Falling in love with the present

I shall pass through this world but once.

If, therefore, there be any kindess I can show,

Or any good thing I can do,

Let me not defer it, nor neglect it,

For I may not pass this way again.

Author unknown

💫 Mosquito Bites

When grace enters, there is no choice - humans must dance.

When grace enters a room, we should begin to dance but, sadly, more often than not we let some little thing blind us to grace's presence. Mosquitoes can be annoying, even ruin a celebration.

It is a special celebration with family and friends. The weather is perfect, the sun is warm, there is the joy of being together. This is "Sabbath" in the biblical sense: You are celebrating life. You are surrounded by family and friends who love you, enjoying time from work.

Grace has entered and everything is wonderful. As night falls mosquitoes make their presence felt, the inclination to dance is lost. The celebration is brought down by a series of little bites. Given the business and complexities of our everyday lives, mosquitoes of some types are invariably present. Some irritations can be present in every situation in life, and some elements challenging the experience of pure grace. Life rarely comes to us purely, free from all shadows.  Everything comes with a shadow, even a minor mosquito bite.

And so, it is not always easy to celebrate and dance, even in the clear presence of grace. Mosquito bites can cause us to lose perspective, to lose the big picture, the one that would have us see and celebrate grace, even in the face of some minor irritation. A minor irritation can make us lose sight of a huge grace.

There is rich spiritual and psychological literature that challenges us to try to live more fully in the moment and not let our heartaches about the past or our anxieties about tomorrow cheat us out of the riches of today. But, as we know, that is easier said than done. The past can still haunt, impale themselves into our present. And the future can colour the present, worrying about what the future holds, which causes the experience of the present moment never coming to us pure.

And yet the challenge remains an important and healthy challenge – do not let the mosquito bites within life blind us to the larger presence of grace! But that is a grace that does not come easily.

Mosquitoes will inevitably make their presence known in our lives. That's a given. The challenge is to not lose sight of the larger presence of grace because of minor irritations. Small wonder humans don't always dance when grace enters.

‘We think this is just another day in our life.

It's not just another day; it's the one day that is given to us today.

It's given to us; it's a gift. 

It's the only gift that we have right now, and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.

If we do nothing else but cultivate that response to the great gift that this unique day is, then we will have spent this day very well.’

David Rast

May any mosquito bites that annoy us along the way for the remainder of 2025 not diminish the wonder and enjoyment of each day.

💫 Staff Professional Development Day Monday 6th October

MACS have broadened their partnership with Team Teach, which is an accredited training framework to enhance capabilities in behaviour support and promote a safe, inclusive and cohesive environment. Team Teach focuses on practical strategies for supporting positive student behaviour; de-escalation and risk reduction techniques; restorative processes following incidents; legislation and MACS policy expectations.

There is no school for students on Monday 6th October.

💫 Master Plan

Stage 1 remains on schedule. Stage 2 Expressions of Interest closed on the 15th of September. The Stage 2 architect and landscape plans will be released in Term 4. The landscaping design will be a very positive change to aesthetics for the students. Likewise, the reshaping of the Monsignor Toms Science Centre will give a different and improved dimension to the visual image for the external and internal scope of the building and surrounds.

💫 Year 12 Graduation 2025

An occasion to be cherished in the historical timeline of St Mary’s College. The MACS Northern Region General Manager Sarah Parry and Laura Ruddick Senior Manager School Leadership Secondary have accepted an invitation from the College to join students, staff and parents for the first St Mary’s College Graduation Dinner since the mid 1980’s

💫 My Room Fundraiser

Over $2000 was raised to support the charity ‘My Room’, which provides support for families who have a child undergoing cancer treatment.

💫 Father’s Day

The annual Father’s Day Breakfast was a great morning with secondary students and staff working together to provide a community breakfast. The Hawthorn jumper is staying local, and the Geelong jumper is off to Tasmania. The jumpers raised over $900 for My Room. The P&F held their stall in the library. It is amazing how quickly the P&F gathers the array of items to sell.

💫 Art Show

60-framed student artworks have been on display at the Old Courthouse Gallery since Friday 5th September and closed Wednesday. The artwork is fantastic exploring different

genres. Our College Art team have been exceptional to get the exhibition happening, particularly Art Assistant Jodie Neilson.

💫 Seymour Police

Today flowers and a box of treats were taken to the Police Station to thank the Seymour station crew for all they do in Seymour and locally. If you have a family member in the force you would understand the pressures, frustrations and personal toll policing can have on the members and their families.

The loss of the two Officers at Porepunkah, one so young and one who deserved the enjoyment of retirement is a stark reminder of our troubled world and for all front-line Police that every day is a different day. Seymour and district can be very proud of the service the station gives to the community.

A letter to Senior Sergeant Clayton Munro on behalf of our College community is included with the gift to the Seymour Police to thank them for their values of Compassion, Respect, Integrity Professionalism and Courage.

This week our College Feast Day liturgy was a poignant reminder of the heartbeat of our College. Thank you to parents who assisted with the Colour Run – always a favourite with the students. Today was Footy Colours Day, another great day on the College calendar.

There has been some serious banter between Geelong, Hawthorn, Brisbane Lions and Collingwood supporters on staff… all is fair in love and football! I think it will be a Brisbane Lions V’s Geelong Grand Final on that one day in September with the Cats adding to their trophy cabinet.

If you are travelling over the long weekend go gently on the highways and country roads.

Best wishes

Wayne Smith

Principal

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