From the College Principal 

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends of the St Gregory’s College Community,

A warm welcome back to the College for Term 2 to all our students, families, friends and staff. I also warmly welcome our new students, their families and new staff to the College. I hope your time with us brings you a great deal of joy and satisfaction. We all look forward to supporting you as you join the St Gregory’s community.

I hope the recent holiday break for students (and hopefully many parents) was an opportunity to relax, refresh and enjoy the company of each other for an extended period. I also hope you had the opportunity to reflect and share in the Easter celebrations in your Parish and at home with your family.

I seek your support in ensuring that your child is attending the College every day of the term so as to not fall behind and suffer from ‘learning loss’ which can be significant with days off, holiday breaks during term, etc. Over the coming weeks I will be forwarding to all parents and carers a policy document stating our St Gregory’s ‘standards’ for acceptable student attendance.

We are now in the fifty days of Easter. Easter is a festival season of fifty days whose first day is Easter Day, the Sunday of the Resurrection, and whose last day is the Day of Pentecost (Sunday 9 June). The Easter season includes the events of Christ’s resurrection and ascension (Thursday 30 May) and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. As the sacrament of new life, baptism is an Easter theme; as baptised Christians we take time during Easter to ponder the meaning of membership in Christ’s body, the church. We look at events in the church’s life, the sacraments, the accounts of resurrection and the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to discover their meaning and what they tell us about how we as a community are to live the life of the Risen Lord. Like the two who walked the Emmaus road with Jesus, we can know Christ in the sharing of the word and in the breaking of bread at the Eucharist. Today the whole church enters into this period of uncovering anew the mysteries of faith expressed in sacrament, word, and life lived for others. Each time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we say these words: We proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

The month of May is marked with “alleluias” as we celebrate the Resurrection and live into the Easter joy we proclaim.  May is also marked by the Church in its dedication of the month to Mary.  As we celebrate the Year of Mercy, we reflect on the remarkable role Mary plays in salvation history.  Her “yes” to God’s invitation forever changed the course of history.  Today, Mary offers us three essential pathways for living our faith.

Mary shows us how to listen.  Mary was a young girl living in a culture where she could have been stoned to death for having a child out-of-wedlock.  She knew the cultural and societal consequences of her “yes.”  She knew what could happen if Joseph didn’t understand.  She had reason to fear her parents’ reactions.  When the angel appeared to Mary, we read in scripture how she was deeply troubled.  Somewhere deep within she found the courage, inner strength, and grace to respond with full assent, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”  Mary show us what it means to listen with full intensity to what God is asking, God’s invitations may very well demand everything of us.  Deep pondering, heart-centred attentiveness, and courageous listening are required of us, too.

Mary shows us how God’s word must be shared with others.  When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, they did not simply exchange a simple greeting, but one of deep faith.  God’s word is meant to be shared.  It cannot be contained within us if we are to be filled with the life it offers.  We must share it with others.  During this Year of Mercy, we are invited to ponder the word of God so that we might share it joyfully with others.

Mary shows us how to live in God’s word.  Mary lived moments of profound joy as well as profound sorrow.  From losing Jesus in the Temple to the journey to Calvary, Mary lived these sorrows and anguished deeply.  Mary formed and raised Jesus from the simplicity of her daily life.  She was a person in conversation with God, with the Word of God, and also with the events through which God spoke to her.  From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary appears as someone whose freedom is completely open to God’s will and shows us how to live in God’s word.

In this month of May, may we turn to Mary in our times of joy and sorrow and ask her to continue to show us the way to her Son.  As we strive to grow in faith and live more fully in God’s word, may we, like Mary, bring Christ to others.

This Sunday (12 May), our prayers and thoughts will be with all our loving Mums! On behalf of the College I would like to say a big thank you to all to the ‘mums’ in the College who provide so much love, compassion and modelling to the children. I hope Mother’s Day is a time you are spoiled, and you feel the love of your children and families, and the constant love of Jesus.

During Term 2, I am asking parents and students to come and talk to me and to voice their opinions about how the College is going and what you would like to see further improved. I am calling this term – “Come and have a chat with Mr MacMaster about our College”. I urge you to find ten to fifteen minutes (or longer) to come and meet with me. I value your feedback and would love to have the chance to discuss the College with you. I will be available for meetings until 5.30pm each evening. Please make an appointment with Mrs Kate Stott – PA to the Principal on 46294130.  Alternatively, you are always welcome to forward an email – lee.macmaster@stgregs.nsw.edu.au

Students in Years 7 – 11 should now have received their Term 1 Interim Report - distributed to Day students on the final day of Term 1 – Friday 12 April and posted to parents of Boarding students on Friday 12 April. I hope you have taken the opportunity to sit with your son and discuss their progress and to set some goals for their education for the term ahead. I take this opportunity to congratulate the students who have reached their personal learning goals through their hard work and dedication in Term 1. It is a credit to the students who work hard and value their learning opportunities. For the students who have not reached their goals, a fresh approach to learning in Term 2 may be required. A reminder that the Parent – Teacher – Student Interviews for all Year 7 – Year 12 students will be held on Friday 17 May from 9am to 7pm, and on Sunday 19 May from 9am to 12.30pm. Appointments with teachers can be booked through the Sentral Parent – Student - Teacher online portal (as per instructions received via email from Mr Barry Graham – Director of Studies. Please do not miss this opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and to help them set learning goals and intentions for the future.

We all know so many great things happen at St Gregory’s and all these activities help to grow the culture of our great College! Thank you to all staff and students involved – and to the parents for supporting your child!

• Thanks so much for supporting the College ANZAC Commemoration Services at Campbelltown and Camden on ANZAC Day. It was wonderful to have so many of our students in attendance supporting the marches. I think we should all feel very proud of our College. Again, thanks for your support. We have a very special school. Thanks to all involved in our ANZAC Day Commemoration Assembly at the College – I thought it was a great success an