今日吃瓜

Celebrating 200 Years Catholic Education in Australia

A National Mass for Catholic Education was celebrated on Monday 24 May, the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, at cathedrals and parish churches across all states, territories and dioceses.

The Mass commemorated the rich 200-year history of Catholic education in Australia with students and colleagues at Catholic schools and education offices across the nation.聽 I attended the Perth Archdiocese Mass at St Mary鈥檚 Cathedral along with MSA Regional Director, Julie Ryan, Leader of Early Childhood, Lisa McClue and Year 11 students Elliana Celisano and Jack Carberry.聽 It was a beautiful and moving liturgy recognising the enormous contribution of Catholic Education in Western Australia.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2021

National Simultaneous Storytime is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association.聽 A picture book is selected and read in schools, libraries etc across the country.

The story selected this year was 鈥�Give me some space鈥� by Philip Bunting.聽 I had great joy in reading this story to students at the Marian Campus.聽 A love of reading is a gift that needs to be nurtured and supported.聽 I encourage students and parents to read together to cultivate this important piece of becoming a lifelong learner.聽 As in the past, teachers had organised for an appropriate costume for me to become truly immersed in this story.聽聽 Being an astronaut and reading in character is one strategy to bring life and joy to reading.

Year 7 Interviews

Last Tuesday we commenced interviewing students for Year 7 2024.聽 This year, we were able to conduct our interviews in the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub and therefore showcase our new learning environment.

Our enrolment numbers for Secondary are currently at an eight year high.聽 The elevated amount of interest in Year 7 is testimony to our ongoing pursuit of academic excellence as exemplified through our Vision for Learning 鈥�Shine through discovery鈥� – Let your light shine, pastoral care, comprehensive co-curricular program, upgraded facilities and quality teaching program.

An important part of our enrolment strategy still rests with the narrative that our current students bring to the dinner table when they come home from school.聽 Their experience of learning and being part of a community is our best advertisement.

National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week

National Sorry Day is observed annually on 26 May and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were removed from their families and communities, to which we refer 鈥榯he Stolen Generation鈥�.

At 今日吃瓜 we acknowledged this day across the College through prayer and various presentations.聽 At the Marcellin Campus the bells were switched to didgeridoo music for the day.

The following prayer was shared with Marist schools across Australia by our MSA National Director, Dr Frank Malloy:

Prayer for Reconciliation

Almighty and loving God,
you who created ALL people in your image.
Lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of our past.
You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again
so that sins will be forgiven.
We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession
of land, language, lore, culture, and family kinship that
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.
We live in faith that all people will rise
from the depths of despair and hopelessness.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children from their families.
We are sorry and ask God鈥檚 forgiveness.
Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless, and inflicted and heal their spirits.
In your mercy and compassion walk with us
as we continue our journey of healing
to create a future that is just and equitable.
Lord, you are our hope.
Amen.

Marist Family Mass, Sunday 30 May

After being cancelled last year due to COVID-19, 今日吃瓜 is delighted to once again be hosting this event.聽 Such a gathering provides an opportunity for the relatives of our Brothers, Marist Priests, Affiliated Members and the Brothers themselves, to celebrate the Mass for Trinity Sunday together and then to socialise over a morning tea. The Mass commences at 10.00am and will be celebrated by Fr Steve Truscott SM.

We look forward to being with the Brothers on this day.

Opening and Blessing of the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub, Tuesday 1 June聽聽

Our community has undergone significant renewal in the last five years, exemplified by a commitment to growing the authentic learning experience of our students.聽 We have pursued St John Henry Newman鈥檚 commitment to academic excellence and critical thinking that is animated through our Vision for Learning 鈥楽hine through discovery鈥� – Let your light shine.聽 This Vision inspires our faith and learning community to Challenge, Collaborate, Create and Celebrate who we are and what we seek to achieve.

The refurbished building will inspire us to delve deeply into Newman鈥檚 story, his spirituality and the inspiration he has evoked in educational circles around the world.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming the following distinguished guests to 今日吃瓜 to perform official duties at this significant event 鈥�

• The Most Reverend Timothy Costelloe, Archbishop of Perth
• Br Peter Carroll, Provincial of the Marist Brothers and the Leader of the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat
• Dr Frank Malloy, National Director Marist Schools Australia

College Advisory Council Meeting

Our College Advisory Council convened last evening and we welcomed our Director Mission and Catholic Identity, Simon Martino, as guest speaker.聽 Mr Martino spoke about the development of the new Vision for Mission demonstrating how this is a living document which takes on a methodology to the way we bring our faith and life into action at 今日吃瓜.

