Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Friends,
Our Gospel this coming week is from Luke, Jesus talks to us of the trap of being awed by how things look, he refers to the disciples admiring a temple with glittering stones and talks of how this building will eventually become a pile of rubble. There is much to discuss in the historical sense of what was happening at the time of Jesus and when Luke wrote his Gospel, however for us perhaps a key message is that we need to ensure we are not distracted by facades, that our faith is not about buildings or gifts, it is about being true to the message and consequent action Jesus encourages in us. Additionally Jesus tells his disciples "there is no telling who will hate you because of me...But stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry. Your perseverance will secure your life" Luke 21, 5-19. Our Church is currently experiencing a storm of criticism, some rightly justified, a significant challenge for us all is to remain faithful to the intimate and pure Gospel messages. Jesus talked always of love, of compassion, of faith and of hope. It is these messages we are called to remember and to ensure we bring into the lives of the young people in our care as, in partnership with families, we create opportunities for each student to encounter their loving God.
As always there has been much to celebrate at Killester this past fortnight. I would like in particular to congratulate two of our students who have had success in very different fields. Tyrese Dimalanta has been chosen from a very large pool of applicants, to become a Youth Ambassador for the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a very significant achievement and we congratulate Tyrese on her appointment for 2020. In other exciting news Alice Nhim won the Make Silent Films festival award, we are all incredibly proud of the work Alice produced, her silent animation was a beautifully moving piece about a young girl. The competition received entries from all over the state and to be the winning entrant in her first competition is simply outstanding. Congratulations Alice! The majority of our Year 10 and 11 students are commencing their end of year exams and I congratulate them for the approach they have taken to this important time of the year. For many of our Year 12 students the exam period is over and we wish our students a restful break as they prepare for life in 2020.
This week saw all staff and students stand silently for our Remembrance Day service, reflecting on the tragedy of war and praying for all those who still live in times and place of conflict. As we have come to expect our young women did an outstanding job in representing the College at a number of different events this past fortnight. The Joey's Van experience is beneficial for all involved and our students demonstrate their commitment to social justice by their participation. Equally some Year 10 students ran a PE exercise with a group of Primary School students at St Mark's this week, their Deputy Principal wrote to our staff acknowledging the way in which our students conducted themselves and stating how proud we must be of them, and indeed we are. Finally Ms Cannon and Ms Diep took a number of students to the St Vincent De Paul Memorial Mass earlier this week. Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Peter Comensoli and as the only school who attended our students shone, being involved in the candle ceremony - bringing candles to the altar - each representing one of the 118 St Vinnie's volunteers who have passed away this year. They also received specific congratulations from the Archbishop and other dignitaries present at mass.
This week we have prayed in solidarity with fellow Australians who are experiencing threat from bush fires across Queensland and New South Wales. We have, and will continue to, pray for those directly impacted and for those who willingly risk their own safety to help others in need.
Sally Buick, Principal