From the Principal
As winter ends and spring begins, I hope that the longer days, warmer weather and sunshine has lifted everyone’s spirits as we find ourselves again in a period of extended remote learning and restriction. In recent weeks, it has been wonderful to see both students and staff finding creative ways to bring joy into our days and continue to foster connection. There have been multiple activities, challenges, competitions, themed virtual backgrounds and at times costumes. In addition to these activities there have also been many, many acts of kindness, including personalised messages to staff and students, preparation of care packs and reaching out to ‘check in’ and support others. All of this is a testament to the Kilbreda College community and their genuine care and compassion for one another. On behalf of all students and staff, I thank those who have taken the time and been so thoughtful of others to organise these activities and reach out to others!
We recently commenced the process of electing our College Co-Captains for 2022 and I am incredibly proud of the fourteen Year 11 students who have put themselves forward for this significant leadership role. It takes courage to put yourself forward for a leadership role, and as one of my favourite authors, Brené Brown says, acts of courage are always accompanied by the feeling of vulnerability. Our fourteen nominees are already leaders and positive role models in our community, and regardless of the outcome of the election process should all be very proud of their efforts and for having the desire and courage to nominate for the role of College Co-Captain for 2022.
This week marked the annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (1 September) and the beginning of the Season of Creation which ends on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together in prayer and in action to create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. Pope Francis is calling us to ‘hear the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth’ and as individuals, families and a school community to create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world through our words and our actions. The inequality, injustice and violence we are seeing around the world and the recent release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021 – The Physical Science Basis are another reminder that the time to act is now.
“Today, not tomorrow; today we have to take care of Creation responsibly.”
Pope Francis
A Prayer for our Earth
By Pope Francis
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
We Pray For
We ask for your prayers for members of our community and their families who have recently lost loved ones:
May Dempster
Mother of Sue Dempster
(Staff)
Margaret Gamble
Mother of Jennifer Gamble
(Staff)
Gillian Dalton
Mother of Tony Dalton
(Staff)
We pray that our loving God hold them gently in the palm of His hand.
Nicole Mangelsdorf
Principal