Principal's Address
Dear Parents/Carers,
With a very short Week 1, we are now officially in Week 4 of this eleven week term. Those first three weeks have been filled with College events including the Academic Assembly, Opening Mass, College Photographs, the Swimming Carnival, Year 7 Parent/Carer Information Meetings and the Deanery Mass, as well as other House, Year and Class activities and events. As we journey through the first weeks of this school year we pray:
A Prayer for the New School Year
Lord,
Whether I leave behind
a year of joy or of trials and difficulties,
I pause to give thanks.
Thank you for being with me
every day of every year.
Thank you for making all things new
And for giving me the grace of
fresh starts and new beginnings.
Remind me of your presence
in the days to come,
Even when I feel pushed and rushed by busyness.
Be glorified in my life this year. Amen.
Year 12 Retreat
This week is a special time for our Year 12 students as they take time away from their studies to reflect on their lives and their relationships; please keep them in your prayers. Fr John and I joined the students and staff yesterday at Warrambui for Mass.
College Council AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the College Council will be held next Thursday 27 February, followed by a regular meeting. As we do not have any retiring elected members, a nomination process is not required this year. A meeting report will be included in the next edition of the newsletter.
College Open Night Tuesday, 3 March – All Welcome!
The enrolment process for next year’s Year 7 is about to begin with school visits to our local Catholic primary schools scheduled for next week, ahead of our Open Night on 3 March. Several of our current Year 8 students will join me for the schools visits, with many returning to their own primary school to share something of their Year 7 experience.
If you have a child in Year 6, or have family/friends in this situation, please invite them to come to our Open Night, commencing with College tours at 6.00pm and concluding with a 30 minute Parent Meeting in the Hall at 7.30pm. It promises to be a great night to see learning in action and we hope to see you there.
Cyber Safety and Responsible Online Communication
We all share the responsibility for keeping young people safe when they are using online platforms. The College system does not allow students to access social media platforms on College devices while they are at school and students are not permitted to use their phones during learning time at Mater Dei.
College policies relating to online learning and access are published on the College Website and can be found in the Policies section of the Information page.
Student Sponsorship Policy
From time to time our students represent the College away from Wagga in sport, cultural and community events and activities. A student sponsorship program is in place to support a number of these activities and offers a financial contribution towards costs for travel, accommodation or registration fees. Details of the Sponsorship Policy can be found on the College Website.
Updating Contact Details
Please advise the College if your contact details have changed. It is vital that we can contact you at any time, and especially important in the case of an emergency.
As we commence our Lenten Journey next week on Ash Wednesday, we pray for all members of our Mater Dei community that we may be open to God’s message in our lives and gracious in our response as we reach out to support those around us, especially families impacted by the drought and recent bushfires.
Please also keep Year 12 students and our staff leading the Retreat in your prayers this week.
Best wishes,
Mrs Val Thomas | Principal