protecting young people from this harmful behaviour, without unduly criminalising them.
The new intimate images law will come into effect on 15 April 2019 and I feel it is important that information regarding these new laws is shared with our students and their parents. The key messages for young people are:
- It is against the law to take, keep, send or ask for an intimate image of a person under the age of 18
- It is against the law to share an intimate image of a person of any age without their consent.
The Department of Justice has provided all education providers in Western Australia with FAQs.
With the increasing use of digital technology and social media it is important that we continue to ensure that our College is a safe place of learning and development for all our students. At St Norbert College we have a number of strategies and policies in place to educate our students in cybersafety and appropriate use of technologies and it is essential that we all adopt a united approach from staff, parents, friends and the community, so I invite our families to have these conversations with their children. We will also be conducting information sessions with our students in the coming weeks.