This week’s Gospel (Luke 23:35-43) recalls Luke’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus. As always, the Gospels give us a large amount on which to ponder and to consider as to what our priorities are and how we might live our lives. There is one sentence at the start which stood out for me in dealing with young men and women. The sentence is; “The people stayed there before the cross watching Jesus”. Whilst this is an introductory statement to a far more detailed recount, the sentence struck a chord in terms of our regular discussions with students around being bystanders. The Gospel goes on to talk of how the soldiers and a fellow prisoner mocked Jesus, but it does not really say any more about what the bystanders did. We know that some of these bystanders were in a place of deep despair and hurt (for example, Jesus’ mother was present) but what about those others who were simply watching? What role did they play and what might they have been able to do differently? The nature of bystander behaviour in some ways allows us to inappropriately excuse our inaction. Luke does not make any further comment on the bystanders but the fact that he mentions them is enough for us to consider what we might do in the same circumstances.

On Wednesday evening we held our first ever Year 7, 2023 Orientation evening for new parents. The purpose of this evening was to introduce the College Leadership Team to those new to our community and establish who we are and what is important to us as a school. The evening was designed to be a short introduction and provide a welcome that we hope will lead to a strong connection moving forward. Whilst this evening was originally intended for all parents and students of Year 7, 2023, there was unfortunately an error in our mailing groups and the invitation only went to new parents. For those current parents who would have liked to attend, I deeply apologise, however, I am sure you are already familiar with what was said. We did not become aware of the error until the end of the evening. Today, all Year 7, 2023 students were invited to the orientation day where the students were introduced to key people and had an opportunity to meet each other and become involved in introductory activities. I thank the students and parents for your attendance and involvement and the staff who were responsible for the organisation of the day.

Yesterday, our Year 11 students were involved in the “U turn the wheel” program at the College. This program is run by volunteers and the NSW Police and is designed to raise awareness of safety for young women and men in their mid to late teens. It revolves around safe driving and safe partying and is a fantastic educational opportunity that encourages students to consider their behaviours and actions. Thank you to Mrs Moore and her team for organising this and for the presenters who graciously gave of their time.

As many of you are aware, we have begun our building program. I had the opportunity to go into our ‘D’ block yesterday and look at their progress. I have included some pictures, so you are able to see how the building has changed.