“Sneaky” Jesus

This morning I read a well written article by Brendan Nicholls focused on the idea of the ‘sneaky’ Jesus. The author was quite insightful in pointing out Jesus is, in a sense, often ‘hidden in plain sight’. The Jews two thousand years ago were hoping for a messiah who would overthrow the yoke of the Roman occupation. They got a helpless baby who, when he grew older, preached compassion, love and forgiveness and was tortured and executed as a criminal. Yet Jesus has arguably been the most significant and influential person in the history of the world. The scriptures are full of stories (such as the Emmaus story) where Jesus is present, yet not seen.

Perhaps we have similar experiences. Last weekend I attended a Board meeting for a charity I am involved with. Attending a challenging and emotional meeting on a Saturday is not everybody’s idea of a good way of spending time on a weekend. Yet when we started the meeting with a prayer, which was led by a musician, my heart opened. I spend much of my time at St Aloysius with a head full of plans, concerns, complaints, strategies and so forth. Thankfully, all I need to do is step outside to classrooms to see our wonderful students and a trace of the sacred they have within them. The author of the article on the ‘sneaky’ Jesus rightly points out that the risen Jesus can be found in the ordinary, rather than just in a blinding religious epiphany.

Concerns about progress

You would have received your child’s report late last term. Always an interesting time of anticipation – is my child okay? I hope most of you were happy with your child’s progress, no doubt some of you were not. Most students over the many years they will be at school will experience a dip at some point. The expectations of the classroom increase each year. The way our brains are put together is such that nobody is good at everything. As we know from personal experience, some people are good at the Maths/Science logical type subjects, others prefer subjects such as English and History where the focus is more on words. The same goes for strengths and weaknesses in creative subjects, hands on subjects, outdoor subjects and so forth. What matters in my opinion is that students are doing their best and reaching their potential. Getting a lower grade in a particular subject may not be an indication of laziness and lack of effort, it may be that a particular subject is simply using a particular part of the brain which is never going to be as strong as other areas. The goal is that students are engaged with their learning when they are in class and, as they get older, have a routine at home to consolidate that learning.

I would not go a week without coming across an ex-student. Pretty much all of them are doing very well in their lives. Pretty much all of them had their challenges at school. I have been reminded twice in the last few weeks by very successful members of our community of how I gave them suspensions when they were at school. Each time I enrol a family at St Aloysius, I ask them why they have chosen this school. It is usually because they have spoken with other people in the community and have heard the school has high standards in learning, care and strong values. I am grateful to our staff for their high expectations in the classroom. While good grades are important, emotional intelligence and the ability to build good relationships are just as important, as are having a sense of meaning and purpose. We would like to continue to work in partnership with you to help your child reach their potential.

COVID Planning

While we hope and pray that we won’t be in a Learning@Home situation, we have begun planning for the possibility. St Aloysius did a very good job of Learning@Home last year. A few of us are new in Executive roles this year and bring our experiences from other schools to add to the planning.

Staffing news 

Sally Fawcett will be teaching Grade 5 Green, Tuesday to Friday for the remainder of the year. Melissa Nichols will remain 5 Green classroom teacher on Mondays.  Sally will commence in Grade 5 from Tuesday, 3rd August 2021.

Jacinta Castles will be returning from Parental Leave to teach Grade 6 Blue.  A transition period will take place during term 3 with Jacinta and Sally Fawcett team teaching the class.  Sally will teach on Mondays and Jacinta from Tuesday to Friday. Jacinta will resume full time teaching in 6 Blue from Term 4.  Jacinta will return to work on Tuesday, 3rd August.

Donna Duggan has decided to resign from the Director of Teaching and Learning role at the end of the year. Donna has been extremely effective in managing the many aspects of this role. She is across the detail and works very hard to keep all of the curriculum and compliance aspects of school life meeting and exceeding expectations. Donna is also very people centred, always being aware of and prioritising the needs of others.