Principal's Message
Vale Year 12 2018
Our final day for the Year 12 cohort is on Friday. The group will be honoured with a full College assembly where they will be recognised for the many gifts they have brought to our school.
The most obvious one is they have chosen to enter wholeheartedly into the life of St Bede’s. They have certainly exhibited a strong sense of Brotherhood and have exemplified our second guiding principle of being brothers to one another, and to us, through the way they care. They have made many choices:
They have chosen to role model a sense of gentleness
They have chosen to study and, for some, made life choices early
They have willingly entered into Retreats, the Arts, Sport and Public Speaking
They have chosen to support one another and keep a sense of humor in the process
They have chosen to support the staff with our endeavours
It is always an emotional time for a school to farewell their senior class. St John Baptist de la Salle began schools not just to educate the mind but also to educate the heart. This is our wish for the departing Class of 2018. That they take a sense of compassion, social justice and commitment with them into their many life paths. A true willingness to live a life of Christian integrity is a marker for us as a community. The three tenets of faith, service and community have served the worldwide Lasallian family well and do so with our young men.
We wish every blessing to the Class of 2018 as they approach their final exams or the workforce. We trust they remember their time at St Bede’s with a sense of fondness and gratitude.
Year 7 2019
Earlier this week we welcomed our incoming Year 7 families. The College Hall was near capacity as we listened to the many opportunities that are available to this group next year and beyond. Every new group of boys brings fresh possibilities and a sense of renewal; they all bring their own story. We want St Bede’s to be a different and even better place because your son has been here and because you as parents have been here. Families should feel confident that we will give their son every opportunity to be a happy and productive member of the College.
We have an enormous respect for, and belief in, our Catholic tradition through our Lasallian history. The De La Salle brothers formed this College 80 years ago, in 1938, and left both a heritage and wisdom. The College Motto is a beautiful example of such wisdom.
Per Vias Rectas, By Right Paths, sets of tone of strength through humility and steadfastness. It forms a view that boys can grow into gentle-men of strength and yet influence and make their mark in the world. May all of our new students experience a true sense of Community.
Visual Arts and Technology Show
The College was delighted to showcase the works of many students in this exhibition. The patrons who attended were treated to a variety of mediums from film, to pastels and 3D works as well as many wonderful technology pieces from our senior students. Congratulations to all of our students who had an item selected for the Show and a particular note of thanks to our staff who inspired such work from their many classes.
Public Speaking and Debating
The St Bede’s Public Speaking Competition final was held last week at an evening held in the Auditorium. Congratulations to Lyndon Bulman (Year 9) who was the overall winner. The Lasallian Public Speaking Competition between the various Lasallian Melbourne schools takes place this week.
We also have three of our debaters from D Grade (Year 9) who have made the State Final this week. They originally began with over 800 teams in their division. Congratulations to these young men and we look forward to hearing of their experiences from the final.
Grandparents Morning
Our Year 7 students invited their grandparents or special friends to a liturgy, viewing of their classrooms and College in general and a morning tea. One appreciates that, for many, these people play a significant role in their grandchild’s lives. Increasingly, grandparents are caring for young ones as the family seeks to balance work life and other commitments. It was warming to see the way the boys interacted with their older mentors. The diversity of choice the boys had for lunch with their grandparents, after the morning tea, was noticeable.
Per Vias Rectas
John Finn
Principal