From the Principal

I hope this edition of the newsletter finds you remaining in good health. Once again, it seems to have been a long ‘winter’ and many folks in our community experiencing bouts of illness. Please continue to take good care of yourself and your families.

This week we celebrated together Catholic Education Week, commencing with a beautiful Mass on Sunday 23rd at at Little Flower Church together with our Franciscan brothers and sisters at Padua College and St Anthony’s respectively. My congratulations and thanks to our students who represented us so magnificently in the Choir and in the various roles we were allocated. Once again, our thanks to Daniella Curcuruto who leads our choristers with such poise and grace. 

Welcome Nigawa Gakuin Students

We also welcomed to the College this week our visiting students from Nigawa Gakuin accompanied by their teachers; Ms Sayaka Kashii, Mr Jay Skerly. We hope that our visitors enjoy the experience of life in an Australian school and relish the opportunity to enjoy the company of our Mt A students, homestay families and sisters. How incredible is it to know that both of our schools share an 800-year-old Franciscan tradition together. It highlights, how the values of both of our schools transcend, location, culture and language and reminds us that even though we are from different countries there is so much that we share in common.

In another example of our small world experience and interconnectedness, more than 20 years ago now, I spent a year in Japan teaching English in a school in the city of Kawanishi-shi, approximately minutes away from Nigawa Gakiun ….. I could not believe this when I looked at the map! To think that it was highly likely that I drove past Nigawa Gakuin a number of times all those years ago. May I extend my thanks to all of the Mt A families, who have so generously offered their homes to our Japanese friends and to Camilla Horn (Mt A Enrolments Registrar) and Victoria Uhr for your work in coordinating and facilitating this experience for our students.

La Luce - Primary School Immersion

On Tuesday afternoon we also hosted our second Primary School Immersion opportunity, affectionately titled “La luce” meaning “The Light” in Italian. Our activities on Tuesday were an opportunity for all of our Year 5 prospective students and their parents to gather in La Foresta for afternoon tea and to then undertake a variety of learning experiences in our wonderful Science Laboratories, under the direction and expertise of Jen Gibbons, Colleen Goodin, Victoria Nicolas, Penny Evans, Sacha Carney, Trish Scherer and Chanel Siddall. The girls had an absolutely wonderful time and can’t wait to join us at Mt A! 

Social Soiree Update 

Sadly, due to low registration numbers we have taken the opportunity to cancel our Third Parent Soiree for 2023, calendared for Saturday August 5 and will work with our newly installed Parent Partnership Panel to consider a replacement event in Term 4 of this year. Please stay tuned for further information. 

In the meantime, we do encourage all parents and carers to register their attendance for our 4th presentation in the Parent Series with our Counsellors entitled “Navigating Peer Concerns” to be held on Wednesday 9th August in the Assisi Room at 6pm. 

You can register HERE.

In our community of Faith, Hope and Love we pray together.

A Prayer for Catholic Education Week

Lord, God of all Creation,

as we celebrate

Catholic Education in Queensland,

we give thanks for the many ways

You have walked beside us,

comforted us in times of hardship,

and inspired us to do your will.

May your gift of Faith inspire our community,

to be the light of Christ in our world.

May your spirit of Hope, continue to inspire us

to share all that we have with our neighbours.

May your love for us fill our hearts

so that our love and respect for one another

brings peace to our world.

We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Peace and all good,

Samantha