Principal's Report

This coming Sunday, 8th June, is The Feast of Pentecost.  Pentecost (Greek for 50th day) is celebrated by Christians 50 days after Easter, and marks the day that the Holy Spirit became known to  the apostles while they were cowering and hiding behind locked doors following Jesus’ resurrection.  After receiving the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostles immediately went out and preached Jesus’ message to everyone—even those who could not understand.

The Christian celebration of Pentecost originates from a Jewish feast that concluded the 50 days of Passover and celebrated the end of the barley harvest, plus the beginning of the wheat harvest.

I write this newsletter in the middle of a Catholic Secondary Principal’s conference.  For me it is a time of hospitality, encounter and dialogue.  Our theme, Pilgrims of Hope: Synodality as Our Compass, emerged from a deep desire to explore what it truly means to walk together, as educators, as leaders, and as people of faith - navigating both the challenges and the joys of our shared journey.

On 27 May, students from Monivae proudly joined other schools celebrating Reconciliation Week by walking together in unity and recognising the ongoing importance of reconciliation and building a more inclusive future.  The journey of reconciliation belongs to all of us, but it must be shaped and led by the voices and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart offers a generous and powerful invitation: 

“We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.” 

That invitation remains open to all of us—every day.  And it calls us to respond not just with good intentions, but with action, awareness, and solidarity.

As a Catholic community, we are called to live out our values of compassion, justice and reconciliation—not just through our prayers and words, but through our everyday choices. Our faith invites us to be bridge-builders and bearers of hope, especially where there has been pain and division.

My congratulations to the students who competed in soccer, AFL and cross country recently.  What impresses me is the way our students represent the school with humility, fair play and great sportsmanship.  Congratulations and good luck to the many students competing in the Hamilton Eisteddfod over these two weeks.

Kind regards,

Mr Jonathan Rowe

Principal