Principal's  Message

 

Founder's Day

Throughout 2019, all Lasallian schools and works worldwide will celebrate the life and legacy of our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle, as we mark 300 years since his death. This is a highly significant milestone in the story of Lasallian education.

With all Lasallians around the world we will use this Tercentenary year to:

• Celebrate and give thanks for all Lasallians and their good works
• Renew our commitment to looking after the poor and others in great need
• Be positive and hopeful about the future

This year the four Melbourne Lasallian schools are combining on 17 May, with year levels across the Colleges’ gathering as follows:

Year 7 and 8               - at St John’s College

Year 9                            - at St Patrick’s Cathedral and Academy of Mary Immaculate

Year 10 and 11         - at St Bede’s College

Year 12                          - at De La Salle College

This one off event is to recognise the Tercentenary of St John Baptist de la Salle and will incorporate a Mass and numerous student activities. More details will be with parents shortly.

APLEC

The College was very pleased to host and assist with the Asian Pacific Lasallians Education Conference (APLEC) which was held in Melbourne from 14-16 April. With more than 140 participants, it was a wonderful opportunity for Lasallians from the region to listen to keynote speakers, participate in workshops and share their own local experiences with each other. This was coordinated to coincide with the 300th Anniversary of the passing to eternal life of St John Baptist de la Salle. During this time there was also the LYG (Lasallian Youth Gathering) taking place with over 250 young people, including a number of our Year 12 students, having a live-in experience in central Melbourne.

Generation in Jazz

A large number of musicians and singers will be making the trip to Mt Gambier to participate in this festival. This is the largest gathering of school musicians in Australia. As such, it provides a wonderful opportunity to perform in front of an eclectic audience and to listen to many other talented performers from other schools from across the land.

We wish all of our young men and staff a safe and productive time at the festival.

CIS

We have gained membership of the Council of International Schools (CIS). The majority of schools around the world who seek this membership are not successful due to the standards applied. We can be assured that CIS recognised that the College is on a sound footing, whilst always seeking to the best possible school.

The next stage is to have a visit from CIS to take a first look at the College. This will include governance, educational programs, finance, facilities and Occupational Health and Safety. From there, a further team will be at the College in a few months to conduct an early review which then sets up the College for a 12 month in-depth review, conducted according to stringent CIS criteria. The final stage, late next year, would be a full team visit (around 9 on the panel) who would seek  and verify our College findings and make a recommendation on Accreditation status. Parents can be assured that we are actively seeking to do all we can to ensure that your son/s receive the best possible experience.

The White Rose Breakfast

This inaugural event will see mothers, and significant females, accompany Year 7 and Year 12 students to a breakfast. This is being held in the College Hall on Thursday morning. It is an opportunity for the College to affirm the value and respect that we should have for women in our lives. Given the year levels involved, it is hoped that every family will have the opportunity to attend at least twice during their time at the College.

ANZAC Remembrance

The College held an assembly to highlight the Easter Resurrection, along with a solemn recognition of the meaning of ANZAC Day. The two aspects sit well together as they both speak of hope within difficult times when hope, at first, seems lost. Being an “Easter people” of hope is important as it exudes a sense of optimism and forward thinking that goes beyond the mundane and banal.

A number of St Bede’s College students attended the Dawn and 9am service at the Mentone RSL. They were excellent representatives, talking with many elderly citizens and giving practical assistance by packing up many items afterwards.

Per Vias Rectas

John Finn

Principal