 

The Mission and Faith Life of our College continues to shine through the work of our staff who continue to participate in the dream of St Marcellin Champagnat 鈥渢o make Jesus Christ known and loved鈥� to all the young people in our care. The past two weeks has seen students participating in a range of activities from Retreat Days to Mothers Day Liturgies and Sacramental retreats. All these activities play an important role in helping our students discover who they are and who God is calling them to be.

Australian Marist Solidarity Fundraising

This term, 今日吃瓜 has been focused on Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) in its fundraising appeals. This year Australian Marist Solidarity have launched their campaign, Fratelli Tutti: the Spirit of Solidarity. Activities and resources will be shared to raise awareness with students across PK-12 as we continue through Term 2. A big congratulations to Year 5 students who through a Humanities special project has raised close to $1000. This is a great start and our fundraising will continue through our Champagnat Day celebrations later this term.聽 To learn more about the work AMS does, please .

Marist Youth Ministry Regional Gathering

Year 11 and 12 students joined with students from St Joseph鈥檚 College Northam to reflect on who is their neighbour and how they can better serve the most vulnerable in our community. These values and idea of service is underpinned by our Marist Spirituality.

Marian Lecture: The Post-Covid Church

Staff and colleagues from around the Archdiocese gathered for the 2021 Marian Lecture, facilitated by the Association of St Marcellin Champagnat, where Mr Christopher Lamb presented on the Post-Covid Church: Crisis or Opportunity?

Mr Lamb is the foreign correspondent for the Tablet to the Vatican and has great insight to the papacy of Francis. Over 50 people attended this event, hosted in our Marist Auditorium where Mr Lamb reflected on the papacy. In his reflection he outlined Pope Francis as a disruptor, who seeks to challenge the Church to rediscover the radical message of Christ. He went on to remind us that the Church today invites all members to become active and involved in shaping the future and we in Australia have an opportunity to do this through the Plenary Council. Lastly to point out that Pope Francis encourages us to live simply and to be empathetic to our brothers and sisters. In a time of uncertainty, a community of people who walk with and support each other, is one that Christ calls us to be and is our hope for our 今日吃瓜 community.

Thursday morning Community Mass 鈥� 8.10am every Thursday

Thank you to Thomas More Guild and Year 5 students and Brigid Guild and Year 6 students who hosted our Thursday morning community Mass in Weeks 3 and 4. Chisholm Guild and Year 4 will be hosting in Week 5 and Camara Guild and Year 3 in Week 6.

Our community Mass is the perfect way to start your day where students can gather with staff and their parents to begin the day. All parents are invited to attend with their students at least once a term.

Student Led Prayer

Faith and Liturgy Captains Lucy Brennan and Sarah Kerr continue to play an important role in our school, offering opportunity for students and staff to gather in the Chapel for 10mins of quiet prayer and reflection. Over the past few week鈥檚 students have created Mothers Day cards and reflected on the Anzac spirit. Please encourage your son/daughter to attend Student Led Prayer, which takes place in the Chapel every Friday at 8.25am.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation over the next few weeks. This is an opportunity for students to reflect on their relationship with God, with others and with themselves. The sacrament of Reconciliation is about forgiveness, mercy and encountering God鈥檚 love.

Through their Pastoral Care program, students will be asked to reflect on their behaviour and places where they need to seek forgiveness. Our students will be supported by the Redemptorist Monastery as they prepare for the sacrament.

This week marked the beginning of NAPLAN with our Years 3 and 5 students taking part in Reading and Writing assessments. There are lots of different ways people choose to view NAPLAN, however our message to students has been really simple. We have encouraged all students this week to see NAPLAN as an opportunity to celebrate. To celebrate their learning, their growth and the great determination and effort they have made in improving their learning not just this year, but over all their years at 今日吃瓜.

