Principal's Report
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Celebrate Excellence Evening
On Monday evening we gathered as a community to acknowledge the students who had achieved excellence during 2021. This included those from our Graduating Class of 2021 who placed in the top 10% of graduates in Australia; those who excelled in VCAL and VET; those who achieved perfect 50 Study Scores; and those who received special awards. We were also able to acknowledge student excellence at each year level and I made note in my welcome that it was especially pleasing to see that so many students had continued to thrive even when their learning moved to an online mode during the Covid-19 lockdowns of the last two years. It was also wonderful to be able to invite parents and guardians back to the College to celebrate the success of their young people. Congratulations to the recipients of awards and thank you to those who put in so much work in preparation for this event.
Opening Mass and Assembly
On Tuesday we conducted two Opening Masses and Assemblies as we established Senior Years and Middle Years bubbles in accordance with our COVIDSafe Plan. The focus of each was to welcome the newest members of our community into their first whole school gathering. Father Dispin John presided over the Middle Years Mass and Father Mark Reynolds the Senior. Both have close ties with Aquinas as Father Dispin is the current canonical administrator and Father Mark has previously acted in this role. Both set challenging goals in their homilies, encouraging the community to strive to make a difference in our world. Father Dispin commented on the feeling of joy that he felt in the warmth of the welcome. Thank you to the Catholic Life Team, our musicians and Ms Grace in particular for her work to prepare our liturgical celebration.
At the conclusion of Mass we moved into our Opening Assembly led by our College Leaders. Student voice is a huge element at our assemblies and we have very capable public speakers amongst our student body who benefit from the experience to present to their peers. All student leaders were presented to the gathering and given their badges as they made a pledge to serve the community to the best of their ability. Our musicians once again showcased their talents and it was lovely to hear our College song sung again after a couple of years in which we have missed the opportunity.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday ceremonies were conducted this week to mark the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The faithful traditionally receive ashes on their forehead as a visible symbol of penance. Aquinas also marks Lent through our Project Compassion campaign in support of Caritas.
Year 7 Camps
Our Year 7 Camps occur this week and next and it is a great opportunity for the newest members of our community to meet people and start to build friendships. Thank you to the staff who so generously offer their time so that this sort of experience is available to our students.
Mask Mandate
While masks are no longer required to be worn at the College, it remains a strong recommendation that masks are worn when appropriate social distancing cannot be maintained. We are also asking students to be respectful of the choices of those who wish to continue to wear a mask. It appears that the RAT program will continue for the remainder of the term and I want to thank parents and guardians for your efforts to ensure that the tests are used twice per week and positive results are reported to both the Department of Health and the college. We are sending an update to those who may have been in contact with a positive case at 11.30am each day and this strategy seems to be working at keeping our case numbers relatively low.
Email Volume
Email is an effective and convenient way of communicating and we rely on it heavily. It should come as no surprise to you that email proliferates in a large community like Aquinas and we are asking staff to schedule send their emails, where possible. We are asking that emails arrive in the recipient鈥檚 inbox during normal office hours (again, where possible). We want our staff to be able to switch off in the evening, attend to their family and other personal needs, and re-energise ready for the day ahead. You can support us by schedule sending your email (most popular email programs have this function) and expecting that a response may take over 24 hours. Matters that are urgent or relate to child safety should not be initially communicated by email and you should phone the College on 9259 3000.
Open Day
Advance notice that on Sunday March 20 we will have our Open Day from 12pm to 3pm. Tours will be conducted on 20 minute intervals with the last tour departing at 2.20pm. Bookings are not required. Parents with a child in Grade 5 are reminded that the enrolment period for the 2024 Year 7 class closes on Friday, August 19th, 2022. Please note that we do not presume that you are enrolling your child at the College and that an application is required. Should you have any questions please contact College Registrar, Ms Madeleine Kalla on 9259 3008.
Darren Atkinson
Principal