Religious Education
As we approach the end of the school year and the beginning of the festive season, the Religious Education KLA is busy with interactive, fun and community centred learning in our classrooms.
Our Year 7 classrooms have been hives of activity as our students have been working collaboratively each lesson. As part of the Sacred Time and Place unit, students have been researching sacred sites and locations around the world, exploring their history and religious significance, and preparing ‘Travel Blogger’ style presentations for avid travellers!
Year 8 has been learning about the plight of the most vulnerable in our communities, as they work on the Community Service unit. Classes have been taking inspiration from existing outreach programs that support the homeless as they work on developing ideas and initiatives of their own. We will enjoy seeing their creativity, compassion and problem solving skills in action, as they present their ‘pitches’ in upcoming lessons.
The unit Meaning in the Media, has been an intriguing and contemporary final topic for Year 9. Students have examined the influence of the media in society and the ways that people engage with information on various platforms. This has been especially interesting as we explore how Christianity and other religions interact with the media as a way to deliver messages to the world. We were grateful to have Seminarian Brother Patrick visit two of our classes recently, to discuss Pope Francis’ inspiring talks and encyclicals, such as Ladauto Si (care for our common home), on the environment.
Commitment to Faith in Action is the final unit for our Year 10 cohort, involving a study of vocations, including religious orders. Students have been exploring concepts such as commitment and ministry, as they reflect on the various commitments in their own lives. We will soon begin a series of introductory lessons on Aboriginal Spiritualities and culture, where students will become more familiar with language and concepts central to this theme. Creation of Aboriginal art- inspired Christmas cards, will be the perfect way to end the year through service in action. By donating these cards to our local St. Vincent de Paul centre for sale, we can contribute to raising funds for those less fortunate in our community at Christmas time.
We would like to congratulate our Senior Studies of Religion students as they recently completed their first HSC Assessment Task. It was so pleasing to hear class teachers comment on how impressed they were with the dedication and positive approach to learning that they observed as these students prepared for and sat this task. Well done to the students who utilised the College Resource Centre to engage in active revision and practice before their task and a big thank you to our SOR teachers for their ongoing support of our seniors.
On a final note, we would like to congratulate several of our Year 7 students on winning the 2024 Nagle Prize! This competition is run by the Nagle Education Alliance of Australia, with the 2024 focus being on the notion of ‘hospitality’, as demonstrated by our school patron and founder of the Presentation Sisters, Nano Nagle.
Well done to Garvita Joshi, Lucy Matthews, Monica Stephen and Zoe White, on your fabulous entries and this wonderful achievement. We are very proud of you!
We wish everyone a happy, safe and Christ- filled Christmas and holiday season, and we look forward to another wonderful year of reflection, growth and learning in RE for 2025!
Mrs Rebecca Robins | Religious Education KLA Leader