From the Deputy Principal, Secondary

Pedal Prix

Congratulations to the Pedal Prix team who performed exceptionally well on Sunday at Victoria Park, coming a very respectable 24th out of 170 teams and 13th in their category. The event would not have been a success if it was not for the dedication of our parents and staff. Special thanks to Mr Jeff Drewer for his exceptional leadership and to Mr Patrick Kelly, Mr Michael Parrella and Mr Duro Dobrijevic for their support. It was great to see so many parents supporting the team, of particular note was Mr Derek Gregory who provided the boys and crew with barbecued sustenance.

A Pedal Prix information session will be held on Thursday 8 August at 7.00 pm for all 2019 team members in preparation for the Murray Bridge 24-hour endurance race in September.

Subject selection

As you are aware the subject selection process for 2020 has begun. All students from Years 9 to 11 have been allocated a counsellor on either Monday or Tuesday of next week. During the subject counselling session they will be able to discuss their future goals as they fine tune and submit their 2020 subject selections. Please remember to approve your son’s subject selections through the Consent2Go email. Please feel free to contact your son’s teachers to discuss his subject selections.

Thank you to our Year 10 and 11 parents who attended the SACE/SATAC Information Night on Wednesday 31 July. The PowerPoint for the evening will be distributed by Mr Carl Todman. If you have any SACE related questions please don’t hesitate to contact Carl or myself.

Staff Week

I hope your son enjoyed the extended July holiday and spent time recharging. During the first week of the holidays our staff participated in a professional learning week. A suite of activities built around well-being and mental health provided the focus for the week. A group of 17 staff completed the mental health first aid course run by St John’s. I can highly recommend the two-day mental health first aid course as an early intervention strategy for parents who are trying to deal with adolescent mental health. Bookings for mental health first aid can be made through the St John’s website. The course is 16 hours face-to-face and you can gain accreditation by completing the optional assessment.

Fittingly, our Prefects have launched their student-driven mental health campaign through the distribution of a mental health well-being pin that was designed by Jermaine Zaharis in Year 5.

Having been in education for over 20 years it is heartwarming to witness the shift in culture towards a deeper understanding of mental health issues. Our Prefects are passionately driving the campaign to highlight men’s mental health and provide a safe place for our boys to check in on their mates. It makes me proud as both a staff member and an old scholar to witness the deep empathy and compassion shown by our boys.

St Dominic’s Day

During Term 3 we celebrate four significant feasts; St Dominic, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the Assumption and Blessed Joan of Aza (St Dominic’s Mother). The Dominican Fathers live the tradition of St Dominic who founded the Dominican Order over 800 years ago. The Australian Dominican Province is known as the Province of the Assumption. The Assumption of Mary into heaven allows us to reflect on the mystery of death and rejoice in the knowledge that one day we too will rise. Given the significance of the Feast of the Assumption in the Dominican story, this year we will be acknowledging the life of St Dominic on the Feast of the Assumption, 15 August.

SATAC

This week Mr Todman met with the Year 12 students to discuss university options and present the 2020 SATAC Guide and University course selection guides. Representatives from the University of South Australia, University of Adelaide and Flinders University spoke with our Year 12 students regarding tertiary admission for 2020. We will be working with our senior students as they discern possible career pathways for 2020. Please feel free to contact the school should you have any queries.

God bless.

Mr David Ruggiero (BPS'92)

Deputy Principal, Secondary (7-12)