PRINCIPALS UPDATE
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. From Grade 7 camp, learning centres to classrooms at the Kingston Campus, our College will celebrate in prayer this important event in the church that marks the start of Lent. Why is Ash Wednesday important?
When an Australian sporting team wins a big tournament, like the World Cup or Gold medals at the Olympic Games, it’s quite usual for a capital city to host a ticker tape parade for them. On such an occasion, the sportsmen and women ride through the streets in a motorcade whilst onlookers throw colourful streamers (or ticker tape) at them. The story behind Ash Wednesday is not too dissimilar to this. Ash Wednesday begins on Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph. People came out and threw palms (their version of ticker tape) as he rode along the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey (the ancient version of a classy car!)
Ash Wednesday signals the start of Lent. Lent lasts for 40 days, and is preparation for Holy Week. During Holy Week Jesus is betrayed, tried, crucified and rises from the dead. We burn the ashes to symbolise the fact that the triumphant Jesus is now to be crucified.
The Catholic Church has traditionally highlighted three main ways we can prepare our hearts and minds for Easter, that is, fasting, almsgiving and service. Fasting involved going without red meat, but can be extended to any item of food - chocolate is something some go without! Almsgiving traditionally involved setting aside some extra money to give to the poor. Now we have Project Compassion that asks us to give as much money as we can. The Caritas organisation, that organises Project Compassion, distributes the money collected to certain groups. Service traditionally meant thinking and doing acts of good for others around you.
You may like to ask yourself these questions...
Fasting… What food items will I give up on the Fridays of lent? (eg. Coke, Mars bars, lollies, chocolate, meat, flavoured milk…)
Almsgiving… What money will I commit each week to Project Compassion? What money can I set aside? What items will I not buy in order to give the money to those in need?
Service… What action of service will I make each week? Who will I help? Who will I visit? What service will I do?
WELCOME
Welcome back to all, especially to our new families. I hope that your children have settled well into the school year.
We particularly welcome the following staff to the college:
- Amy Nelson - Teacher Assistant
- Harrison Loveless - Teacher Assistant
- Joshua Leach - Teacher
- Joshua Clark - Teacher
- Kate Travers - Teacher
- Kathryn Ferguson - Teacher Assistant
- Olivia Marulli - Teacher Assistant
- Louise Zegveld - Teacher
- Cassandra Gordon-Smith - Teacher Assistant
- Meghan Aldergham - Teacher Assistant
- Nikita Williams - Teacher
- Philip Weston - Teacher
- Phillippa Lidster - Teacher Assistant
- Tammy Lovell - Teacher Assistant
- Tom Clark - Teacher Assistant
- Allison Twining - Teacher
- Ashton Oates - AFL SportsReady Trainee
- Jane Powell - Business Services
- Emily Thorp - Teacher
- Hannah Donovan - Parish Associate
- Robert Elkington - Parish Associate
For new families, starting at a new school community can have its stresses. At the orientation day I suggested seven things that help relieve these stresses:
- Fides at the Huntingfield Campus and SeeSaw at the Kingston campus – where you can access what your child is learning.
- The College Website where you can find easy access to all these things and more!
- The College Newsletter that gives you a dynamic idea of all the wonderful things happening in our community.
- The Facebook page that does the same.
- The College Handbook that has everything a family member would what to know about the workings of the college, from who do I get in contact with about bus issues to how to order things on the café menu and everything in-between.
- The SchoolStream app with all communication about events.
- SchoolTV with great information to families about issues affecting children.
FIRST DAY AND LEGACY
The first day of 2020 saw the College commence with 1062 students and 132 staff members, hence all the traffic at both campuses!
This year marks our 11th year as a College and 60th year as a School. You will receive more information later this term about the events we will have to celebrate our birthday and the legacy of the Sisters of Charity that we are custodians of.
Our focus for this year is to reflect on our contribution to being authentic to two moments in time:
- 60 years ago, when the Sisters of Charity had the first students enter
the convent to be taught. - 11 years ago, when the Huntingfield Campus began with Archbishop Doyle’s Charter underpinning its establishment.
Of course these two moments in our history are about providing for a Catholic Education in the Kingston region. To this end we have been “Impelled by faith for 60 years”.
As we continue to build this community we need to reflect that we are true to why we are doing this. Our Strategic Plan for 2020, shown below, directs us in this way.
Click here to view the Strategic Plan
BULDING, BULDING, ALL THE WHILE
Over the break we have had works in the following areas:
- Convent, Grounds and a Shared Facility.
- Kingston Campus car park.
- Solar panels on the Huntingfield Gym roof.
- New Grade 9 classroom in our old Staff room at the Huntingfield Campus.
- Architect engaged for refurbishing the old Vodafone building in preparation for our final acquisition of the site.
- New cleaners at each campus and new staff for the canteens at each campus.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Listed below are members of our community who have been announced by the Hon. Michael Polley AM, Chair of the Catholic Education Commission Tasmania (CECT), of receiving either the 2020 CECT Recognition Awards or the 25 Years of Service Awards.
The following people will be recognised for their contribution to Catholic
Education in Tasmania.
- Fr Christopher Hope – Outstanding Contribution as a Friend in Catholic Schools, Kingston-Channel Parish
- Donna Duggan - Outstanding Service as an Employee within Catholic Education, St Aloysius Catholic College
CECT 25 Years of Service Awards:
- Samantha Wilton – St Aloysius Catholic College
- Carmel Sills – St Aloysius Catholic College
The awards ceremony is on Thursday, 26 March 2020 at the Don Bosco Creative Arts Centre, Guilford Young College, 76 Bowden Street, Glenorchy, commencing at 4:00pm.
Family, friends and colleagues of the recipients are warmly invited to attend the presentation functions to mark and celebrate their contributions to Catholic education. For catering purposes your attendance can be advised directly to by the close of business on Friday 6 March 2019: Miss Mary Preston Phone: (03) 6210 8848 Email: mary.preston@catholic.tas.edu.au
I know that Catholic education and the Catholic community at large join me in congratulating all the recipients for their outstanding contribution to Catholic education in Tasmania.
CCYP AMBASSADOR PROGRAM 2020
The Commissioner of Children and Young People is currently seeking nominations from children and young people aged 9 – 17 years from around Tasmania to be a part of the CCYP Ambassador Program in 2020. CCYP Ambassadors help the commissioner to understand what is important to children and young people in Tasmania and have opportunities to come together to discuss key issues and to influence key decision-makers.
if you are interested in applying please contact Ms Bond - susanna.bond@catholic.tas.edu.au
WOOLWORTHS EARN AND LEARN
The College participated in the Woolworths Earn and Learn promotion in 2019. Thank you to all the families who collected the stickers for the College. We were able to get a great selection of educational equipment and resources.
ALLERGY AWARE
The College is an allergy aware school and as such have a ‘No Nut’ policy for both campuses. We always aim to work with families and welcome open discussion on how we can best ensure the student stays safe at school. If a student has allergies an up to date action plan is required to be provided to the College, along with any relevant medication. The decision about where to keep medication is made in consultation between the parent and College. A copy of the action plan is then located in the College staff room and provided to the class / homeroom teacher.
Click on the link to view the College Allergy Aware Policy