Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students,

This week in the longer version of the Gospel (John 21: 1-19), Jesus is waiting on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias when the apostles return from fishing. He is cooking them breakfast and whilst they recognised that it was Him, they were not bold enough to say this. As part of the conversation, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loves Him. Simon says that he does but with each question, he becomes more upset until finally he says “Lord you know everything; you know I love you”.

There is a significance in the fact that Jesus asks Peter three times. This is directly related to the fact that Peter had denied Jesus three times on Good Friday. The symbolism of Jesus giving Peter the ability to be forgiven for each of his denials should not be lost on us when we hear this story. Whilst our behaviours might be negative from time to time, we have the ability to be forgiven by a loving and caring God. This forgiveness, however, requires our contrition and a commitment to try harder and, in the Catholic tradition, we have the sacrament of reconciliation that provides that opportunity. This is a lovely gift to be aware of as we travel through our daily lives.

I would like to welcome two new and two returning staff at the start of Term 2. Mr George Czender joins us in the science faculty to replace Mr Shane Blanksby who is currently on a short parental leave. Ms Michelle Pearson is joining our office administration staff and will be on our front desk welcoming parents and visitors. Mrs Alex Hanna will be returning in a job share arrangement in HSIE. Mrs Laura Penfold will be returning to assist with our COVID Intensive Learning program. I welcome each of these staff to (or back to) the College and am sure you will give them your support.

In the next few weeks, we will be inviting parents, students and staff to participate in our Tell Them From ME survey. This is an opportunity to give the College some feedback on what we do and how well we do it. It forms an important part of our self-evaluation loop and will assist us in developing our School Improvement Plans for the next four years. I ask you to be aware when this opens and encourage all members of our community to provide us with your thoughts.

As we begin Term 2, I would ask parents to be aware of safety requirements when entering and leaving the College grounds. When the weather is poor, there is a temptation to drive into the main body of the College to pick up your children. Can I ask please that all parents are conscious not to do this, as it creates a traffic hazard when we have over 1100 students looking to leave the property. This also makes it difficult for buses to enter and collect students. Parents are reminded that they should collect and drop students in the lower car park on the left-hand side of the main driveway.

In terms of parent support, we unfortunately are still unable to open the canteen for anything other than orders. This is as a result of insufficient volunteers to assist which creates safety issues in the canteen. If you are able to assist even for one or two days per month, please contact the College on 96033000 and leave your details so we can speak to you about your availability.

Some of you may have also noticed that there is some temporary fencing around the bottom of the administration block between the admin block and the student basketball courts. This temporary fencing is a result of the decision to move the uniform shops from the back of the college property to the front. This decision was made to improve safety for the students who regularly use the roadway as a pedestrian thoroughfare. Moving the uniform shops to the front of the College will allow easier access for parents throughout the day. We hope that the renovations to this space will be completed in the next few weeks, and that the uniform shops will be able to commence trading from this position from the start of next term.

Ite in Veritate

Mr Steve Lo Cascio

Principal