The Gospel this week (John 6: 60 – 69) includes the phrase; “It is the spirit that gives life”. For our students as we are now in the middle of the term, this phrase encourages us to ask two questions about our lives. The first is; what are the activities, events or thoughts that take away our energy, focus or passion (lives)? The second is; what do we mean as ‘the spirit’? In the simplest of terms, this can be directly interpreted in a theological way that the Holy Spirit leads us to eternal life. This is definitely an important message about the basic truth, that we can rely on God to guide and support us to eternal life. For our everyday interactions, however, we should still be considering how this spirit or energy might be used to give us energy or life. The spirit might be how we grow from our interactions with others or how doing good works might promote a feeling of self-worth or social cohesion. Whilst the spirit might look different in each of us, it should ‘give life’ and as such, lead us to God.

Today we held our Staff Professional Development Day focussed on student and staff wellbeing. This fits into our School Improvement Plan for this year. We were fortunate to be able to engage Dr Andrew Fuller, who is a Fellow of the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University of Melbourne. Andrew is recognised as an expert in wellbeing and resilience and is a nationally recognised psychologist. Dr Fuller challenged us to consider our processes and behaviours and to also reflect on how we ensure self-care is an integral part of caring for others. Thank you to Mrs Moore and Ms Toogood for their organisation and coordination of this event. Thank you also to each of our parents and students once again for your understanding and flexibility for the pupil free day in ensuring our staff were able to take time to reflect on their practice.

On Tuesday we held the Term 3 P&F meeting. At this meeting we were able to present an update on our building program and outline the next phase in facilities improvements. We are hoping that our blocks A and J will be completed before next term, and we are currently planning for an upgrade to the canteen and our junior kitchen spaces. Thank you to those parents who attended and supported us on the evening.

On Wednesday evening we held our Year 9, 2025 elective subject information evening. The first part of this was held in the STEM building and gave our parents an opportunity to look around at the new space. We then went into the hall for a presentation on the elective process and the nature of subjects in Years 9 and 10. Thank you to the parents and students who attended, and the staff who gave of their time to assist students in making their choices. A special thank you to Ms Miller and Mr Teuma for their organisation and presentations on the evening.

Ite in Veritate