From the Principal – Term 1 Week 9
Our final week of term coincides with Holy Week. Holy Week is the most important week in the Church and it is ushered in by Palm Sunday last weekend. In effect, Holy Week traces the final week in Christ’s life leading to his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Easter Triduum is the final lead of three days to Easter Sunday, beginning with Holy Thursday – the time of the Last Supper, Good Friday – the trial and crucifixion of Jesus and Holy Saturday – that time of reflection and pensive waiting the disciples of Jesus undertook before his resurrection. Easter signifies the victory of good over evil, eternal life over death. Easter Sunday is about hope, renewal and God’s love. Families celebrate Easter in many ways. For some it is the thrill of an Easter hunt, for others, it is the sharing of hot cross buns, or a meal together. Family spirit is central to all the traditions of Easter, and over the Easter break I encourage all in our community to:
- Make time for family, enjoy activities together and show each other how much they are appreciated,
- Re-connect with God’s creation by being a part of our natural environment, stop and appreciate the beauty if you are travelling, as we live in such a privileged place and,
- Build your relationship with God by being a part of services in yours or another parish.
I wish all of you a Happy Easter and a Holy Easter.
This is the final Newsletter for the term and what a busy time it has been since the beginning of the year! So much has been achieved by our students and staff. The welcoming of our new students in all year groups across the College in January. The beautiful celebration of the Family Mass as a full community in February. The weekly ‘Celebration’ assemblies in Marian and Lavalla, showcasing the work and talents of our primary classes, the recognition of International Women’s Day and Harmony Day. The Year 12 Retreat and Ball, Lavalla Faction and Marcelin Guild Swimming carnivals, the IPSHA Year 6 Basketball Carnival, the Marist Basketball Carnival at Trinity College Beenleigh, Queensland and this week’s Easter Liturgies. What strikes me about these events and the learning program in the classrooms is the level of engagement and effort students are putting in to work to their personal best. There has been great work and initiative shown by students, and our staff have been so supportive in bringing this full program to life during the term.
Our School Improvement Journey – Enlisting your help for the next Strategic Plan
Each year, we create our School Improvement Plan, which derives from our Newman College Strategic Directions. This year, we are focusing on our Marist Association development as an expression of our community of faith as Marists. Under the priority of Transformational Learning, we are moving deeper into creating pathway partnerships with universities and training providers for senior secondary students, while embedding our whole school Literacy and Numeracy approach. The final area under this priority is developing the wellbeing approach from the recently launched directional document “Vision for Wellbeing”. In this week’s newsletter, Mrs Beth Murphy, Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning PK-12 discusses our approach to driving an explicit improvement agenda.
As we prepare to create our new Strategic School Improvement Directions 2025 to 2028, I invite parents to be involved in the first step. This week, I sent you a link to complete the two surveys, the DISA and the Leuven. Please take the time to complete these surveys, as the data forms an important part in identifying what our new directional document will reveal as areas of focus. We have had a pleasing early response to the DISA survey but not many people have completed the Leuven survey.
Click HERE for the DISA Survey and HERE for the Leuven survey. To access the Leuven survey, enter the case-sensitive password Ghj654 and click login. The survey access code is qs89xV.
Both surveys are important in capturing your input.
Commencement of Term 2
Classes recommence on Wednesday, 17 April. On Monday, April 15, staff will be completing their DISA and Leuven surveys after a faith formation session with our Marist Life and Formation team.
Scheduled on Tuesday, 16 April are Parent/Student/Teacher meetings for Marcellin, and the Primary staff will be completing more professional learning. It is very important that families support a smooth start by ensuring their children are at school from day 1. The relevant Winter uniform is expected to be worn from this date. Please read the Vice Principal’s section regarding the standards for Winter uniforms and personal presentation.
I will be attending the Marist Pilgrimage at the start of the term and then I will be taking some Principal Renewal Leave. Mr Michael Chiera will be Acting Principal, Mrs Beth Murphy, Acting Vice Principal and Mrs Sarah Pagett, Acting Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning, until Tuesday 4 June.
I wish all families a restful break and, again, hope that your Easter is a time of peace and safety.
Wishing you every blessing.
ANDREW WATSON
PRINCIPAL