From the College Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends of the St Gregory’s College Community,

As we move closer to the end of the 2019 academic year, I am very conscious of what we have achieved as a College throughout the year, and even more conscious of what we still need to achieve to ensure we finish the year positively. The end of year exams currently being undertaken do not mark the end of learning for the year; the Year 10 Work Experience and Year 11 Work Placement blocks are not the concluding rites for these two year levels; the Year 5 & 6 excursion to Canberra does not finish the year off, and the list goes on across every year level. We finish the academic year on Thursday 12 December, and we finish with ‘wind in our sails’ not with a whimper.

We approach the ‘finish line’ for the year knowing that our efforts right up to the very last day will be rewarded as we move through school, further education and life in general. Resilience is built when we meet the challenges head on rather than finding the low bar to climb over or avoid altogether.

Learning is a continuous activity and has great benefits when it is not punctuated by days off and mini holiday breaks during term time. We look forward to finishing 2019 in a positive manner and knowing that we have all gone the full distance.

REFLECTIONS ON BEING A CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER - Bridget White - 13 November 2019

I shared this with our staff this week – I hope you can see why we love our jobs as teachers in a Catholic School – “Despite the many difficulties of holding strong to the Catholic faith in these secular times, the best reason to be a religious educator is the children and their uncomplicated faith.

It’s a challenging time to be a Catholic. Our faith and the people who lead us in it are subject to an onslaught of negative attention. Many people hold a low opinion of our beliefs.

It is also be a challenging time to be a Catholic school teacher. We deal with children who state their parents’ disbelief in the middle of a Religion lesson, with unchurched families who are unaware of the basic tenets of Catholicism, and with the difficult questions that children need answered. We deal with cynics who wonder why anyone would put their children into Catholic education, assuming that it has more to do with a private school education than faith. We deal with criticisms of the Church being levelled at our vision and practices.

So why teach in a Catholic school?

Religious education is the first learning area in a Catholic school. It comes before literacy and numeracy, before any other learning area. It permeates every part of the school day.

Every child in a Catholic school sees, listens to and participates in a variety of faith-filled conversations and activities every day, including classes, prayer, meditation, liturgies and Masses. In a real way, Catholic education is an investment in the Catholic population of the future. It is an investment in future adults who are able to apply Christian beliefs to their daily lives.

The best reason to teach in a Catholic school, though, is not the investment. The best reason is, simply, the children. Their uncomplicated faith is a beacon to those who have the privilege of teaching. It enriches us daily, bolstering our own faith as we pass on the narratives and teachings of Jesus.

Jesus our friend - Our class discussions about Jesus often revolve around the assumption that Jesus is a close, personal friend. The children relate to Him as though he is sitting on the playground with them. They are perfectly assured that Jesus wants to join in with them, regardless of what they are doing.

Children can teach us how to pray. A little girl, whose family is currently living under the shadow of serious illness, took part in our school Rosary with the stated belief that every prayer would work to directly help her Mum. She held tight to each bead and closed her eyes in concentration as she prayed, making sure that she contributed with all her heart.

Children give us many, many opportunities to experience the emotion and reality of the Gospel narratives through their eyes. When revisiting the Nativity story, we did some role plays to help deepen understanding of the events. One little girl, playing Mary at the Annunciation, jumped on the spot and danced to show the joy that she believed Mary must feel at having God's baby.

Joyful wonderment - We have some shining lights in the global Catholic community, strong and faithful leaders. We are blessed to have them. But mostly, we are blessed to have children who lead us in joyful wonderment at the stories and gifts of Jesus.”

Bridget White is a teacher at Leschenault Catholic Primary School, WA.

CONGRATULATIONS

Recently we have been informed by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) that seven of our Year 12 students (2019) have had their Major Projects nominated for possible inclusion in the annual state-wide exhibitions. The students are as follows: -

Nicholas Alcorn – Industrial Technology – InTech Exhibition
Thomas Drew – Industrial Technology – InTech Exhibition
Daniel Kort – Industrial Technology – InTech Exhibition
Harry Lane – Industrial Technology – InTech Exhibition
Oliver McDonnell – Industrial Technology – InTech Exhibition
Jack Burns – Design & Technology – Shape 2019 Exhibition
Jay Kirk – Design & Technology – Shape 2019 Exhibition

Congratulations to these students on their outstanding Major Projects. I extend that thanks to their teachers and families who provided outstanding support to the students. We hope we have a number of St Gregory’s projects on display at these prominent exhibitions.

APOLOGIES

We offer an apology to Harry Lane (Year 12 – 2019) and his family for a calculation error at the end of Term 3 when the Year 12 Major Awards for being presented. Harry has had an outstanding year academically and his result in Primary Industries was not included in the calculation of the Top Ten students in the year level. With this result included, Harry should have received recognition for being in the Top Ten academically in the year. We are rectifying this matter and have asked Harry to attend the Year 12 High Achievers’ Assembly in late January 2019 to receive his award in front of the College. We once again apologise Harry for this oversight.

WELL DONE

Well done to our sporting superstars across the Junior School and the Senior School. One win in the Senior OzTag Grand Final last Wednesday in the IPSSO competition, and two final day losses to our Junior IPSSO OzTag and Senior Cricket team. A great day of sport enjoyed by all students – remember, winning and losing can only occur if you compete!