"Mater Dei Matters"

Principal's Address

NEAA Student Conference - 

Celebrating the Charism of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters

Last week the College hosted 80 delegates representing 10 schools from across Australia at the biennial Nagle Education Alliance of Australia Student Conference. Under the expert leadership of the conference convenor Mrs Bright, the students and staff accompanying them attended a rich program of events and activities. While the activities were diverse, they had at their heart the spirit of Nano Nagle, the founder of the Presentation Order. That spirit is captured in the words of the Sisters themselves:

 

Her recognition as one of the greatest women of Ireland derives from dedication to the poor and oppressed. Her mission between the cutting edge of the gospel and the miseries of her day inspires the Presentation Sisters (and our College community) to minister in joyful service, responding to current needs throughout the world in faithfulness to the gospel.

 

Full details if the Conference are included in the Mission section of the newsletter.

 

Year 12 Boarding Graduation 

On Wednesday evening the College Leadership Team and I proudly attended the Mount Erin Boarding Year 12 Graduation Mass and Dinner. The celebratory Mass was held in the Mt Erin Chapel and led by Fr Paddy Sykes. During the  Mass parents, students and staff reflected on the rich history of Mount Erin Boarding, which has a proud tradition stretching back to 1890 when it was founded by the Presentation Sisters, who have since educated and cared for countless generations of young people. 13 students from Mater Dei Catholic College joined their peers from Kildare Catholic College to share in the celebrations. Parents, students and staff gathered later for a special meal in honour of the Graduands at the Gardens Restaurant at the Botanic Gardens. 

 Social Justice Sunday

From 2020 forward, Social Justice Sunday has been celebrated on the last Sunday of August. For almost every year since 1940, our Bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement at this time of the year to inspire reflection and action.

 

The Social Justice Statement 2022-23 calls out violence and abuse of women and children in our society and calls for transformation.

 

The recently released media statement on Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse points out that the roots of domestic and family violence “lie in the abuse of power to control and dominate others” and that “this stands in contrast to the relationships to which God calls us”.

 

It says that our relationships should be “marked by equality and reciprocity rather than domination and violence, respect and freedom rather than coercion and control”.

 

“We know that most often those who suffer violence and abuse in homes and families, in workplaces, and in communities, are women and children while the perpetrators are most often men. We support women in calling for respect in relationships; their lives and those of their children are sacred.

 

Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse focuses in a special way on the problem of spiritual violence and abuse. It discusses how religious teachings – including our own – may be manipulated by perpetrators to excuse violence or to exert control over others.

 

Cultural factors in the Church and in society often also play an important role in the violence and abuse suffered in families, households, communities, and workplaces. The statement describes this behaviour as being sinful.”

 

The Statement goes on to say “We believe that respect, dignity and justice, transformation and hope are possible”.

 

It affirms the work being done by faith communities and organisations to support those who experience domestic and family violence and abuse, and to address the drivers and enablers of violence. It points to further ways in which we can all respond to spiritual violence.

 

Finally, it calls for faith communities to support and believe those going through domestic and family violence and abuse, to hold perpetrators to account and work towards individual and social transformation. (Bishops’ Conference Media Release 2022)

 

In the spirit of this important Statement, we pray for the respect and dignity of all people, especially those impacted by family violence and abuse, using the words provided by the Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace for this occasion:

 

Loving God, you made each of us in your image and likeness.

Open our eyes to recognise one another as equals,

replacing domination and control, violence, and abuse,

with mutuality, reciprocity, respect, and freedom.

Help us to love like you.

 

Jesus Christ, you rejected the use of religious traditions to justify violence.

Teach us to unmask manipulations of our faith used

to justify violent, abusive, or coercive behaviour.

Teach us to be people who show tenderness,

respect and care for others as you did.

 

Holy Spirit, you are with us always, showing us the way.

Move us to assist those who experience violence and

abuse, and support their call for justice.

Empower us to hold perpetrators of violence and abuse

responsible, encouraging them to change their

Behaviour. Amen

 

YEAR 12 Parent/Carer and Student Exit Surveys

As we draw to the end of the Year 12 Course at the end of Week 10 this term, it is important that we gather information from this cohort of students and their parents/carers to assist with future planning. This will again take the form of an online survey that takes about 15 minutes to complete. Parents and students will be contacted by email by the external company conducting the survey. The Parent/Carer Survey will open on Monday 29 August for two weeks and students will complete the survey at school on Tuesday 6 September.

 

NAPLAN

NAPLAN reports are being released nationally from August onwards and provide useful feedback about individual student and Years 7 and Year 9 cohort performance in the areas of Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. The data is used to assist with teacher planning and focus in each of the above areas. 

 

General information about NAPLAN is available at www.nap.edu.au and teachers are also available if any further detail is required about a student's results. However, copies of individual student test papers are not made available by ACARA.

 

Celebrating the Great Achievements by Mater Dei Students

I would like to remind parents/carers that they are able to share in the many experiences and achievements of our students through the College Facebook page, on Twitter and through clips on Vimeo. Media can also be accessed through the Home Page of our College Website.

 

Congratulations to our students participating in a variety of inter school sporting competitions and independent elite events. For further highlights please refer to the above mentioned social media outlets.

 

Principal Appraisal

Thank you to parents/carers who provided feedback for my appraisal, which took place this week. Your contribution was really appreciated and will help me as I shape my leadership priorities for the future.

 

Celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday 4 September

Happy Fathers’ Day to all our dads. We thank God for the gift of fathers and those who nurture and guide in a fatherly way and pray:

 

God our father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old.

We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; may they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.

 

We pray for our own fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; may they know that the god of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.

We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.

 

We remember fathers, grandfather, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen.

 

Prayers Please 

  • For those who are victimised, maligned and treated with disrespect that their dignity will be restored and their contribution valued.
  • For our College families experiencing loss and grief and those battling illness and injury.
  • Year 12’s as they come towards the end of the HSC Course and Year 11 as they prepare to embark on their end of Course examinations.
  • That as Presentation people, we strive every day to “Live God’s Message” in our words and our deeds.

Mrs Val Thomas | Principal