Wonder - Marian College Sunshine West

Throughout the course of 2021 the Marian school community has explored and reflected on the theme for the year, Wonder – Celebrating all that is good with joy and gratitude. One staff prayer liturgy focused on how to experience wonder as a grown up and the responsibility that we have to encourage a sense of exploration and adventure in our young people. No matter how old we are we can take heed of Psalm 66:5, “Take a good look at God’s wonders, they will take your breath away.”

The Principal’s Address at the Opening of the School Year Mass re-emphasised this message by urging all to having a playful approach to life, to explore nature and to cultivate beauty. Using the photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, “Earth Rise,” the community prayed to understand the wonders of the world that God created for us, to see what others could not see about the wonderful world that God created and to be amazed at how beautiful the world God gave us. St. Brigid of Kildare was also filled with wonder at the spirit and gift of all the people she met as well as by the world around her so we used the Brigid “Story of the Harps” as an inspiration on how to fill our world with endless wonderful possibilities.

At the end of Term 1, students and staff associated with Years 7 to 11 participated in a Reflection Day and a liturgy prepared for the day asked them to respond to the following questions.

Who are the people in my life who hold me in love?
What place in creation gives me a sense of wonder and appreciation?
Who inspires me to be my best self and why?
When was I last taken out of myself by an experience of beauty?
How do I feel when I am gifted by a sense of wonder about someone or something?
What gifts can I share to make my family, school and community a better place?

On their Reflection Day the Year 7 students focused on the Kildare Ministries Core Values and after a discussion on the values each student created a piece of art on a calico square depicting their interpretation of one of the Core Values and how they plan to live them out. The calico squares are to be sown together and displayed in the Agnes Lyng Building as a constant reminder of our enduring connection to the Kildare Ministries community.

Official Opening of the Louise Cleary csb Learning Centre

The official opening and blessing of the Louise Cleary csb Learning Centre will be held on Monday 17 May. Sr Brigid Arthur csb, Trustee of Kildare Ministries, will officially open the newly constructed learning centre comprising 10 General Purpose Areas, large interior open spaces incorporating Maker Spaces, 2 Breakout rooms, 2 Year Level Leader offices and 2 Staff Preparation Rooms. The project also included construction of a new toilet block as well as landscaping that encourages the use of outdoor spaces as learning areas. The facility is fitted out to support the latest technological advances with all spaces wirelessly enabled and incorporates touch screen data projector technology. The furniture is contemporary and designed to cater for a variety of learning approaches and styles. At this point the Learning Centre will be used predominantly by Years 9 and 10 students.

The project brief emphasised the need to create spaces that are flexible and adaptable, and where appropriate multi-purpose, so that we are agile enough to respond to emerging curriculum and teaching and learning priorities. The construction of the new Learning Centre enables the following:

The provision of flexible learning spaces encouraging different approaches to learning.
Opportunities for greater collaboration and team teaching.
Adapting to the current advances with technology.
Greater accessibility to connect practical applications to theory.
Catering for a projected increase in enrolments.
ESD requirements will be an integral part of the project.

We thank all those who have made a contribution to the development and construction of this wonderful addition to the Marian College footprint.