I hope you had an enjoyable break and that the time with your daughter was pleasant. We have returned to the College with the building work in full swing. There are jack hammers working above the reception block and there is sun streaming through the rear of the building, which before was a maze of corridors and offices. We had our first tour of the site at the last building meeting, this week. With hard hat on and enclosed shoes on our feet, we walked through the open spaces that will become beautiful learning spaces and revitalised traffic areas in 6 months time. Our expected completion date is the end of this school year, so all things going well, we will be able to move in before Christmas and the girls and staff will have access to the facilities for the start of 2017. 

During the first week of the holidays, I accompanied five Year 11 students to Good Samaritan Ministry Outreach. Whilst it was a busy week, it was a very rewarding one as we assisted in various outreach programs and service sites. The girls, Paris, Georgia, Nadine, Lauryn and Hannah, were exemplary. They were generous with their support of the people and workers at the sites and very mature and responsible as we lived in the boarding facility at Glebe for the week with students from the other Good Samaritan Colleges. They represented their families and Colleges with absolute integrity and were a credit to the Campbelltown community. 

During the staff PD week, staff participated in two days of training in new database programs, child protection training and spent time updating programs and assessments. The last day was a spirituality day, where we participated in some workshops and finished by travelling to the Cataract Dam, which is the site where Aboriginal men, women and children were massacred 200 years ago. It was very moving to pay our respects to the lives lost there and remember that this is our history which we need to own and work to reconcile. Thank you for the support you gave to the College during this week. It is highly valuable time as staff return refreshed from their two week break to invest time in preparing and planning for the girls. 

Since returning this term, a number of girls have been busy representing the College in a variety of events. I am sure you will read of their achievements and successes through this edition. As you receive this edition of the Inside Out, we will be celebrating our NAIDOC assembly.  I will leave you with a short prayer developed for NAIDOC 2016