Deputy Principal - Identity and Religious Life of the College

QATSIF Scholarships

 

Congratulations to three of our Year 11 students – Kaiya Douglas, Brooklyn Dowling, and Tanna-Lai Hornung – who have been successful in receiving a QATSIF QCE Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to all eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Queensland.  It is a significant commitment of Queensland Elders to the education of the young people in their communities.  QATSIF Scholarship funding comes from the interest on unallocated Stolen Wages reparations from the original 2007 round, which are held in trust by the Public Trustee.  Students and their families attended the Recipients’ Ceremony at Australian Catholic University on Friday 26 February.  My thanks to Mrs Helen Stower and Mrs Shauna King for representing the College at this event.

Together for Humanity Project

On Wednesday 3 March, Jemima Bishop, Hannah Lowe, and Maggie Roche participated in an interfaith student forum at the Islamic College of Brisbane.  This was the second scheduled exchange of the Together for Humanity Project between Mount Alvernia College, Padua College, and the Islamic College of Brisbane.  Students shared information about their different faith traditions and how their respective college communities put their faith into practice. 

Z Club Bake Sale

This week the Z Club has led our celebrations of International Women’s Day by recognising women’s achievements, raising awareness for gender equality, and fundraising for female-focused charities.  Tomorrow, the Z Club will be holding a Bake Sale to raise funds for our birthing kits project.  The stall will be located outside the San Damiano Centre during Break 1, close to the action of the Staff versus Students Volleyball match.  All items will be $2 and can be paid for using a student ID card.  Students need to ensure they top up their credit.  We welcome their support of the work of KIT International Australia.

International Women’s Day 

This year's theme for International Women's Day is Choose to Challenge.  A challenged world is an alert world.  Individually we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.  We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality.  We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements.  Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.  From challenge comes change.  As students entered our assembly today, they were invited to take a purple and green ribbon. These colours have long been associated with the women’s movement, and were used by the suffragettes as far back as 1908.  Historically, purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity.  Green is a symbol of hope.  Today, purple is the colour of International Women’s Day and, combined with green, represents the feminist movement.  Students were also invited to raise their hand to Choose to Challenge gender inequality and discrimination.  Thank you to our Outreach Leaders of Francis and Clare Schools for leading us in symbolic gesture.

Donation of DV Care Packs

This week the Outreach Committee has been busy preparing our donation of Care Packs for people affected by domestic and family violence.  These packs are distributed by Strafford Police to people in need.  On Monday, some students spent the afternoon at Westfield Chermside purchasing the various items needed for each pack.  On Tuesday, students packed a total of twenty care packs and, today, our volunteers presented them to Stafford Police.  A big thank you to all involved.  Please be assured that your support is most appreciated by the Stafford Police and all who are supported by these donations. Funding for these kits has been provided through the generous support of the Religious of Queensland Social Justice Grants.

Close the Gap Day

On Thursday 18 March, we will raising awareness and funds for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still live, on average, ten to eleven years less than non-Indigenous Australians.  To close this gap within 25 years, Australian governments at all levels need to commit to providing adequate and long-term financial resources to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality; invest in real partnerships, including increased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation and control around health service delivery; and address critical social issues of housing, education, and self-determination that contribute to the health crisis affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.  On Thursday, students can use their ID cards to purchase badges, have their faces painted, and/or have their fingernails polished.  The cost is $1 per activity (a badge or face painting or nail polish). 

Project Compassion

Project Compassion is the major fundraiser of Caritas, the Catholic Church’s agency for global development, and the theme this year is Be More.  It challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion, and is taken from the invitation of Saint Oscar Romero, to “Aspire not to have more, but to BE more”.  As the College has gone cashless, we are encouraging each family to donate to Project Compassion via the Caritas website.  Your donation will be a sign of our college community’s commitment to stand in solidarity with the poor.  It is a small action that makes a world of difference.

Encounter Kedron

The Encounter team will host its next afternoon kick-on at the College on Thursday 25 March.  These afternoons will continue three to four times each term and will be held in Laverna 001, 3.00-4.00pm.  They provide opportunities for students from Mount Alvernia and Padua Colleges to connect with the Encounter team and each other in a safe and welcoming space.  Students can register for this activity via the Encounter Kedron Instagram page.  Students are also required to submit a parent permission form that has been emailed to all students.  The next Encounter evening will take place at Little Flower Church on Sunday 21 March, 6.30-8.30pm.  All students are welcome.  Please register via the flyer attached.  Encounter Kedron is a partnership between the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Kedron Parish, Mount Alvernia College, and Padua College.

Richard Rogusz