Leadership News - Article 5

Written on the 30 March 2017 by Leadership

R-12 Harmony Day Activity

Tomorrow morning, we will gather in the Valley to celebrate three very significant events, which will be followed by an R-12 Activity. The three events are:

1.       Harmony Day (Monday 21 March) - This coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a day of cultural respect, widely celebrated across the Nation;

2.       Close the Gap (Thursday 16 March) - Australia's largest campaign to improve Indigenous health. Supported by more than 30 Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations, the campaign calls on Federal, State and Territory Governments to commit to closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation;

3.       National Day of Action against Bullying & Violence (Friday 17 March) - This is an opportunity for students, teachers, parents and the whole community to take a stand together against bullying and violence. This annual day provides a focus for the College community to say "Bullying No Way!"

Acknowledging the importance of these events invites students to reflect on and celebrate our shared histories, our unique cultures and our collective responsibility to ensure that everyone is made to feel welcome in our community and learn in a safe and supportive school environment.

Open Day

We are looking forward to welcoming many new and current families this Sunday at our Open Day. Student tour guides do a great job to showcase all that we have to offer. One can become complacent about his/her learning or work environment and it is only when you compare to others or hear others speak so highly of what you take for granted that you realise how lucky you are.

Tours commence at 1.15pm, with families having the opportunity to see the College in action; visiting classes, observing Science practicals, watching Music performances and much, much more. After the tour, families can return to any of the areas to speak with staff or enjoy some afternoon tea in the Valley while listening to music students perform.

Red & Black Disco

The Red & Black Disco continue to be popoular events in students' social calendar.  The most recent disco held on Friday 17 March was a great success with close to 850 students attending. With so many students, it is critical to ensure the safety of all participants and this wouldn't be possible without the generosity of staff, our Prefects and a number of other senior student volunteers. Special thanks to Mr Justin Chung for overseeing the preparation and organisation of the event. Thanks must also go to staff and student leaders from attending girls' schools who also come along to assist.

Term 1 Assessment Cycle

Teachers are in the process of finalising assessments for the first round of reports for all students from Reception to Year 12. Where has the term gone? During this time, it is critical that students, particularly in the Middle and Senior Years, remain focussed and manage their time effectively to ensure that they complete all tasks which are included in this reporting cycle.

It is worth reminding our children that the only place that 'success' comes before 'work' is in the dictionary.

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal


 

As we approach the last weeks of lent it is good to ask ourselves how we are going with our Lenten resolutions. I know that I need to revisit mine. Last Sunday's gospel helps us look at ot our own areas of blindness as it is the story of the man born blind whom Jesus cures. Br Julian from Rome makes the following points about this.

To See and Not See would be an appropriate title for last Sunday's gospel.  In reality, there are various kinds of blindness.  There is physical blindness, congenital in some people and in others caused by injury or accident.  There is emotional blindness, sometimes caused by severe shock or trauma, at other times by insensitivity, as when some people can't or won't see the needy, the lonely and the rejected in their society.  In the wake of the Pol Pot atrocities, there have been recorded cases of women who cannot see because of the trauma they experienced, even though ophthalmologists have demonstrated that there is nothing organically amiss with their eyes or optic nerves.   There is also spiritual blindness, the kind evidenced in the religious authorities of today's gospel, who could not see any good at all in Jesus.  They could not deviate from literal adherence to the Law.  There is intellectual blindness, demonstrated by those who insist that global warming and climate are myths.  Perhaps many of us, at one time or another, have experienced personally one or several of these kinds of blindness.  Today's gospel, paradoxically, invites us to look into the mirror to see the kinds of blindness which might be keeping us from seeing and accepting the truth.

Let us keep looking at ourselves honestly as Lent progresses and keep striving to become better people.

Br John Ahern
APRIM

 

 

   

 


Author:Leadership

A CATHOLIC BOYS' DAY AND BOARDING COLLEGE IN THE EDMUND RICE TRADITION RECEPTION TO YEAR 12

Glen Stuart Rd Woodforde Sa 5072 Australia