PRINCIPAL

LENT

Mass in our Chapel on Ash Wednesday marked the start of Lent which begins six weeks before the celebration of Easter. Our Dean of Ministry, Mr Chris Kan, also shared thoughts and reminders on this important date in the Church calendar with staff throughout the day. Thank you to Chris for organising Mass and ashes for staff and students.

Over the period of Lent, our students will be raising funds for Caritas. Supporting Caritas fits very well with our College focus on Mission. The theme of Project Compassion for 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’. It encourages us to do what we can to make the world a better place. 

PARENT HANDBOOK

The College has put together a Parent Handbook. This book collates many of the documents pertinent to parents/caregivers. I hope that families find it useful for finding quick answers to everyday school questions. Parents should resist the temptation to print the entire handbook; instead, parents are encouraged to access the Parent Handbook in its digital form as the links will be updated on a regular basis. I thank Mr Lucio Cicchini, Vice Principal, and Mrs Narelle Burnett, Head of Community Relations and Marketing, for their diligent work in putting the Parent Handbook together. The Handbook is available below. Please do not hesitate to provide us with your feedback about the Handbook.

YEARS 7-12 COMPETITORS SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our energetic Years 7-12 swimmers put on a great display on Monday at HBF Stadium. I particularly enjoyed seeing students challenge themselves and break their own personal best. This was particularly true of our younger swimmers who were a little nervous but were supported by the enthusiastic Year 12 students. The fast pace, music and camaraderie ensured a great day was had by all. Year group Champion Boys and Girls and all Runners-up were announced at yesterday's Whole School Assembly and are available in this Newsletter. 

Congratulations to all who were involved. I wish our competitive swimmers well as they now prepare for the ACC ‘A’ Division Carnival on Wednesday 22 March. I thank Miss Monique Saunders, Acting Head of Learning Area - Health & Physical Education, and her team of teachers and support staff for their excellent organisation of the day. 

YEAR 7 PARENT INFORMATION EVENING

It was wonderful to see so many families attend our Year 7 Parent Information Evening. I hope everyone gained some valuable information and we were able to clarify any uncertainties about our systems and processes.

Once again, thank you to Mr Justin Whitt, Assistant Deputy Principal - Year 7, the Year 7 PCG teachers, all presenters, and our Theatre staff for this event.

WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Thank you to Mrs Sandra Manning, Deputy Principal – Community, and all staff involved for a delightful Whole School Assembly yesterday. It was a jam-packed program with reports from all pillars led by our Captains. The student body eagerly anticipated the announcement of House points and we are pleased to announce that Hannan House is currently in top position. The students also participated in our latest project ‘Operation Lift Your Voice’ where we are strongly encouraging students to sing the National Anthem, the College Anthem and Mass hymns with enthusiasm and passion. You can watch the assembly HERE.

Lions Club of Duncraig President, Mrs Carmel Ward and Club Representative, Mr David Miller, presented Jaeden Carlyon (Year 12 Thu Duc) with a Year 12 Scholarship for $500. Congratulations Jaeden. The College has held a long-standing relationship with the Lions Club of Duncraig and is very grateful for its generosity in providing financial scholarships for our students over a number of years. If you would like to know more about this outstanding organisation and its offerings to schools, please click HERE.

FAREWELL TO STAFF

This week we farewelled the following staff at a morning tea on Shrove Tuesday: Mr Marc Farrell, former Head of Learning Area - Religious Education, Ms Gemma Kidby, HAAS teacher and Mrs Luana Abbott, Events Coordinator. We sincerely thank these staff for their commitment and dedication to the College during their time with us and wish them well for the future. 

Miss Johann Dalton will continue in her role as Religious Education teacher replacing Marc and Ms Nicole Xouris has been appointed to replace Gemma. The appointment of a new Events Coordinator is still in process. 

God Bless.

Mr Leo Di Gregorio

Principal