Issue 14, 25 August 2023

This week is 'Support Staff Week of Action'. It is an opportunity for us to recognise the significant contribution that our wonderful Education Support Officers make to our school community. Their work is wide and varied across our school. It ranges from supporting children in classes with their learning and wellbeing to ensuring that our grounds and facilities are the best they can be. Without them our College would not function. With grateful hearts, may we all give thanks for our fantastic support staff. 

School photos are scheduled to occur on Monday and Tuesday next week. Students will need to hand their individual envelope to the photographer on the day of their photo. Online orders will be available for two weeks after photo day and any late orders need to be handed to the Front Office by Tuesday 29 August. Please be aware of below uniform requirements for school photos: 

• If hair is longer than collar length it must be tidily pulled back (regardless of gender). Hair accessory colours include Navy Blue, Yellow and White only. 
• Extreme hairstyles are not permitted to be worn at school, and hair colours must be in line with the range of natural colours. 
• Students are to be clean shaven. 
• Make-up, including nail polish, is not to be worn. 
• The only jewellery permitted to be worn includes one plain stud or sleeper per ear. No other piercings permitted. 
• College socks (navy sock with stripes). 
• The approved College shoe is a black leather school shoe with no discernible logos or imagery (canvas shoes are not permitted). 
• Students will have their photos taken without jumpers/jackets (except the Year 12 class) 

On Wednesday evening we held our 'Curious About Caritas?' Information Session for students and families going into Year 7 next year. It provided an opportunity for current and new families to discover more about the College and what it has to offer for students enrolling in the middle years. It was a pleasure to share with families the exciting opportunities that exist for students at our College in Years 7-9. Some of the special and unique features of our College that support our students in Years 7-9 include strong pastoral care structures; dedicated learning and play areas; Teacher/ESO ratio; hybrid teaching model; supportive timetable; social emotional learning program; 1:1 Laptop Program and Rite Journey. If you, or anyone you know, would like to find out more about how our College supports the learning and wellbeing of students in Years 7-9 please contact the school.  

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 
• 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 are currently open for applications until 1st September 2023. Please visit our College’s website or contact the school if you have any questions.  

In Week 7 students in Years 10 and 11 will engage in subject counselling sessions with their families in preparation for next year. This is an important process that supports consideration of post-school pathways. I encourage families to engage fully in this process which helps students make important decisions about their learning at school. This process plays an essential role in upholding our ongoing success to ensure that every 12 student completes and achieves their SACE which gives them agency in choosing the best post-school pathway.  For more information on how to book a counselling session, click here.  

Last Thursday and Friday our Year 9 students travelled to Ikara National Park for a two-day camp as part of the Rite Journey Program. Students had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of Indigenous perspectives and the connection between culture, respect, and peace for the environment. The camp incorporated a ‘solo’ experience, which provided the students with personal reflection time. This is something that can be hard for young people to prioritise in the busyness of modern-day life which is full of distractions. The weather wasn’t entirely conducive to bushwalking or a warm night’s sleep, but the campers battled on and no doubt returned home with experiences that lead to personal growth. Thanks to the teachers who supported this opportunity for the Year 9 students.  

We are pleased to inform our school families that there will be no increase in school fees for the 2024 school year. Catholic Education SA has announced it will freeze tuition fees at its 84 Diocesan schools for the 2024 school year. “We recognise that cost-of-living increases are putting significant pressure on families,” says Dr Neil McGoran, Executive Director, Catholic Education SA. Dr McGoran said the fee-freeze will not impact the quality of education. “We’re committed to keeping school fees as low as possible and ensuring a Catholic education is affordable and accessible to all.” 

Since 2019, Catholic Education SA has been implementing the Making Catholic Education More Affordable Initiative to ensure Catholic schools are accessible to any family who wants their child to have a Catholic education. In addition to the fee-freeze, further fee remissions are available to any family who is struggling to pay school fees due to financial difficulties. In these instances, families can contact the Finance office to obtain a Fee Variation Form.  

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through repenting, repairing, and rejoicing together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.  

This year, amid the continued crises that has shaken our world over the last few years, we are awakened to the urgent need to heal our relationships with creation and each other. During the Season of Creation this year, we enter a time of restoration and hope for our earth, that requires new ways of living and caring for creation. The theme for 2023 is 'Let Justice and Peace flow', which has its origins in the writings of the prophet Amos (5:24). We are called to join the river of justice and peace, to take up climate and ecological justice, and to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss of biodiversity. 

The Season of Creation unites the world’s 2.2 billion Christians around one shared purpose. With so much injustice all around us, now is the time for Christians everywhere to come together and show the world how to love each other and creation. 

Throughout this season, our students in Years 7-12 will celebrate a special mass at All Saints Church. Our Year 7-9 students will attend mass on Thursday 15 September and our Year 10-12 students will attend mass on Thursday 22 September. 

This Sunday, August 27, is Social Justice Sunday.  The celebration of Social Justice Sunday has a long tradition in the Catholic Church in Australia. Almost every year since 1940, our Bishops have joined together to issue a major social justice statement at this time. 

Of course, the Bishops also make statements on matters of social and ecological justice at other times throughout the year too. These are often issued by individual Bishops delegated as spokespersons for particular issues, or by commissions of Bishops. By contrast, the social justice statement issued in time for Social Justice Sunday is approved by and issued in the name of the whole Bishops’ conference. It is hoped that these statements will inspire reflection and action throughout the whole year. 

The Social Justice Statement 2023-24 is titled Listen, Learn, Love – A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Both the Bishops and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) speak to us in this year’s statement. They see the referendum as an opportunity for the Church to begin a new engagement with the First Peoples of our land. 

The Bishops and NATSICC see this year as an opportunity for the Church to lead the way for all Australians. Instead of telling the First Peoples what should happen, they say we need to listen to them and learn from them what is the best way to overcome their significant disadvantage. Instead of arrogance, the Church can lead the way to a better future for the First Peoples and for all Australians by engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in a spirit of humility and love.