PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Last week we were able to finally run our Kerang bus along its usual route. After four weeks of isolation our Kerang bus travelers arrived at school on the school bus. Our excitement and joy at finally having these students back at school were bittersweet, as we know that there are still other families in our community that have had to relocate, evacuate or are isolated and unable to attend school. Our prayers continue for our NSW families, particularly those in Moulamein who were told to evacuate this week. We have also been informed that the Moulamein bus will not run for the remainder of the school year.

I encourage any families that the floods have impacted, to make contact with us. The Betty Currie Scholarships have re-opened for families whose incomes have or will be impacted by the floods and I can direct you to Government assistance if your child has lost any schooling items, including books and uniforms, in the floods.

Our students and staff have been congratulated on their wonderful efforts in recent weeks. As a community, we were able to fill over 3,000 sandbags that have gone to support families and the wider community. The Mayor of Swan Hill Rural City Council, Cr Les McPhee spoke with a group of Year 10 students, representatives of our whole school and commended them on their community service and reiterated that it takes all of us to stand up at times such as these and support each other.

The Year 12 Graduation Mass and Dinner were wonderful events on our calendar last week. I am grateful that we were able to return to our traditional graduation program, one that we have not been able to hold since 2019. The students dressed beautifully for the occasion and our speakers, Georgia Craig-Neal, Jem Sibley, Alex Carroll and Ruby Scott, Jo Sheldrick Doherty and Luke Crow, provided thoughtful reflections on the past six years of learning, as well as looking forward to future opportunities. Thank you to Suzy Haley and Catherine Howison for all of their efforts in planning for this night.

Last Friday we said farewell to Malcolm Curtis, Maintenance Officer. Malcolm began working at St Mary MacKillop College in 2011 and has maintained the grounds, ensuring that our community has a clean and safe environment, over these past eleven years. In his quiet way, Malcolm went about his work, pruning the beautiful roses and mowing the lush lawns, always prepared to assist or offer support at short notice. Malcolm has put out thousands of chairs for assemblies, cooked hundreds of sausages for school BBQs and picked up way too many leaves to count. Malcolm will be missed by our school community and we wish him well as he moves on to new adventures.

In the Newsletter today you will see all of the student leadership appointments for 2023. I congratulate all of the students that have nominated and completed the interview process for these roles. I look forward to the ideas and events that these students will bring to life in 2023.

It’s hard to believe that this Sunday will be the First Sunday of Advent. The First Sunday of Advent is focused on Hope. I pray for our community at this time of crisis that hope can bring you some comfort.

Father, let your hope arise in our hearts! Lift our eyes up to see that you alone are where our hope comes from. Help us to shake off the anxiety, discouragements, and distractions that have filled this year.

(www.crosswalk.com)