Acting Principal's Message
We were delighted this week to hear news from our Principal, Mrs Val Thomas, about her successful pilgrimage in Ireland. We are grateful for her safe travels, which will continue until her return in Week 7.
In Mrs Thomas’s absence, we celebrated the feast of Blessed Edmund Rice. We continue to be inspired by his charism. Blessed Edmund’s work, especially in education and his dedication to the poor remain foundational aspects of our work.
In this spirit, the College has continued in our pursuit of developing all aspects of the students in our care. The following details some of the academic, cultural and sporting pursuits being undertaken by our staff and students in these first weeks of Term 2:
NAPLAN Results
NAPLAN results for 2024 have been released and we begin the work of analysing the performance of our students to shape instruction for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. Our Annual Improvement Plan lists a focus on Self-Regulated Learning to assist students plan, monitor and evaluate their own approach to reading, especially the purpose of each reading task and the strategies they employ to best meet this purpose.
We will continue this Self-Regulation focus as it applies to writing conventions, especially continuing a focus on students’ grammar in writing. Our whole-school Leader of Pedagogy, Mrs Sadler, is leading this.
Grease
Final preparations for our College musical, Grease, are underway. The talent and flair of our actors, dancers, musicians and technicians can be seen at the Civic Theatre from our Opening Night, on the 17th of May, through to Saturday the 25th of May.
The production would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our wonderful staff. We thank Mrs Streckfuss, Miss Keough, Miss Rumbachs and Mr and Mrs Saxon, as well as all other staff involved. A musical of this size is always a significant undertaking but the opportunities provided to students to learn about both performance and production are outstanding.
Sporting Teams
We wish all of our sporting teams the best of luck in their upcoming matches. Our Carroll Cup Opens Boys’ Aussie Rules team improves with each match played. Having lost to Kildare in their opening match, they accounted for a strong Wagga High side and will need to win their remaining matches for a chance to play in the final. Our Currie Cup Under 15 boys’ and Lumsden Cup Under 15 girls’ teams both had strong starts to their campaigns and we wish them well for their upcoming matches.
The Tracey Gunson netball competition begins this week. It is a much younger team than those fielded by Mater Dei in the last few years, but we have every faith in their talent and competitiveness. We wish them well and thank the coaches of all the teams mentioned.
Year 9 Community Building Camp
It has been noted in the media recently that there is a significant need for the young men of our society to be adequately taught and mentored, especially regarding positive social behaviours. Prominent online figures such as Andrew Tate have been criticised for sending misogynistic messages and instances of domestic violence continue to be a problem in Australia.
Mater Dei’s Year 9 boys’ camp is an opportunity for our young men to have time and space to consider what it means to be a man in the modern world. The boys work through a series of challenging activities designed to improve their independence, confidence and teamwork. In addition to the positive role modelling demonstrated by our male staff, students are introduced to stories like that of St Ignatius Loyola, himself a sometimes brash young man forced to consider his life’s purpose after being injured at the Battle of Pamplona. They pray and reflect on the virtues required to live a fulfilling life.
Finally, I hope that all mothers had a wonderful Mother’s Day on the 12th of May. The role of a mother retains a special significance and is especially pertinent for our school, named after Mary, the Mother of God.
Mr Shaun Ellis | Acting Principal