Students - Academic Care and Wellbeing

FAREWELL ASSEMBLY

Thursday's Farewell Assembly was a celebration of Year 12, and acknowledged their contributions and years of schooling. As part of our tradition Mr Steve McCormack and Mr David Saxon performed a special tribute song dedicated to the Year 12 class of 2019 and students were presented with a 'Mater Dei Cross'. Mater Dei Catholic College and staff would like to congratulate you on your efforts, wish you all the very best for your HSC exams, thank you for your contributions to the College and wish you well on your life journey.

Here is an excerpt from the Captains Farewell speech delivered by Gabrielle Shaw and Harris Mitter:

Good afternoon Parents, Staff and of course, the class of 2019. Today is it. Our final day. It’s been 13 years, close to two thousand, five hundred and fifty days, and with about 3 hours and one bell left, it will mark the end of an era for all of us. 

We would firstly like to congratulate Hannah and Nathanael and all of the other House Captains on your appointed roles and wish you all the best for your final 12 months of school. It will fly by before you know it!

For some, I’m sure this day will be something of a relief – no more early mornings and walking through the blue gates at 8:45, no more assignments.

For others, thinking of the future may be a little overwhelming. But it’s safe to say that our time here at Mater has been something that we have all made the most of and is a place that we’ll never forget. Even if you’d started from day dot or we’d picked you up along the way, sitting together today is something we can all be proud of, and of course, is a time to stroll down memory lane and take a look at some of our cohort’s highlights.....

Our successes and achievements throughout our final year are really a credit to the staff of Mater Dei... our House Leaders, Homegroup teachers, Classroom teachers, Maintenance staff, Canteen/Cafe staff and Admin staff members. We thank you for unselfishly sharing your time, talent and knowledge with us. We appreciate all of the behind the scenes work that you do which doesn’t go unnoticed as well as countless hours of after school tutorials, coaching, extra “HSC tips”, Cafe specials during heavy assessment times and support. All that you have done for us has gone beyond the call of duty and we are truly grateful.

We would like to say a special thank you to the members of the College Leadership team, who work day in and day out to make the school the great place that it is.

Mrs Thomas, seeing all the effort you put in for the good of the school community is admirable. If it wasn’t for the endless meetings, catch ups and organisation you do in leading this school, I’m sure Mater Dei would not be as smooth sailing as it is today. You are a role model not only to Harris and I, but also to the staff and students and I speak for everyone when I say we value all that you do. For this, we thank you.

To Mrs Bright, your dedication and passion for all things mission from youth masses to Studies of Religion classes is inspiring. We thank you for the beautiful services and helping make our retreat one to remember by enlightening us to “Go forth and set the world on fire”.

Mr Fitzpatrick. I literally don't know what we would do without you, keeping every class in check and organising our timetables whilst still running your own senior class, Chemistry. We really appreciate all the unforgiving time and effort you put in to keep this school running. We'll make sure we are skipping all the way to the end.

Mr Lawrence, you are a champion amongst champions. Your infectious joy can make any day a happier one. The respect and honesty you give to all people is admirable and your booming voice throughout the courtyard each morning hustling us to homegroup is what makes Mater Dei so special. You make us proud to be living “another day in paradise” with your guidance and support, making this school the paradise it truly is.

And lastly, we would like to give a big thank you to our parents and families. We wouldn't be here without you. Even if our stress, mood swings and many naps got the better of us, you have still managed to put us first. You have supported us in more ways than it's possible to count, even if it was herding us out the door, helping out with assignments, listening to our complaints and giving us comforting advice. You guys are the real MVP’s.

Mater Dei has shaped us into the young adults we are today. It’s not necessarily the place that is Mater Dei, but rather the people. We are so lucky to be apart of this amazing cohort.

As College Captains, we would like to thank all our school leaders for their enthusiasm, cooperation and commitment in supporting us on our journey throughout the year. We also thank the leaders’ of our school who didn't wear badges, but certainly showed leadership, often inconspicuously. 

Both Harris and I would just like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to captain this unique and talented group of individuals.

It’s been both a pleasure and an honour, and may the friendships we’ve forged and the many memories we’ve made remain with us throughout the years to come.

As Tyrian Lannister once said “Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.”

So on behalf of the class of 2019, we say thank you…. and goodbye.

Mrs Catherine Banks | Leader of Students