From the Principal

Pictured above: Students and staff commemorating the grant received for the Queen's Jubilee Tree Planting program, developing the College orchard.

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of St Virgil’s,

Remembrance Day

Music is a universal language and possibly the most widespread form of creative expression used by people, young and old. A simple piece of evidence is in the number of people around the place wearing earphones. From celebration to mourning, anthem to lullaby, music accompanies our deepest human experiences. On Remembrance Day, it is the haunting sound of the Last Post that most captures the meaning of the moment – more than words can. Therefore, it makes sense that a good education includes music, and a rounded schooling provides opportunities to listen to, appreciate and make music. 

Today the school stopped to mark Remembrance Day, as a remembrance and commemoration of those who died in war – with the origin being those who died in the First World War; Australians who died in the service of their country but remembering all who have died in war. And for some at St Virgil’s College – a remembrance of fathers, uncles, and other relatives who have died and the consequences and memories of that being something many carry with them every day. The playing of the Last Post and the brevity of the phrases ‘We will remember them’ and ‘Lest we forget’, serving to highlight the importance of the real meaning of this occasion for us. I thank the many staff involved in coordinating and involvement in this very special event and especially Fr Suresh for leading our prayer service today at the Senior School. 

Year 10 Exams 

I strongly believe that a sign of a job well done is the legacy left for the future – in what has been achieved and in what can be picked up and carried on with. When a person finishes in a role or job, what have they left behind for the person stepping into their shoes? In contrast, a student finishing a year of schooling will be picking up their own legacy when the next year begins. Have they laid a good foundation of learning so they can cope with the harder work next year? Have they continued to develop good study habits which they will need as the amount of work increases? Have they built good relationships with peers and teachers, necessary to build the right environment for success? With Year 10 examinations commencing next week, there is a chance for all those students to finish on a strong note. We wish our Year 10 students all the very best as they commence examinations next week and trust that they will complete the year positively and with a sense of achievement for a job well done.

Staffing Update 

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Kim Mooney has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal – Religious Identity & Mission commencing in 2023 and comes highly recommended to this position. Mrs Mooney is an experienced Catholic Educator and is currently the Assistant Principal – Religious Education at St Patrick’s College, Gympie, Queensland having held this position since 2006. 

Mrs Mooney has a Bachelor of Science, Graduate Diploma of Teaching, Master of Environmental Education, Graduate Certificate of Religious Education and is currently working towards a Master of Religious Education through the Australian Catholic University. Mrs Mooney also undertook the role of Acting Assistant Principal Mission and Identity at St Columban’s College, Caboolture an EREA Associate School in Term 3 this year and as a result has an awareness and understanding of the Edmund Rice charism. 

Mrs Mooney is heavily involved in the St Patrick’s Parish and has been instrumental in the formation of the staff and young people at St Patrick’s College for many years. On behalf of the College community, I congratulate Mrs Mooney on her appointment, and I look forward to welcoming her to St Virgil’s College next year.   

Best wishes for the week ahead.

Jon Franzin 

PRINCIPAL