Issue 13, 9 August 2024
Contents
- From the Principal, Mr Damian Smith
- St Mary 'of the Cross' MacKillop
- Grandparent's and Grand-Person's Day
- Sacrament of Confirmation
- UniSA STEM Girls Academy
- Scholarship Program
- ANZ Hot Shots Tennis
- Student Free Day
- From the Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission, Chloe Shanahan
- St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
- Diocesan Lantern
- National Vocations Awareness Week
- Confirmation
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Out and About
Each year on the 8th of August our College celebrates the feast day of our foundress and Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop. Accordingly, we acknowledged this day as a whole school community yesterday with a Liturgy where we focused on her incredible story. We revisited Mary’s amazing life and learnt how she overcame many challenges to become an inspiration for many people. Her legacy is still evident through the congregation of religious sisters she founded and the establishment of many schools across Australia and New Zealand. Our College continues to be incredibly proud about our strong connection to Saint Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
Unfortunately, we had to postpone the games and activities that were planned to happen on the oval in the afternoon due to the weather. In lieu of being able to be outdoors, our secondary students buddied up with a primary class to engage in some indoor activities. It was heart-warming to see students learn and play together in mixed-aged groups. The older students embraced the responsibility of supporting the younger students to have fun and work together. The younger students enjoyed following the lead of the older students and innately brought much joy to the occasion. I think Mary MacKillop would be proud!
The first Friday of the term was a special day for our school community. The R-3 classes hosted a ‘Grandparent's and Grand-Person's’ Day. The Tappeiner Room was jam-packed with visitors for a special Liturgy which honoured the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne. Joachim and Anne were the grandparents of Jesus, and they represent the importance of fostering an atmosphere of love and care. The R–3 students sang a nice rendition of 'You’ve Got A Friend In Me' to impress their loved ones. Following the Liturgy, our senior SRC representatives provided a BBQ lunch for everyone while they mixed and mingled on the primary courts and in the nature play space. Thanks to everyone who was involved
Several of our students in Year 7 have been preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This special step in their faith journey will take place on Sunday 18th August at All Saints Catholic Church. It will signify the final stage of their initiation into the Catholic church. The students have been engaged in a Parish-led program that has been supported by the College. As part of this preparation, the students spend time on Tuesday engaged in a workshop. May we offer our prayers to these young people who will soon be considered as adults in the Church following the completion of this part of their sacramental journey.
On Monday and Tuesday Mrs Christine Kemp accompanied a number of students to participate in the UniSA STEM Girls Academy in Whyalla. This program encourages girls in Years 9-12 to continue the study of Science and Mathematics throughout their schooling and into university. Our school has engaged in this opportunity for a number of years and continues to support students to develop their knowledge and skills in this space to enable them to explore future pathways in STEM.
Each year our College offers a number of scholarships to students to affirm our commitment to Mary MacKillop’s legacy of ensuring that a Catholic education is accessible to all children and young people in our community.
The program includes the following scholarships:
- Mary MacKillop Scholarship (Middle School)
- Mary MacKillop Scholarship (Senior School)
- VET & Industry Pathway Scholarship (Senior School)
- Indigenous Scholarship (Middle School)
- Indigenous Scholarship (Senior School)
Two scholarships will be awarded in each category (one to a current student and one to a new student). Scholarships will be awarded to young people who show a commitment to the values and ethos of our school community, along with academic achievement and leadership. For each scholarship, a panel will award an applicant on the basis of a range of criteria and consideration given to the need of eligible students.
Through our Scholarship Program, we are pleased to offer these opportunities to current and new families who are committed to our College’s values. The program is currently open for applications until 20th September 2024. Please visit our College’s website here to access information regarding the program, or, contact the school if you have any questions.
Our Year 4 and Year 5 students participated in the ANZ Hot Shots Tennis Carnival on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Port Augusta Tennis Courts. It was a great opportunity for our students to learn about and engage in a new sport if they don’t already play tennis.
Today our staff utilised the student free day to engage in professional learning onsite. Our commitment to ongoing learning continues to support staff to develop and refine best practice. It is important that teachers and ESOs have dedicated time to enhance their knowledge and skills, and collaborate with each another. This uninterrupted time allows them time to focus on improving their teaching strategies and integrating new methodologies into their practice. By investing in their professional development, we are ensuring high-quality teaching practices at Caritas College that continue to support improved educational outcomes.
