From the Principal
Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and Friends of St Norbert College,
“Now Christ's body is yourselves, each of you with a part to play in the whole”.
(1 Corinthians 12: 27)
It was back on June 21 this year, when I shared in the newsletter at that time, my sentiments that fostering the growth of our students “ . . . as whole persons . . . ” is fundamental to our College mission. You may recall that I was also categorical in stating that our College is not a specialist of any individual program but that we are the sum of our programs and endeavours, and so much more.
This has been very evident in the past two weeks with a wide variety of special occasions, all celebrating the efforts of so many for the holistic education of our students.
In the past fortnight we have held Subject Selections interviews for our Year 10 students moving into Year 11 next year, the Year 11 Dinner Dance was held at the South of Perth Yacht Club following weeks of dance lessons under the guidance of Miss Laura Alban, the Parent Committee facilitated an emotional, engaging and motivational seminar with Robert Pike as the guest presenter, we welcomed our special guests from Seijo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Japan, and we finished the fortnight with today's high-spirited Inter-house Athletics Carnival. This newsletter is full of these and many other examples where the life of our community is a collective mix of creativity, excitement and diversity.
I would though, like to focus on events from this week that I believe, are wonderful expressions of the essential spiritual and cultural ingredients of our College community.
The Feast of the Assumption
We are first and foremost a Catholic community and a very special day in our liturgical calendar is the Feast of the Assumption, celebrated on August 15. It is on this day, according to our faith, we believe that our Holy Mother, "having completed her course of earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. I thank Father Peter, Mr Chadwick Beins and Ms Margaret Kyd for their unique efforts which allowed us to celebrate Masses for this special Feast of our Lady in a most reflective and relevant manner.
NAIDOC Celebrations
Our College assembly this week was a celebration of NAIDOC, acknowledging the wonderful contributions made by Australian Aboriginals in our world and country. We were extremely fortunate to have Dr Sue Gordon as our guest, a distinguished Australian with strong ties to our College and marvellous achievements in public life. Dr Gordon grew up at Sister Kate’s Children’s Home in Queens Park, her sons attended Saint Norbert College in the 1980’s as boarders at the Pallotine Hostel in Riverton and most recently, Dr Gordon and community members of Sister Kate’s hosted a presentation for our staff as part of our professional and formational development program. We are very thankful for the time and wisdom Dr Gordon shared with us.
It was a wonderful day of celebration, a day in which we also hosted the inaugural All-Stars Basketball game, in itself a celebration and exhibition of the exquisite skills of our Basketball students, Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal alike.
It would be remiss not to offer, on behalf of our College community, our sympathies to the families of Sister Kate’s on the passing of their much loved brother, and universally admired, Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer. It was a privilege for us to host Dr Gordon and to celebrate the contributions of our Aboriginal students, families and community members, on the day that would be marked for the passing of such an iconic, humble and champion human being.
Interhouse Athletics Carnival
Ern Clark Athletics Centre was the scene today for our Annual Interhouse Athletics Carnival. Well done to all students who participated with such enthusiasm, either athletically or in support of their peers, despite the chilly and sometimes wintry conditions. Many thanks to our families and friends who supported our students and to all staff who worked tirelessly to make the event so special. One of the many highlights of the day was a surprise dance performance by our graduating Class of 2019; may this be the first of a long tradition. Of special note, we acknowledge the efforts of Mr Luke Ford, our Head of Sport and his team, and to our special group of Heads of House, for all their hard work in the preparation and smooth running of this year’s carnival.
Dedicated Service to Catholic Education
Late last week Catholic Education WA hosted their annual Staff Breakfast to celebrate the contribution of some of the system’s longest serving employees. Saint Norbert College is very lucky to have amongst us, two staff who were recognised for their tireless dedication to our students;
- Miss Maureen Smith: 40 years of dedicated service
- Ms Sharon Rainford: 30 years of dedicated service
We acknowledge and congratulate both Miss Smith and Ms Rainford and look forward with enthusiasm to many more years to come at Saint Norbert College.
In closing, I use one of the many spectacular lines of our College song “Prepared for All”, as I believe it’s a poignant reminder of the inherent beauty of God’s gifts and the ability to do so much for ourselves and others;
“Lord, you gave us our abilities, Teach us to use your gifts responsibly...”
God bless.
Mr S Harvey (Principal)
Special guests
We were blessed this past week to have some very special guests residing at the Priory. This photo shows our much-loved Father Stephen Cooney O.Praem, sharing a very rare opportunity of time with his brother, Father Albert SMA and his sister, Sister Gerard CSN. We hope that Father Albert and Sister Gerard enjoyed their time here in Queens Park with Father Stephen.
Fr Peter O’Reilly Scholarship
A reminder to all of our Year 10 families that applications are open for the Fr Peter O’Reilly Scholarship, a needs based scholarship available to Year 10 students enrolled at the College and covers 100% tuition fees for Years 11 and 12. Applications open on Friday 23rd August and close on Friday 18th October 2019. Details are available from Student Reception or by clicking on this link to the College website;