From Rach Chapman

Celebrating Our Grandparents and Special Friends

On Thursday 24th October we celebrated our Grandparents and Special Friends with our Whole School Mass, classroom visits and activities and a beautiful morning tea. It was an incredible celebration of the role our grandparents and special friends play in our lives, and the significance of their contribution, support, care and engagement. A very heartfelt thank you to all who participated and attended this special day, thank you to Father Uday and our Parish members, and our staff and students. Father Uday and our Principal, Jay Sutton, spoke wonderfully of the roles grandparents and special friends play and it was fantastic to share our school experiences and opportunities with our guests. 

RealTalk and Your Choicez Programs  

Our Years 7, 8 and 9 students participated in seminars provided by Realtalk. RealTalk is an organisation about getting REAL on personal identity, relationships and the digital world. Based on Catholic values and using personal sharing from their team of presenters, they provide up-to-date resources, presentations and programs on these important topics. 

RealTalk’s ‘Consent and Respect’ and ‘Getting Real in the Digital World’ seminars allow our young people to hear from specially-trained external presenters about these topics to empower students to make healthy choices that show respect for themselves and others. The presentations focus on topics that are relevant to this age group, with adjustments made for every presentation to remain consistent with the physical and emotional development of our cohort. 

Our Year 10 students participated in seminars provided by Your Choicez, focusing on Respectful Relationships. Your Choicez provides a combination of research-based content, high quality programs and excellent speakers with a strong ability to connect with young people, which has led to some of the most powerful, life changing programs available on these topics today. 

Thank you to Mrs Shannon for her organisation and our staff and students for their participation and support of these programs. 

Years 5, 6 and 9 Liturgy

We have our Liturgy for our Years 5, 6 and 9 students on Thursday 14th November. Our Liturgy is based on World Day of the Poor (Sunday 17th November). Each year, on the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on the dignity of the poor and to renew our commitment to live in solidarity with those most in need. It is a day that challenges us not only to offer material help but to examine our hearts, our actions and our relationships with the marginalised in our communities. 

All are welcome to join us for our Liturgy at 9.15am at St Augustine’s Church. 

Mackillop Art Exhibition

On 15th November, as part of the opening of the Mackillop Art Exhibition, we will be showcasing the wonderful work that was undertaken as a recipient of the Philomena Billington Social Justice Through The Arts Scholarship. This has enabled students to contribute to real, tangible changes within the College and the broader community, fostering a sense of responsibility and pride. This incredible journey of stewardship and creativity is one that students will remember for years to come, serving as a reminder of their role in caring for both their school and the environment.

St Vincent de Paul Donation

We are delighted to announce that our recent Pyjama Day raised $695.95 for Kyabram St Vincent de Paul! This donation supports the incredible work of Kyabram St Vincent de Paul to assist our local families in need. We are very proud of our students and families for making this possible, thank you!

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

    and he will reward them for what they have done.”

In his message, Pope Francis invites everyone to learn to pray for the poor and to pray together with the poor, with humility and trust. World Day of the Poor (Sunday 17th November) is an opportunity to become aware of the presence of the poor in our cities and communities and to understand their needs.

Loving God,

We pray for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed and those who live without life's basic necessities; We pray especially for those living in terror and fear; 

May the Prince of Peace be near to them and bless them with hope.

Help us to hear their cries and come to their aid. Let their cries for healing and wholeness move us to action. Teach us to see with your eyes their tremendous dignity and to care for them as you care. Let us see in them your face, that through our solidarity with them they may experience your compassion, concern and love.

Open our hearts to deepen relationships with those in need, that we may draw near in love and our shared identity as your children.

May our homes, our nation, and countries around the world become havens of peace and grant us the grace to see every human being as a child of God, regardless of race, language or culture, in faith we pray.

Amen.

Rach Chapman

Deputy Principal

Catholic Identity & Community