Clyde North Campus News
“With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to and you carry on.” Where is your gratitude?
(Michael J Fox)
It might be surprising to know that this quote has been attributed to the actor, Michael J Fox, who at age 29 received a devastating diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson's disease. A disease that overtime makes simple tasks difficult and painful, as tremors and rigidity of muscles impedes one’s walking, talking and balance.
Michael has spoken and written extensively about his predisposition to look at challenges, including his Parkinson's disease through a lens of optimism and humour. His quote resonates strongly with me because it is so simple and so true. When we are in a state of gratitude, other emotions such as happiness, appreciation, joy, and fulfillment may also become part of our disposition. This edition of the Newsletter is based on answering Michael’s question at the end of the quote, “Where is your gratitude?”.
This is a very easy question to answer as we have much to celebrate and be thankful for when we look at just a few of the activities, initiatives and events held over the past two weeks.
Where we found our gratitude:
- Mother’s Day breakfast.
Our Mother’s Day breakfast was a huge success with well over 200 mothers and their children enjoying a delicious breakfast that had been prepared by Jeannette Valencia and her team of staff and students. It was a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude for the unconditional love and support we receive every day from our mothers. This year there was a special door prize for one lucky mum. Mrs Emma Lloyd Smith provided a beautiful hamper full of treats and gifts. Our thanks to Mrs Lloyd Smith for this very generous gift.
Look out for our Father’s Day Breakfast that will take place early September, this event will no doubt be another wonderful opportunity to find our gratitude.
Catholic Education Week Launch
Friday 17th May was the official launch of the 2024 Catholic Education Week; however we found our gratitude a little earlier on Tuesday 14th May thanks to our College Liturgy Captains. They led the Pastoral Period via a video introducing Catholic Education Week and the task for each House to take a fresh look at the House Prayer. This soon became a celebration of the House Charism through the lens of the House Prayer.
Career’s expo!
Year nine and Vocational Major students attended a careers expo, providing them with an opportunity to explore several different career experiences hosted by a variety of industry professionals. These experiences are critical to supporting the choices and decisions year 9 students will need to make during term 3 in relation to their subject selection for year 10 and beyond. Thank you to Robyn Cardamone and the VM teachers who organised and ran this important excursion.
SIS competition – every Thursday and Friday
Every week, on Thursday and Friday afternoons we find our gratitude and optimism in the form of SIS competition. The dedication of staff under the leadership of Mr Gerard Brown, that give of their time to train and lead junior, intermediate and senior SIS teams is amazing. The students in each team proudly represent our college and regardless of winning or losing they embrace and appreciate the opportunity to engage in activities that they are passionate about.
Dreamtime Football Match - coming soon
This will be the second year to appreciate and celebrate our Dreamtime boys and girls AFL Football Match. Whilst this is a fun way of enjoying a positive rivalry between the campuses it is a most significant expression inclusiveness and the importance of acknowledging and honouring reconciliation and respect of our First Nations. We than Eden and Olivia who worked so hard on designing the jerseys for both the male and female teams.
As Michael J Fox put it: "“With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to and you carry on.” Where is your gratitude? It is clear from just this small snapshot of the past two weeks, that every day has the potential to enrich our lives through building strong and supportive relationships with our colleagues, students, and families.
Indeed, we have much to be thankful for.
Mrs Julie Banda
Head of Clyde North Campus