When you next visit the College you will see the fencing up again as we prepare for the second stage of the building project. We will be refurbishing the old classrooms above the chapel and new integration rooms. Many parents who are ex-students in our community would recall these as rooms 1, 2, 3 and 3A. We will update these rooms and include operable doors so that they can be opened up to hold the HSC examinations in the future. Having this exam space will free up the Mary Sheil Centre for the rest of the College during the HSC period. 

The building begins in earnest during the holidays and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The finishes and details will be in line with the work downstairs, so that the old but solid building, which has served the College well over the years, will meet the changing needs of education in the 21st century. We are very appreciative of the College Board in supporting this project and the patience of the students and staff as we manage the building program during the term. 

On Monday 26 June we hosted the NAIDOC assembly, which celebrated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture at the College. It was good to see the girls dance so respectfully and professionally on the stage. The choir from John Therry Catholic High School performed a song and the audience were led in singing the National Anthem in language. I would like to acknowledge the many Elders who were able to attend and the work of the girls under the direction of Mrs Tanginoa. The nation will celebrate NAIDOC Week in the first week of the holidays and I urge you to participate in some of the activities that each Council will have organised. 

Last week we had three teams participate in the quarter finals of the Catholic schools debating competition. All the teams did exceptionally well to get to this level. Fortunately two of our teams will progress to the semi-finals. We wish the Year 9 and Year 11 teams the very best on Friday 21 July. 

If you have not already received your daughter’s report, it should be with you in the next day or so. This is feedback on her first semester’s work. I encourage you to take the time to go through this with her. Look for the good aspects and give affirmation. Discuss the areas for future development and explore the necessary actions. Please contact the College via email if you would like to discuss the report with staff. We will be happy to get back to you after the break. 

As we come to the end of the semester, we say farewell to Mrs McMahon who has been with us whilst Mrs Thomas was on maternity leave. We wish her the very best and thank her for her work over the last 12 months. Through the term we also farewelled Mrs O’Brien and Mr Hudson. Mrs O’Brien had been with the College for 11 years as a Teacher’s Aide and we wish her the very best in retirement. Mr Hudson was our IT Network Manager for several years. We are very appreciative of the work Mr Hudson did in establishing the College’s IT network so that we are now in a much stronger place. We welcomed Mr Gargoura as the new IT Network Manager at the College. I am sure he will be a great addition to the IT team. 

We also wish Mrs Caffrey the very best as she begins her leave awaiting the birth of her second child. We hope she has a wonderful maternity leave. In Mrs Caffrey’s absence, Mrs Arena will be the acting PDHPE Coordinator until July 2018. Thank you to Mrs Arena for taking up this responsibility.

The girls now have three weeks break from the College. They will return on Monday 24 July. Staff will return for the professional development week on Monday 17 July. The College office will be open from 10 July. 

As we finish for the term, please keep in your prayers and thoughts Mrs Power who will be on the Good Samaritan Education immersion to the Kinder School in the Philippines, the three Year 10 girls who will go to an immersion in an Aboriginal community in Santa Teresa near Alice Springs, and the five Year 11 girls who will be on Ministry Outreach with Mr Gattone at St Scholastica’s College in Glebe. All these people from our community will be away from their homes experiencing some form of disadvantage and discomfort during this holiday period. We pray that the gift they give to these communities of their love, presence and compassion will fulfil them and build strong bonds of friendship and trust with the communities they enter. I am confident they will each return as changed people, having seen the face of God in the situations and people that they meet along the way. They take with them our kindest wishes and blessings.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal