MISSION CENTRAL

Men of Saints Attend the Inaugural Student Voice Forum 

 by Matthew Rowbotham

The Student Voice Forum, for me, was very exciting and engaging where I could express my thoughts and ideas to better the schooling up here. I had the chance to share my issues on various school-related topics. This was good as I could deal with the real issues that others don't understand. I met new people who shared their issues as well and this was a lot better than just doing nothing about them. By participating in interviews, discussions and contributing to action steps, I could actively engage in meaningful dialogue, highlighting the importance of student voice in driving positive change within our school community.

Sacramental program 

St Augustine’s offers a sacramental program for any students who, with their parents' consent, wish to complete their sacraments of initiation into the Catholic faith or who wish to enter the Catholic faith through Baptism and the other sacraments of initiation, namely Reconciliation, Confirmation or First Eucharist.  If your son is interested, please talk to him about this important step, and, if you wish to support him in this, please contact me at the College. 

Service update 

By Jayden Cox

This year’s fundraising provides much needed help to the Lavalla school in Cambodia for the education of young people living with disability. Last Wednesday, Mrs Cross and I participated in a zoom call with the Cambodian school and other Australian Marist schools. Our Marist connection with them was immediately apparent when the Cambodian children sang the opening prayer, just as we at Saints take pride when singing our College songs. 

The Lavalla school is extremely grateful for the opportunities Australian Marist Solidarity gives them and especially for our hard work and generosity. Together we’ve already raised over $5000 for the appeal, an outstanding achievement - well done! For the junior school, Mr Churchward’s homeroom 8.5 is in the lead for fundraising, with 12.1 Ms Fulton's, in top spot among the seniors. Thank you to everyone running fundraisers around the College, your efforts are making a real difference in the children’s lives. We have two weeks to reach our goal of $10,000.  

Congratulations to the eight students in Years 10 and 11 who have been accepted into the Ozanam leadership program run by the St Vincent de Paul society. This program gives students the skills and opportunity to become passionate service leaders. Saints had a very strong presence in the application shortlisting, so well done to all the gents that applied. Vinnies is thrilled to work in partnership with us.

Finally, the support from the senior students for Rosies this term has been overwhelming. Thank you for generously giving your time to help those doing it tough in Cairns.

SRC 2024 

By Jack and Harrison Follent 

The 2024 SRC welcomes its newest members. This year the SRC will focus on ecology, and continue with initiatives such as beach to bins that was created by last year's SRC. Ecology has been chosen to be this year's focus due to its significance in Cairns, as Cairns is situated between the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest which are natural wonders needing to be cared for and protected.

The newly appointed SRC students attended a Young Marist Leadership day with Good Counsel College Innisfail last week. Here are some of the students' comments: 

Jon: It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with each other and learn new skills that we can use to find and secure new relationships, within and outside the school.

Ziggy: The day was an insightful interactive experience, encompassing a variety of activities and lessons that allowed us to get a better understanding of fostering relationships and making a positive impact in the community.

Ethan: It was a wonderful experience for us to learn to help one another through tough times to build an advanced relationship, in and outside of school.

Harrison: The sessions with our visitors, especially Br Tony Leon, will prove to be vital this year, teaching us about the importance of being a good and active listener in leadership roles. The skills we learnt will remain invaluable throughout the year as they guide us in our efforts to help the Saints community. 

Ben R: The day taught me the fundamentals of being a good leader and how to nurture and lead my peers through our struggles and success during out time as Year 8 students. 

Cooper M: The SRC Leadership Day gave me the skills to properly communicate and coordinate in the classroom and out.

Jack: The skills we learnt with Br Tony proved to be very beneficial, as they have helped us to become better leaders, by providing an understanding of active listening and its importance as well as body language. It was also a great opportunity to further our connections with our fellow Marist school Good Counsel College Innisfail.

Brekky with the Boys - Year 11 

Brekky with the Boys was a great experience for all the Year 11s that attended. It allowed us to relate to the leaders of our school, and learn valuable lessons from the prefects including the importance of service and the strength of community.