From the College Principal 

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends of the St Gregory’s College Community,

Each day is a learning opportunity. Over the remaining four weeks of Term 1, we have the possibility at St Gregory’s College to immerse our students in so many different learning opportunities, whether they are in the classroom, in the playground, at sport, in prayer and worship, in music and art, at the farm, and the list goes on. My hope for every student at the College is that they look at these opportunities as ‘learning moments’ – opportunities to expand their minds, their bodies and their hearts.

Being a member of the St Gregory’s ‘family’ is a real blessing. We know families have special bonds and that the ‘glue’ that holds families together is love. In the remaining weeks of Term 1, as we journey through the season of Lent, it is important that we show love and give love. Sometimes the love we need to provide is ‘tough love’, at other times it is love in the form of understanding, compassion and empathy.

I once again thank our parents and carers who consistently reinforce and support the vast array of opportunities we offer at St Gregory’s. We always work in partnership and as the first and foremost educators of your child, we appreciate the encouragement, mentoring and love you constantly provide.

LENTEN PERIOD – As we move into the early stages of the Lenten season leading up to Easter, our focus as Christians should be directed to an examination of the life we are living and our desire to be a dynamic and beating heart for others in our community. Our greatest role model, Jesus Christ showed us the way to live our life – to be present for others. The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

During Lent, like Christ, we too need to ‘live for forty days in the desert’. It is for us a time to attend more closely to God, and to purify our hearts. We use this Lenten period to reflect on the mystery by recalling the three temptations of Christ. The temptations of Christ reveal the human condition. They tell us something about faith, hope and sovereignty of God over the whole of creation. First, the devil took advantage of Christ’s hunger to tempt him to limit his concern to the relief of human need. We need daily bread; we need too a reason for living, a sense of purpose, a vision. We need the bread of life, the word of truth which comes from God. The second temptation was to seek a sign. We have to be prepared to wait in faith and enduring hope. To realise that love alone will conquer hate, and that life is found only in the experience of death. In the darkness we have faith in the light, we hope for life without end. The final temptation is to use earthly power and strength to compel the good we wish to achieve. In faith and hope we must be content with weakness and apparent failure. It is our task to witness to the truth and commit ourselves to the gospel of reconciliation, peace, unity and love of others.

WORKING TOWARDS ACHIEVING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2 – Everyday at St Gregory’s College is a step towards achieving our goals in our new Strategic Priority 2: -

‘A Learning-Centred College’

Where are we now?  In 2019, we are a community developing a shared vision of teaching and learning for the 21st century graduate and educator.  We are engaged in questioning and challenging traditional modes of teaching and learning as drivers of student engagement and aspiration.

Where do we want to be?  By 2022, we want to see learning and teaching as the core focus of the College.  Learning opportunities for students will be built on a contemporary, student-centred and evidence-based learning framework which equips students to be aspirational, independent in their learning, and to strive for excellence.  Teaching will be built on collaborative, contemporary practices which engage and inspire students, further developing them to be graduates ready to successfully take their place in a changing world.

As we are now at the end of Week 6 of term with only four weeks remaining this term, my message to staff and students has been rather simple – it is imperative that quality teaching and learning is taking place in every classroom with substantial contributions being given by both students and staff. This is not a one-way process! Learning takes place because students enter openly into the process – they are keen to learn, happy to experience success and even failure at times because this is part of learning. Students who take part in the learning journey stand to gain so much more than those who resist and refrain. I have been thrilled over the last six weeks to witness high quality teaching and learning taking place at St Gregory’s – together staff and students are making great academic progress. The graphic shown traces the most important relationships that exist when teachers and students enter fully into the process.

HELPING YOUR CHILD STUDY AND ACHIEVE BETTER RESULTS – Recently the College invited Dr Prue Salter back to talk to our Year 7 students and their parents about skills for studying and achieving better results. Dr Salter is the Director of Enhanced Learning Educational Services (ELES) and her advice to the Year 7 students and their parents on the night was fantastic. Dr Salter not only offered great advice and perspectives; she also invited our students across the College to access her company’s ELES Online Study Skills Handbook. I would suggest every student (and their family) gains access to the handbook via the website – www.studyskillshandbook.com.au

The username is – forgregsonly

The password is – 60results

One simple and effective tip I took away from Dr Salter’s presentation on the night was – every afternoon when a student sits down to start a period of homework, the first thing they should do is review each lesson they had during the day. Write down three (3) things you learned in each lesson on the day.

Wow – so simple and so effective! Every day, each student now has at least 15 things they have learned. This is the start of good study and revision notes! Try it – it works!

CHAMPION TEAMS – Over the past two weeks, the College has been fortunate to be crowned ‘champions’ in a number of pursuits. The following teams have represented the College with great pride and through their hard work and determination they have been recognised as the ‘champions.’

• Our Year 8 Metropolitan Catholic Schools (MCS) Basketball team won their Grand Final against a strong St Dominic’s College Penrith team recently. Congratulations to all the young men in this team and to their inspirational coach, Mrs Giles and their manager, Mrs Bevington.
• Our Show Team (Agriculture) travelled to the Royal Canberra Show recently and were the recipients of many awards for our sheep and cattle. The young men who represented St Gregory’s at the Show proudly prepared, led, handled and paraded our livestock at the Show. Many ribbons were won, and our sheep and cattle were judged as some of the ‘champions’ of the Show. Congratulations to our Show Team and to Mr Stefanski, Miss James, Mr Nieuwenhuis and Mr Redmond for their outstanding mentorin