Principal's Address
Dear Parents/Carers,
Thank you to our Mater Dei families for your support of the recent College Swimming Carnival. It was a wonderful success, with students giving their best to gain points for their House and for serious swimmers, to support their pathway to representative Swimming opportunities. Congratulations to Sherrin House, who were the winning House.
We are now halfway through the term and our students have settled into a positive and productive learning routine. Our Year 7’s have transitioned very well into the College. We have certainly been blessed with an engaged and enthusiastic cohort!
The recent Year 12 Retreat was a special faith experience for our graduating class and details are included in the newsletter. Many students are involved in the co-curricular life of the College this term; sporting competitions are up and running (see all the details on Twitter) and our students are preparing for the Catholic Schools Week spectacular “A Time To Shine” on 7 March at the Civic Theatre (ticket details included in this edition of the newsletter), and other upcoming performance opportunities.
Our Lenten Journey
Students received the ashes last Wednesday, on Ash Wednesday, marking the commencement of Lent. Bishop Mark Edwards has asked that principals share his Lenten Pastoral Letterwith families. Please take some time to read and reflect on his message. At this time of the year, as we journey through Lent, we focus on our preparations for the great Feast of Easter. This includes supporting good works at the College, such as Project Compassion. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things, with great love.”
The work of Caritas reminds us that living our faith through service is an important expression of all we believe, as expressed through this Project Compassion Prayer. We pray:
God of all peoples and nations,
As you accompany us
on our Lenten journey,
May our fasting strengthen our
commitment to live in solidarity,
Our almsgiving be an act of justice,
And our prayers anchor us in love
and compassion.
Awaken our hearts and minds that
we may be one human family
As we all go further together.
We ask this in Jesus’ name,
Amen
A significant part of our Easter preparation is the College Easter Egg raffle to support the works of St Vincent de Paul. This will be launched in the coming weeks and I thank our parents/carers in advance for supporting the raffle so generously with donations and the purchase of tickets each year.
Year 7 2024
Year 6 visits to our local Catholic Primary Schools concluded last week, with Enrolment Forms and information provided to all students to take home for completion. Forms should be lodged at the College Office as soon as possible, accompanied by the supporting documents requested on the form.
Please Save the Date for the Year 7 2024 Open Night on Tuesday, 14 March. Our students, who have volunteered to be present that night, can’t wait to show prospective families what learning looks like at Mater Dei.
We are all looking forward to a great night, commencing at 5.30pm with tours until 7.20pm, followed by an address in the hall to 8.00pm.
Interest in places for Year 7 next year is very strong and we have already received many enrolment applications and “Meet and Greet” interview bookings for 2024.
Any family who is yet to submit an application is encouraged to do that now and contact the College Office to book an interview time slot on 16 March or 22 March. Year 7 places will be offered prior to the end of Term 1.
NAPLAN 2023
With NAPLAN rescheduled to Term 1 from this year, Year 7 and Year 9 will undertake the Tests on site from 15 March. Information has been forwarded to parents/carers of both year groups and further details about NAPLAN are available here.
Appointment to the Diocesan Catholic Education Council
Bishop Mark has appointed me to the Diocesan Education Council and I am looking forward to serving in this capacity. The role of the Catholic Education Council is to steward the mission of Catholic Education and to provide advice and recommendations to the Bishop of Wagga Wagga, to ensure confidence and transparency in providing the best possible Catholic education for students.
College Council Annual General Meeting
The College Council AGM was held on Thursday evening. I would like to take this opportunity to again acknowledge the work of the Council Members in 2022 who supported me in my role as Principal.
We received the resignation of Mr Vincent Powell, who has been the Bishop’s Representative on the Council since 2020. I take this opportunity to thank Vince for his service to the College community in this capacity.
The Council provides a vital link with the parent body and I thank the following parents who are members of the College Council in 2023:
Elected Members: Mr Andrew McIntosh, Mrs Angela McGill, Mrs Emma Peterson, Andrew Nicholson
Appointed Members: Mrs Rhena Geraghty and Mr Daryl Lawrence
Ex Officio Members: Mrs Val Thomas (Principal). The role of Bishop’s representative is currently vacant.
Congratulations to Mr Andrew McIntosh, who has been elected Chair of the College Council for 2023 and Mrs Angela McGill, who is the Secretary.
Prayers
May St Patrick and St Joseph, whose Feast Days occur at this time, serve as models of courage and fidelity to us all.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day next week during Catholic Schools Week, we pray for the safety and respect of all women, particularly those who are oppressed and trafficked.
We pray for our Catholic Schools and their educational ministry. A full report of Catholic Schools Week celebrations will be included in the final edition of the newsletter for this term to be published in Week 9.
During the first weeks of this term a number of staff members have experienced the death of a parent or other family members. We keep them and all families who are experiencing grief and loss in our prayers.
Best wishes,
Mrs Val Thomas | Principal