From The Principal
Dear Blackfriars Community,
RUOK Day
As a community, we promoted the national RUOK Day yesterday, 12 September. The purpose of RUOK Day is to highlight the importance of the mental health and well-being of everyone; those closest to you, those you play, study or work with and those unknown to you in the broader community of Australia.
The importance of recognising the challenges in the everyday lives of ourselves and others in respect to our sense of well-being and mental health is well documented. We therefore encourage everyone to support and empower each other to seek out help if it is needed to ensure a life that that is fulfilled and happy – not only on RUOK Day, but every day.
The RUOK Day theme for 2019 is: “A conversation could change a life”
We can provide critical support to a person when we observe small changes of behaviour in them, trust our instinct and simply ask, RUOK? We need to be open to listening without judgement and provide empathy and support.
RUOK website: https://www.ruok.org.au/
Prefects Mental Health and Well-being Initiative
Throughout 2019, the student leaders have driven and focused on the need to support well-being and mental health in each other throughout our Blackfriars student community. The main theme communicated to our community has been to promote an inclusive vision and understanding towards normalising and accepting the mental health needs of each other, just as you would other health issues. The prefects created a badge and presented the badge to all students to be worn on the school blazer as a daily reminder to support each other.
On 14 August, the Blackfriars Mental Health incentive featured in the Southern Cross, “Badge of Honour”. A copy of this article is accessible on the following link: Badge of Honour
Today our Year 12 students gathered together at lunch to support each other during the final weeks of Term 3. These final weeks for Year 12 students can be very demanding, meeting deadlines for accredited SACE assignments, undertaking trial tests, preparing for final examinations and in addition, managing the psychological demands of balancing and tempering the range of emotions that naturally occur with finishing Year 12.
It is everyone’s responsibility to mindfully watch over these students. Remember RUOK!
ABODA Music Festival
Congratulations to Curriculum Leader: Performing Arts, Lucy Pope and the boys in Stage Band 1, Stage Band 2 and Concert Band 1 for their outstanding performances and wonderful achievements in the recent Australian Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association (ABODA) Music Festival.
he Festival is a highly regarded program that is scheduled across three days at Westminster College with a large number of prestigious SA schools competing.
The category results for Blackfriars were outstanding with Concert Band 1 awarded Silver on day one and both Stage Bands 1 and 2 awarded Gold and taking out their division titles on day 2.
Master Plan
The Blackfriars Board has approved Partek Construction and Interiors to undertake the construction of Building A of the Master Plan. A building program has been supplied by Partek and the initial key dates of the project are provided below:
18 September 2019
Site establishment by builder
25 September 2019 – 18 October 2019
Demolition of Highbury Street houses: 4, 6, 8 and 10 (Old Uniform Shop)
25 October 2019 – 1 November 2019
Demolition of Kingston Building
Information regarding the building project will be provided to the community on a progressive basis as each stage of the construction unfolds.
Naturally, students and staff are very excited about the beginning of the STEM and Senior Student Centre project which will provide outstanding learning facilities and opportunities for our students.
Further Good News
I am delighted to announce to our community that Fr William Loh OP, our School Chaplain, has been formally assigned to the Dominican community located at St Laurence’s Priory, North Adelaide. Hopefully this will mean that Fr William will be at Blackfriars for a number of years; sharing his gift for preaching ministry within our community.
God bless and protect, the community of Blackfriars.
Mr Simon Cobiac
Principal