Last Sunday, the church celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension. This celebration was traditionally held 40 days after Easter, falling on a Thursday, however it is now often celebrated more commonly in place of the seventh Sunday of Easter. The Ascension marks the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry with his literal, bodily return to the Father in Heaven. This moment is acknowledged every Sunday when we pray the Creed, “He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty”. Not only did the ascension signify the success of His ministry on earth, it prepared the way for the Holy Spirit to descend on the apostles 10 days later where we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. 

Last Thursday saw the third and final carnival for 2023 quite literally, run and won. In another great display of community, students enthusiastically involved themselves in a range of events and activities in support of their house. There are still a number of field events to be held in the coming days which will then allow us to announce the champion house for 2023. I take the opportunity to thank the many parents who were in support on the day, and to the organising staff led by Mrs Jones, Mrs Booth, Mrs Andruschko and the PDHPE department for their excellent organisation of a successful event. 

One of the core aims of any school is to maximise attendance among its student population. Research both within Australia and internationally is unanimous in terms of the link that is consistently drawn between regular school attendance and higher learning outcomes, social development, life skills attainment and long term career prospects. Alarmingly, a student who is absent from school for one day per fortnight, misses the equivalent of four weeks of school per year, which is also the equivalent of almost 1.5 years across their 13 years of education. In addition to this, even short absences of consecutive days can prove very difficult for even the most conscientious of students to catch up. I’d encourage all families to really prioritise regular patterns of attendance for the clear educational benefits it provides. If there are any pastoral considerations that may make regular attendance a challenge, please have a conversation with your child’s Pastoral Teacher or Year Coordinator as there are many supports that are available through the College. 

Finally this week, I would like to thank the many parents who completed the recent Tell Them From Me survey tool. We received significantly more pieces of feedback this year compared to previous years and I look forward to being able to analyse this data as a means of building on the areas that are identified as strengths, and addressing areas that have been identified as opportunities for growth. 

With best wishes for the week ahead, 

David Cloran

Acting Principal