Principal News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome-Respect-Service-Learning all form part of the Bishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga. This newsletter will focus on the first two items and will follow on with news regarding service and learning in the newsletter published in Week 8

Welcome

After a long hiatus from hosting international exchange students, we were delighted to welcome two students from Europe to Marian for Terms 3, 4 (2023) and 1 (2024).

In Year 11 we have Michel Coric from Trentino in Italy staying with host family Michelle and Paul Rosano. Michel speaks a number of languages and has chosen a range of academic subjects during her time here including physics, advanced maths and biology. She has many other interests including cooking and music.

In Year 10 we have Lea Petesch, from Luxembourg-situated between Germany and Belgium. Lea speaks Luxembourgeoise as her first language in addition to English and others. She is a keen swimmer, enjoys sports and spending time with friends. Lea's host family are Deborah and Peter Della Franca.

We also welcome back Gabriel and Donna Abdala and Melissa Kobold from their World Youth Day Pilgrimage to Lisbon, Portugal and Israel. We know this very special immersive spiritual experience will take a while to process and look forward to sharing key moments with Gabriel, Donna and Melissa as they begin to settle back into their life and work at Marian. The team have brought back a precious gift from Calvary for the College which will be shared with the staff on Monday at briefing and then placed in a place of honour for all to enjoy.

Respect

We are very proud of Marian Catholic College and always enjoy sharing the achievements, successes and stories of our wonderful students and staff. Generally, if we wish to communicate with you around more serious matters, we will usually send a letter or specific communication through our Compass App.

However, I think it is important to remind all parents and caregivers this week of the responsibilities of our students to represent the College appropriately, both at school and within the community, demonstrating respect at all times.

This responsibility for respectful behaviour includes when attending any external event or using buses when travelling to and from school. On almost all occasions involving excursions or using transport, the feedback I have received this year about students from Marian has been overwhelmingly positive from parents, community members and others. 

There have been a number of occasions however, where a very few students have not shown the respect that we would expect. We value our relationships with our families and with the broader community. Where we see a lack of respect, wherever this occurs, we will follow up with any individuals concerned and, if needed, we will also be in contact with parents to advise them of any complaints regarding in and out of school behaviour. 

Belonging to a beautiful and highly achieving College like Marian, is a privilege that we all take very seriously. Belonging to Marian includes the responsibility for all members to both show and receive respect and, as people of God, to work towards reconciliation and restoring relationships when mistakes are made. 

Parents and carers also need to be aware that consequences for damage to property or harassment of other students outside of school hours by Marian students may result in external charges, compensation claims for damage or removal of the right to travel by bus or attend an event for a specified period of time. 

Luke 6:31

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Dr Penny Ludicke

Principal