From the Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Students, Staff and Friends of St Norbert College

Since the last newsletter there has been much excitement surrounding two world events - World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon and the World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand. Perhaps many of you were unaware that WYD occurred as it seemed to get limited coverage in the mainstream media and yet it was an event that attracted 1.5 million young people from around the world at the final mass on Sunday 6 August.

The Matildas certainly captured more attention and united our nation, promoting women in sport. Their semi-final defeat to England has become the most watched television show in Australia on record, with 11.15 million viewers. Merchandise and advertisements have been prominent for the last two months and the celebrity of Sam Kerr was unlike anything seen before. 

Both world events brought people together in a joyful way that built unity. Pope John Paul II instituted the first WYD to engage young people back to the Church and for them to feel part of God’s mission to change others. Young people travelled from all over the world, to meet in Lisbon to celebrate their faith as Catholics. I know of at least two ex-students from St Norbert College that travelled from Perth to attend. Pope Francis told the congregation of young people at the closing mass, to not to let their 'great dreams' of changing the world be 'stopped by fear'.

Women’s sport will get a $200 million funding injection from the Federal Government, as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, moves to capitalise on Matildas fever stemming from the World Cup. Let’s hope that those young people that encountered God through other people in Lisbon, have had their faith strengthened and will continue the missionary work of Jesus by bearing witness in their lives. I thought it was worth thinking about!

Congratulations to Tongerlo House on winning the Inter-House Athletics Carnival this year. It was another well organised and fun event coordinated by our Director of Sport, Mr Ryan Godfrey, with the assistance of the Health and Physical Education Department, Heads of House and House Assistants. I thank all staff for their contributions and extend that to the many families that attended to support our students.

Armadale Train Line Closure

Comprehensive details are provided in the Notices and Reminders page of this newsletter, however, in summary:

1. Trains will cease operating from Armadale to Victoria Park from Monday 20 November for approximately 18 months.
2. Replacement buses will operate stopping at all stations from Monday 20 to Wednesday 23 November then new bus routes will operate from Thursday 24 November. 
3. St Norbert College students will be able to catch School Special Buses near Hambleys IGA.

Climate Survey

The College will be collecting information to help us make informed decisions about how we can improve our school. The aim of this process is to build and maintain a positive school climate in which your child/children will flourish. To help us in our efforts, we are inviting staff, parents/carers and students to complete a survey, developed at Curtin University. Your response will provide us with the information and foundational focus points that we will use in planning our school improvement efforts.

The Climate Survey will open on Monday 4 September and close on Friday 22 September. All stakeholders will receive instructions on how to access the survey by the end of next week. Students will be given time to complete the survey during extended Homeroom on Wednesday 6 September. I strongly encourage staff, parents/carers and students to provide us with the valuable input that will direct school-wide decision making.

God bless.

Ms S Rainford

(Principal)