Another Lent has come and gone but the message of Easter is constant as we respond to the invitation of living the gospel in our daily lives. Jesus proclaimed a message of justice, peace and forgiveness. As witnesses of this message, we are challenged to bring this message to life through our own lives. As we approach the month of May, we are reminded of the lives of Mary, our heavenly mother, Blessed Edmund Rice and St Dominic Savio who were challenged to proclaim the message and openly became witnesses to the message through their own lives. Let us live Jesus in our hearts as we follow in the footsteps of Mary, Edmund and Dominic.
The College will commemorate ANZAC day at our first assembly in term 2. As we commemorate ANZAC day and all those who serve this great country of ours, we are constantly reminded of the spirit of mateship. Sometimes mateship is misunderstood to mean ‘I will support my mate no matter what’, whether it is for good deeds or bad. We must not do anything that will upset our ‘mates’. Mateship is not this at all but rather it is about being loyal, honest, faithful, and truthful to your mates.
More importantly being a mate should demonstrate true friendship were we truly listen, honestly care and remain faithful to our mates especially through difficult times. As we remember the fallen and those who have served our country let us also ensure that the true meaning of mateship is not misunderstood.
The first term Diligent and Sustain Effort Reports have been mailed out to all families. I will be reviewing these over the next few days so I am hopeful that most students have performed at least to the best of their ability, if not beyond their expectations. These reports provide a great opportunity for all students and parents/guardians to evaluate their goals set at the beginning of the year. Setting revised achievable goals for term 2 will provide students with a greater sense of purpose and motivation to continue their learning journey. I would encourage all parents to maintain communication with their son’s teachers if they have any concerns.
As you re-evaluate your son’s goals, a reminder that the Y7 – Y10 Parent/Teacher/Student day on Monday 14th May, 2018 is the first formal opportunity to meet with your son’s teachers. I do encourage parents to contact your son’s teachers before this day if you have any concerns as it is important to maintain an open dialogue if we are to get the best out of them. A reminder that this is a pupil free day and that all students are to wear the College Winter uniform to the interviews. Information regarding the upcoming Parent/Teacher/Student Interview day was included in all reports.
For Y11 and Y12, Parent/Teacher/Student Interview afternoon is on Tuesday 22nd May, 2018 (3.30pm – 8.00pm). This is a great opportunity for parents to arrange to meet their son’s teachers and discuss his current progress in either the HSC Preliminary year or the Semester One reports for Y12.
Bookings for all Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews are to be completed on line.
The annual Mother’s Day Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday 9th May. This mass has become an integral part of the College and would encourage all mothers, grandmothers, aunties or any significant female in our son’s lives to be part of this celebration. We ask that you RSVP by 1st May so that we can arrange the morning tea.
It was another extremely productive term with most students settling into the routines of our blended learning environment. Throughout the term, I have made several visits to different classrooms and have been very pleased with the diligent application students have demonstrated towards their studies. It is always great to be able to walk into a classroom and witness how engaged students are in their learning. The BYOD program has been challenging but most rewarding as boys look to learn in an environment that uses technology to support their teaching and learning. Congratulations to all students who have applied themselves to their studies and who have embraced the College theme of ‘Live the Gospel’.
The staff development day on Monday 30th April will see staff from three EREA schools – St Dominic’s College, Penrith, St Patrick’s College, Strathfield and Edmund Rice College, Wollongong come together for the inaugural EREA Eastern Region Learning Conference. Teachers from all three schools will have the opportunity to engage in professional learning dialogue with colleagues from other schools in the Edmund Rice tradition. St Dominic’s will be hosting the following departments – Mathematics, Physical Education, Languages and Counsellors. David Sheil (Director of Teaching and Learning) has provided great energy to this conference and has been the leader in providing this opportunity for professional development for our staff. I look forward to reporting on the day in our next edition.
David Pletkan achieved an annual Focus on Youth Award by The Rotary Club of Nepean. He was nominated by the College for continually commitment to his studies and the community life of the school. David’s passion for Tennis extends to training less able young people and people of varied abilities. When some students are struggling to complete 10 hours of Social justice, David regularly completes over 200 each year. His parents wanted us to thank you for all you have done in supporting his development and growth.
Condolences
Please pray for Bailey Tebbutt (Y9) as he mourns the loss of his father, Andrew. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
Dominus Lux Mea
Let Your Light Shine
Mr M Ronchetti
College Principal
