From the Principal
Feast of St Thomas
Father Victor invited staff to attend the 5pm parish Mass, which is normally held on Tuesday afternoons. During this week, there was a Mass every evening to honour the feast of St Thomas the Patron Saint of the Aberdeen Parish Church.
St Thomas was one of the twelve apostles. This prompted me to refresh my understanding of who St Thomas was. In history, St Thomas is remembered as “doubting Thomas”, this is a bit of a bad rap for St Thomas. Perhaps it would be fairer to remember St Thomas for his next statement “My Lord and my God!” For the first time Jesus is recognised as more than a teacher, prophet or Messiah, he is recognised as God.
St Thomas is believed to have taken the Gospel to India, creating several Christian communities. It was in India that he was reported to be killed by a spear and hence became a martyr. Catholics commemorate St Thomas’ Feast Day on 3 July. I hope we can now all remember St Thomas not for his initial scepticism but for his deep faith and work as a devoted missionary.
Prayer to Saint Thomas the Apostle
O Glorious Saint Thomas,
your grief for Jesus was such
that it would not let you believe
he had risen unless you actually
saw him and touched his wounds.
But your love for Jesus
was equally great and it led you
to give up your life for him.
Pray for us that we may grieve
for our sins which were the cause of Christ's sufferings.
Help us to spend ourselves in his service
and so earn the title of "blessed"
which Jesus applied to those who would believe
in him without seeing him.
Amen.
Pupil Free Day – Monday 22 July – Day 1 Term 3
The first day back next term staff will have a professional development day. Staff will work on curriculum strategies as part of our Clarity journey (Lynn Sharratt) and our forever work in improving student engagement and learning. Aaron Dent (Leader of Growth and Development), Sarah Paine (Pedagogical Mentor) and Shannon Monro (Gifted Education Mentor) will be leading staff on the day.
Melinda Tankard Reist Visit
Recent media has highlighted issues and scandals, including pornography, misogyny, AI technology, the sharing of inappropriate material on social media, and others, in various schools - public, independent and Catholic - across Australia. We recognise there is a shared responsibility alongside parents and carers to be vigilant and educate students in this space and appropriately for their age and gender. To support our school communities, Melinda Tankard Reist has been secured to speak with school staff and students in our Diocese about respectful relationships. This follows a successful recent event at Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie. Further information about Melinda can be found via this link. Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones will be joining Melinda to present the male student sessions. He specialises in online sexualisation education, bringing over 25 years of experience working with children, youth, and families.
On Tuesday 23 July, a parent information session will be held in person at St Joseph's Catholic College. Melinda Tankard Reist is a renowned author, speaker, media commentator and advocate for young people. She will be discussing, Navigating a sexed-up world: How can we help our young people resist harmful messages from media and pop culture and aspire to respectful relationships.
Increasingly schools across Australia are seeing challenges that can stem from students navigating an online world that is ever evolving. We recognise educating our students in this space is a shared responsibility alongside parents and carers and are pleased to take a proactive approach and discuss these topics with students and families.
More information can be found in the flyer below and please RSVP here: mn.shor.tn/ReistAberdeen
In addition to the presentation to parents and carers, Melinda will meet with our female students across Years 7 to 12 on Wednesday 24 July.
Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones will be joining Melinda to present the Years 7 – 12 male student sessions. He specialises in online sexualisation education, bringing over 25 years of experience working with children, youth, and families. Marshall will present to our male students on Wednesday 24 July.
Both speakers deliver frank, factual and powerful messages. We understand that, for some, this content may be confronting. As a result, parents and carers can have their child opt out of these presentations.
If you would like to opt your child out of either of these presentations, or discuss how these sessions might relate for your child, please contact the relevant Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement.
Veronica Rolfe
Principal