Dear Families and Community of Blackfrairs Priory School,

The A ͯ Academic Extension Program was launched on Thursday, 1 March to Year 10 students in the Fr James O’Doherty OP Performing Arts Theatre by Mr David Ruggiero (Acting Deputy Principal, Secondary) and me.

This is an exciting new program that will provide opportunities for Year 10 students with a passion for STEM to extend themselves through participation in cross curricular, project based learning. Students will be involved in external STEM research activities, collaborating with each other and competing against students from other schools. Professionals from the STEM Industry will mentor the students in small groups and provide a window into the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics beyond school. We are also investigating an International STEM tour for 2019 visiting renowned overseas STEM Schools and centres of excellence for STEM. Miss Charlotte Berrill will be a key staff member in organising and facilitating the program.

The program does not replace the integrated STEM opportunities available to all Year 10 students through the curriculum, neither does the program restrict extension opportunities to students in the A ͯ Program. Students will continue to be extended in other School programs including Public Speaking, English and Humanities competitions, Drama and Sport and there will be students who participate in one-off STEM competitions without necessarily being part of the A ͯ Academic Extension Program.

The Year 10 students were excited by the launch of the program and applications closed on Monday, 5 March. Please contact Mr Ruggiero (Acting Deputy Principal-Secondary) if you would like to have more information about the A ͯ Program.

SENIOR DRAMA 'TRUTH' AT THE ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL

The Senior Drama students were once again invited to be part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, a great honour for Blackfriars and an opportunity for the students to showcase their talents to a wider audience. In 2017, the students successfully presented the production, “What Doesn’t Kill You” at the Fringe Festival; this year they performed “Truth”, a play exploring modern themes of social media, cyberbullying and the power relationships between the genders. The cast included both current and past students:

Current Students: Christian Apolloni, Lorenzo Ravida, Adam Nguyen, Benedict Gbala

Recent Old Scholars: Daniel Jarmyn, Connor Watson, Brock Murray, Paul Hennessey

The play was reviewed in the 'Adelaide Theatre Guide' and I proudly quote the following:

“’Truth’ was presented by past and current students of Blackfriars Priory School under the direction of Bob Becker. It is a show tackling many current themes that the youth of today face daily and definitely one to look out for at this year’s Fringe.”

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) Review below by Talia Gaertner-Jones

See separate article for the full review.

Congratulations to Mr Becker and the cast for an outstanding season and such positive representation of the Blackfriars Priory School student talent.

VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY MEETINGS

The Vietnamese Community Meetings are important meetings in the School calendar. The purpose of the gatherings is to develop a close relationship between home and school and to improve the educational outcomes for students. The forums give an opportunity for the School to provide relevant information to parents and to answer any questions from parents. Most importantly, parents have the chance to chat with each other in a parent workshop and then speak with me and Mr Ruggiero, Acting Deputy Principal - Secondary about the school, the academic, religious and pastoral programs and their hopes for their sons whilst at Blackfriars.

Interested families please note the following dates in your calendar

Monday, 7 May @ 7:30 pm [Staff Room]

Monday, 10 September @ 7:30 pm [Staff Room]

OPEN DAY WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH FROM 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Please remember to extend to your family and friends, a warm invitation to have a tour of our School on Open Day to observe and experience what we offer in delivering excellence in boys’ education at Blackfriars Priory School. The school is open to all visitors and families from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Students will be dismissed at 1:00 pm on this day.

ST PATRICK'S DAY

The Irish in me looks forward to celebrating St Patrick’s Day on 17 March and with the Community of Blackfriars I share the following excerpt of a prayer attributed to St Patrick:

St Patrick's Breastplate

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Many Irish Blessings to you all,

Mr Simon Cobiac

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