Principal 

Recently

I spoke with potential Beda boys and their parents at the Mentone Campus Open Day and will have the same opportunity at the Bentleigh East Campus shortly.  Here is part of my address to our visitors:

St Bede’ College is a Catholic school for boys in the Lasallian tradition that is now in its 85th year.  However, our Lasallian traditions go back so much further—to the Christian Schools of St John Baptist de la Salle in France in the late 1600s.  Those Lasallian approaches to schooling and education—the presence of God in all that we do; practicing respect, care and inclusivity; being mindful of, and acting to improve the lot of those needing assistance, and always striving to “do our best” give our students the Five Guiding Principles, symbolised in the five points of the Star of Bethlehem on our College crest.  Over those 85 years, thousands of parents living in the south-east of Melbourne have recognised that St Bede’s College specialises in boys’ education and is committed to providing an holistic program that supports the needs of each student with a view to them experiencing enjoyment and success in learning.  The motto we present to the students, Per Vias Rectas or By Right Paths, was chosen by the college founders to stress that the young people in our care be given a strong set of values to underpin the way they live and that opportunities be given for leadership and responsibility as they journey on their life path.   

The development of good young people who find success and fulfilment in the service of others has always been the focus of the College and continues to direct our mission today.  Our graduating students are socially just and become aware that they are part of a global society.  Ex-students of St Bede’s College can be found in all forms of work, in politics, in the arts, in music and in sport.  The last of the De La Salle brothers to serve as the principal of St Bede’s College, Brother Garry Coyt, once made the comment that his big wish for the graduates of St Bede’s was that they went on to become successful husbands and fathers. In the language of today, one might say that we want our boys to value family, go on to have meaningful relationships and contribute positively to society.

Most outsiders or those newly connected to St Bede’s College quickly come to learn of its strength as a community.  We strive to be an inclusive community where students have the right to be safe, valued, challenged and respected by all.  We also believe that such respect carries mutual responsibility for others as part of the College family—we are all expected to be brothers and sisters to one another.  We understand that the quality of relationships is critically important in the lives and education of our students and the establishment of productive staff/student relationships has strong resonance with our staff.  Each student should be named and known.  Strong pastoral care links between the student, family and College are a hallmark of the College.  For our young people to fully grow, it is essential that everyone they encounter at school has an interest in their development beyond their capabilities as a student.

Academic aspiration matters, and it is important that every student is inspired to be the best they can be.  Our vision for learning encompasses all aspects of life, the intellectual, spiritual, physical, social, emotional, ethical, and cultural dimensions where education is consciously structured to develop the whole person in a caring, family-oriented community.

Important College priorities for me are that we maximise student growth across all domains and can provide the data as evidence of academic growth, that we set high expectations with regard to responsible student behaviour, that the College and students are well presented and that the students and their parents contribute to, and have pride in, their school community.

This newsletter will include articles on Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lentern Period, House Athletics and House Swimming, Respectful Relationships, Teaching and Learning, Debating, The Wizard of Oz production, as well as a myriad of other activities—evidence of the range of activities in which students may choose to participate.  We should all be striving to achieve our own personal best in the academic or co-curricular activities in which we are participating.  We should also strive to be our best self.  In speaking with some College Student Leaders recently they stated they would like a “Beda boy” to be “approachable, trustworthy, respectable and to command respect, to be community minded”.  They also added “and to be clean and presentable”.

Per Vias Rectas

Deb Frizza

Principal