From the Principal

Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, one of the most important feast days in the Christian calendar that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The story of Pentecost tells of significant change in the apostles, moving from living in fear for their lives following the crucifixion of Jesus to being filled with courage to go out and preach the gospel. As I reflected on this, I was reminded of the words of Dr Elise Stephenson, in her presentation at our Staff Spirituality Day last December… justice only exists if we act, and often we need to step out of our comfort zone and be brave in order to act for justice. The apostles chose to go out and preach the gospel messages of Jesus: love, peace, inclusion and respect for the dignity of all.

At our recent college assembly, I spoke about the positive impact that every individual can have in our world if they choose to do so. Everyone has the ability to contribute to a more just and peaceful world, where all people are treated equally and the environment is respected and cared for, every day through our words and our actions. As environmental activist Dr Jane Goodall says, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.

It is always wonderful to see so many students at Kilbreda choosing to make a positive difference, whether it be through advocating for justice, caring for the environment, making donations to support the wonderful work of charity groups, being respectful and welcoming towards all others or speaking out when they see an act of injustice. These students are living out our College and Brigidine motto of Strength and Kindliness! Well done!

National Reconciliation Week

Today marks the start of National Reconciliation Week, which is celebrated each year from 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. This year’s theme, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. We can all contribute towards creating a more just, equitable and reconciled country. The National Reconciliation Week website outlines 20 ways in which we can make reconciliation more than a word!

https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/actions-for-reconciliation/

Celebrate Canteen Week

This week is 'Celebrate Canteen Week', a week which acknowledges and celebrates the work of staff and volunteers in school canteens. Our wonderful canteen staff team, led by Charlene Parisi, go out of their way to ensure that they provide a wide variety of delicious food in the canteen and when catering for our school events! Those fortunate enough to have attended one of our catered community events, such as our recent Mother’s Day Breakfast, know how much time and effort the team gives to ensure everyone enjoys the hospitality provided. To celebrate the week, Charlene and her team arranged a number of special activities for students and staff to enjoy including two themed cuisine days, ‘Italian Tuesday’ and ‘Vietnamese Thursday’!

As we enter into the second half of the term, there have been a wide variety of co-curricular activities and programs for students to build connections, try new things, extend their learning and develop new or existing skills. In the last fortnight alone our students have had the opportunity to participate in numerous sporting, creative and performing arts events, debating, the Big Science Competition, Building Bridges Interfaith Program and the Indigenous Immersion Camp, to name a few! I would like to acknowledge and thank all of the staff who very generously give their time towards organising such wonderful enrichment opportunities for students across the year levels. Kilbreda students are certainly blessed to have the opportunity to participate in such a vibrant co-curricular program!