Welcome Back to the 2018 School Year

The preparation for this time takes place over many months, as we plan to have all the best available programs, whilst also focusing carefully on the pastoral needs of young men who begin another part of their journey. We do need to keep in mind that it is not just another year as one rolls into the next. It is a time for reflection on what each of us can do to contribute to our community and to use the God given talents that each of us possess.

I had the opportunity to attend the Leaders camp at Cypress Lodge, Phillip Island; a place very familiar to most of the leaders as it formed the base for their Year 7 and 8 outdoor education experience.

It was wonderful to hear of their aspirations for the College, their love of the Lasallian heritage and their plans for this year.

Leadership comes in many forms. In a College such as ours, it is servant leadership that is most sought as it reflects the model that Christ so willingly demonstrated. Let us pray for these leaders and indeed all of our Year 12 cohort as they take up the challenge of supporting all members of our school. I wish them well in their endeavours.

Welcoming an incoming group of Year 7 students is always a delight. They, and their families, are the future of our College. The fresh uniforms, full school bags, looks of anticipation and a thirst for knowing form part of the picture. We do well to remember that every student is his own entity and that we need to carefully ensure that each can keep his unique traits rather than trying to be another person. We look forward to the contribution they will make to St Bede’s College. Likewise, I was able to meet many of our Year 7 families in the Functions Room after the students entered class for the first time.

There are many activities and events which are about to unfold. I particularly look forward to our first College assembly and the Opening Mass, both of which take place on Thursday.

Our staff gathered last Monday for three days of professional learning. One full day was dedicated to Restorative Practice which looks at the best way to maintain healthy and respectful relationships between students, staff and parents.

On the first day we gathered, I expressed a few thoughts to the staff. You will find an edited version of this talk below.

What I do know is that no one year is like another. Every year we try to live the Mission. The school will be the richer and more varied because of new students, families and staff; schools do not stay still. The boys who have graduated are about to make their mark as Lasallian graduates yet we begin the cycle and energise ourselves again for our students as they return on Thursday.

We focus on the boys we have and those to come this year.

Our collective challenge as a staff is in being faithful to our Mission and to what has gone before whilst continuing to meet the needs of our boys and families.

There are a few areas I would like to comment on specifically.

I do want to express my own belief in the inherent nature of a Catholic school. St Bede’s is a Catholic school in the Lasallian tradition. It is a member of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and shares a collective responsibility in offering a Catholic education to every Catholic family who seeks enrolment. What does this really mean?

Firstly, we are unashamedly Catholic. Some consider this a challenge given the current publicity around the Catholic Church in Australia.

Not since the days of pre-Catholic school funding have there been so many issues converging at once. Funding itself, The Royal Commission, choice of schools and Parish structures. And yet, never has there been a more exciting time to be a part of Catholic education.

It is precisely now that we should be offering an optimistic and practical view of what it means to be Catholic. Not all staff in Catholic schools are Catholic – the same can be said of St Bede’s.

But anyone who works in a Catholic school commits to support the ethos and values associated with it. Our Catholic identity should be clear and unambiguous through prayer and social service.

We see Jesus as a role model of how we present ourselves in relationships. By being authentic servant leaders we gain respect from others.

Striving to be clearly Catholic, especially through our actions, is essential (facta non verba – deeds not words).

We have the great honour of being able to enrich the Catholic story through our Lasallian charism by including others in the story of John Baptist de La Salle. Such a beautiful story taken on by many since the late 1600s.

We are also very fortunate to have brothers on staff this year who live the story every day.

I have been charged with ensuring that I work towards keeping the school Lasallian. My intention is beyond that, because just preserving is not enough, it needs to be promoted and lived out. I assure you that it needs to be a collective effort, a collective commitment.

Learning is a priority. In many ways it seems that we are blessed at St Bede’s. We have parents who value education, student goodwill, a committed staff, fine facilities and grounds. But there is always more to do.

I do wish to acknowledge the generous welcome I have received from the St Bede’s Community. It has been wholehearted and sincere. I very much look forward to the future.

May the Lord bless our year.

Per Vias Rectas

John Finn

Principal

St Bede's College eNews

Issue 1 · 07 Feb 2018

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