Principal News

Dear Marian Catholic College community,

This is the final newsletter for 2024. As it will be filled with photos and stories of the wonderful events and activities that have occurred over the year, I will keep my final newsletter address fairly brief. However, I do want to pay a special thank you to all involved in our beautiful and reverent End of Year Mass last Thursday, especially Fr Connell, Mr Abdala, Mr and Mrs Segrave and the wonderful student musicians, altar servers and Eucharistic ministers. 

End-of-Year Awards Ceremony and Assembly

On Friday 13 of December, we were honored to welcome several distinguished guests to our Awards Ceremony and Final Assembly for 2024. These included Dr. Andrew Watson, Director of Catholic Education – Diocese of Wagga Wagga; Parish Priest Father Henry Ibe; Assistant Parish Priest Father Connell Perry; and many other valued members of our community. Mrs Betsy Ferrugia (representing the Honorable Helen Dalton MP), Ms Alicia Bradley, Mr Christian Codemo, Mrs Michelle Trenerry and Luke Trenerry, Mrs Dianne Robertson and Mrs Rosanne Bianchini all presented special prizes and tributes to students  in honour of the occasion.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these guests for their presence and support, as well as to our students, staff, and our parents for making this event a success.

Our awards this year celebrated excellence across our core values of faith, learning, service, care, stewardship, and leadership – the pillars of our Marian mission. These awards reflect our commitment to “Living the Marian Way,” or the way of Mary, which is encapsulated by the College crest: The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Congratulations and well done to all of the many students who received a major award or prize!

Focus on Core Values for 2025

While our Catholic faith, belief in Jesus Christ, and our mission values remain central to all that we do, in 2024, we engaged our entire community – students, parents, and staff – to discern key focus values for the next two years. The result was a collective commitment to Respect, Growth, and Community:

• Respect: Valuing ourselves, others, and the environment.
• Growth: Striving for personal and academic improvement while fostering positive relationships.
• Community: Creating an inclusive and supportive environment where all belong.

These values will guide us into 2025, helping every member of our College thrive  and contribute meaningfully, developing faith, learning, wellbeing and a sense of purpose.

Acknowledgements and Farewells

We also took the opportunity to bid farewell several staff members, including:

• Father Connell Perry, our College Chaplain, who will move to a new parish in 2025 before commencing studies in Rome next September.
• Retiring staff members Mr. Mel Blanco and  Mrs. Grace Cognodetto whose many years of dedicated service leave a lasting legacy.
• Staff taking leave for 2025: Mrs. Evelina Blanco, Mrs. Donna Abdala, Mrs. Rebecca Jensen, Ms. Ashley Pianca, and Ms. Ashton Taylor.
• Mr. Stephen Munro, departing to join Verity College and Mrs Sally Mitchell who will spend more time with family and the family business.

We thank each of these individuals for their contributions and wish them every success in their future endeavors. We also have a number of new teaching staff joining us in January next year, who we will introduce in the first newsletter for 2025.

Looking Ahead

As we conclude the year, we celebrate the achievements of our students and the unwavering support of our staff, parents, and broader community. Together, we have upheld the values of Marian Catholic College, ensuring a nurturing environment for faith, learning and growth.

May you all have a blessed Christmas and a joyful holiday season. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2025, ready to embrace the values of Respect, Growth, and Community as we live the Marian way!

Yours sincerely

Dr Penny Ludicke