On Monday we did some story writing in Year 3 to prepare for our Writing assessment. One student in our class had written half a page for their writing and had said they were finished, but when encouraged to go a little further, or to think about ‘is that the best they could give’, they were able to go on and write a further page and a half! This happened for a couple of other students in the group too. This was a great example that often there are different points in our learning or in life where we need to make a choice between what we think we can do and what we can actually do. Often there is a very big difference 鈥� especially for young children who are still coming to understand themselves and their capabilities. I shared this message with all of our students at morning assembly 鈥� that the mindset we choose to adopt can have such powerful consequences on the results of our work. We hope of course, that all students can adopt this growth mindset and live with a 鈥榗an do鈥� attitude towards all challenges they encounter.

Highlights from Past Two Weeks

NAPLAN

We have had a good week of NAPLAN testing, with everything going well across the week. The following assessments will take place next week:

• Monday 鈥� Language & Grammar Conventions (Year 3)
• Tuesday 鈥� Language & Grammar conventions (Year 5)
• Wednesday 鈥� Numeracy (Year 3)
• Thursday 鈥� Numeracy (Year 5)

It is very important that all students bring headphones, especially for the Language & Grammar Conventions assessment as they will need them to complete their tests. We owe a big thanks to our Leader of Learning K-6, Miss Katya Anderson and our Administration Assistant Mrs Amanda Johnson for all of their support in getting us up and running with everything this year.

SHINE through Challenge

Last term, 16 Years 5 and 6 students competed in their first Da Vinci Decathlon. The Da Vinci Decathlon is an annual academic competition designed to challenge and extend students in a wide range of disciplines in a day full of fun, challenge, and teamwork. The ten disciplines included in the challenges are: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography, and legacy.

It was wonderful to see the students鈥� collaboration in solving complex problems, assigning tasks to each other based on their unique strengths and navigating the day independently. It is with much pride that I can report that the Year 5 team received second place for the Cartography category. This team consisted of Deoin Fernando, Joshua Woods, Zac Sindall, Kaydee Van Deventer, Ivy Sawkins, Luke Rombouts, Gabrielle Ferreira-Ballinger and Maxwell Moller. The Year 6 team should be commended for their performance too. They received second place for Science and first place for Cartography. The Year 6 team included Nya Casotti, Benji Davies, Jensen Rutherford, Brayden Lim, Gabriella Mason, Benji Thompson, Anabel Raguseo and Joss Arnold.

Congratulations to all the students involved.

Mrs Lara Ognenis, Gifted and Talented Teacher

Year 3 Reconciliation Retreat

Two weeks ago our Year 3 students gathered together to take part in a retreat centred around the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students had the chance to explore what it means to show love and forgiveness for others in the same way that God shows love and forgiveness to us, as well as how we are all blessed with the gift of conscience to help us make good choices in life. It was wonderful to see students engaged so positively with the activities and reflections of the day.

Year 4 Eucharist Retreat

This morning our Year 4 students gathered in the Marist Auditorium to take part in their own retreat, as they finalise their preparations for receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. Students reflected on the significance of The Last Supper, as well as examine how Holy Communion unites people with Jesus in a special way. It was great to visit the students this morning and to see them enjoying the day so much.

Uniform

Last week we had our school photo day, and I must say it was a beautiful sight to see so many students looking so sharp in preparation for their picture. Hopefully this is something we can look to adopt every day. We have spoken as a school community about the importance of representing ourselves and each other with pride, and how wearing our uniform correctly shows that we value being a part of the community. Students and teachers will be working together over the coming weeks to really focus on two important aspects of our uniform:

• Wearing our College blazer to and from school each day (for students in Years 4-6)
• Making sure our shirts are tucked in and looking smart when we are in the classroom

We hope that we will continue to enjoy the support of students and families in adhering to these strong standards.

Important Information For The Next Two Weeks

There are a number of important events coming up over the next two weeks in the College calendar. These include:

Week 5

• Wednesday 19 May 鈥� Years 5/6 Art extension Artist in Residence Program
• Wednesday 19 May 鈥� Year 3 guest speaker (Mr Bailey)
• Thursday 20 May 鈥� Year 6 Interschool Sports Afternoon (John XXIII College)
• Friday 21 May 鈥� Year 6 Blue Assembly

Week 6

• Wednesday 26 May 鈥� Year 5 Unit mass in the Chapel commencing 9.00am (parents welcome to attend)
• Friday 28 May 鈥� Lavalla Assembly