What a wonderful celebration of our school foundress, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, with our whole school liturgy. There is truly something special about knowing and understanding that she started the Caritas College community 153 years ago on the wharf with Sisters Angelica Greene and Angela Crugen. We are proud to tell this story of the early years of Catholic education here in Port Augusta and continue to stand on the shoulders of the Sisters of St Joseph in all the different ways that we act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly (Micah 6:8).
St Mary of the Cross was a strong and courageous woman, moving to Penola to be a governess to her cousin’s children on a property just outside of Penola called Greenrise. It was in this time that she met Fr Julian Tenison Woods and from there, the story begins. Along with her sister Lexie, Mary also opened a school in Mount Gambier before heading to Adelaide to teach in St Francis Xavier’s Hall. A woman of strong faith and goodness, Mary did not hesitate to take up this position in Adelaide to continue educating children in the ordinary circumstances of their lives.
Throughout her life, Mary faced many challenges – her father’s financial failures, a stroke which left her paralysed on her right side in her final years, and hostility from many Church authorities who didn’t understand the mission of the Sisters of St Joseph. Mary’s biggest challenge came on 22 September 1871, months after our College story began, when she was excommunicated by Bishop Sheil. Fr Joseph Tappeiner and other Jesuit priests in Sevenhill, ensured that Mary and the Sisters were supported as they navigated this time. On 21 February, 1872, Bishop Sheil removed the excommunication nine days before he passed away. Throughout this challenging time, Mary showed great courage, continued hope, forgiveness, and a deep love of God to guide her. There is something we can all learn here from Mary and her story continues to teach us many things today.
Our 2024 theme of Let Your Light Shine was evident in this liturgy as we shined a light on the values and characteristics that make Mary a wonderful example of what it means to be salt of the earth and light for the world. Our Year 3 and 4 students beautifully illustrated a timeline of Mary’s life, with artworks depicting different moments of her life and how she showed love for others and God to reflect our school motto, In All Things Love. Our Year 1 students have created portraits of Mary MacKillop which were used to create a banner with one of Mary’s quotes, resonating with our College Entrance Statement.
For the past 153 years, we have proudly held our story, one that has allowed us to continue the Josephite tradition through both the hope filled and challenging times. As a community, we are proud to be part of this story which continues to transform our lives today.
As part of our diocesan theme, Let Your Light Shine, for 2024, the Port Pirie Diocesan Lantern has arrived at Caritas College for Weeks 3 and 4. This lantern is currently making its way to the 14 schools of the Port Pirie diocese to unite the schools despite their distance from each other. Wonderful things are happening in each school and it has been a surprise to see where the lantern has visited and what it has witnessed in its time in each school. The lantern was officially welcomed into the College during our Mary MacKillop celebrations however it has already visited a number of primary classes to shine a light on the wonderful ways our students are animating our theme.
This week is National Vocations Awareness Week, a chance to celebrate our Christian vocation to follow Christ in loving God and others. Pope Francis invites us daily to pray for all vocations – single or married life, religious life or lay ministry in the Church, the diaconate or priests. We express our deep gratitude to Fr Jim Monaghan for his continued presence and ministry within our school community, as he continues to be a wonderful presence to families, students and staff.
11 young people from our College and parish community will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation next Sunday, 18 August at 10:30am. Bishop Karol Kulczycki will celebrate mass and anoint and confirm our young people with the Oil of Chrism, which was blessed at the Chrism Mass during Holy Week in Term 1. The group gathered together earlier this week to prepare for their Confirmation by exploring the gifts of the Holy Spirit and selecting their Confirmation saint. We keep these young people and their families in our prayers over the coming week as they continue their final preparations that will see them as fully initiated members of the Catholic Church.
Jack Brown | Lily Davenport |
Poppy Doran | Misa Duong |
Eddy Heron | Olivia Kemp |
Jack Maloney | Kohda Robinson |
Brennan Roeby | Jasmine Tandoh |
Jontae Treloar |
On August 15, the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast commemorates Mary’s entrance, body and soul, into heaven.
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