From the Executive

Welcome to the 2023 School year.

It has been great to see the students back after the break and presenting themselves in an excellent manner this week. We appreciated students ensuring that they met the presentation requirements as outlined last year for the photos and look forward to all students continuing to strive to present themselves with pride and respect for all.

“Be a burning flame not a smouldering wick”

As always, we encourage the students to take responsibility for their learning and encourage them to seek help and guidance when needed, while always striving to be and do better with everything that they take on at school.

We draw on the words of St Eugene De Mazenod with the College guiding principle “Be a burning flame not a smouldering wick”. This guiding principle, which is the focus for Year 10 students, serves to light the fire inside them, fostering a burning desire to achieve academic excellence and to cultivate their abilities to the fullest. We see education as a lifelong process of formation in the truth, not just a moment in time, encouraging our students to be the flame, continuously burning brightly, and sharing their talents. Thank you to the students who will share their talents on the sporting field, as musicians, in the performing arts, the classrooms and giving generously to social justice and leadership initiatives in 2023.

Hope

“I am realistic and also full of optimism about the future, believing in my actions and feeling confident things will turn out well.”

The first Character strength of the week commencing later this month is Hope. There were some wonderful achievements from our staff and students at the end of last year as we emerged out of some very challenging years and the feeling amongst many in the community is a great sense of hope and optimism for this year and the future with a return to a full College Calendar of activities and events.

This year the Homeroom structure has changed to allow for wellbeing lessons to be conducted and to hold relevant assemblies and events during an extended Homeroom time on a Friday. As you would be aware Mazenod has adopted Visible Wellbeing as our whole school approach focussing on the SEARCH framework. This year students will have the opportunity to be taught wellbeing during this extended Homeroom time with students in Year 7-9 utilising the Resilience Project curriculum and in Year 10-12 focuses on topics such as Respectful Relationships and e-safety. We are excited to create time and space during Homeroom to implement these beneficial lessons for our students. 

Safety

To ensure the safety of all, a reminder to parents to please not drive down Kernot Avenue to drop off or pick up your son. 

Students were reminded today of the Mobile Phone Policy and the importance of respecting individual privacy. Students are not permitted to use mobile phones during the school day and to refrain from using them while crossing roads when leaving the College.

Mr Tim Ford

Deputy Principal (Students)