This is the final Newsletter for 2021, delayed to allow us to include the prize winners at the Presentation Assembly. I want to take this opportunity to thank the parents and friends of our College who have worked with us, helped us be better, forgiven us any missteps, and recognise that we strive to be a vibrant Catholic community with a generosity of human spirit.
This week we have worked hard to provide a week of activities and information that Year 10s will benefit from. I was thrilled to be able to sit in on a forum where 7 past students shared their career and business paths. The 7 included a leading female farmer, four who had started their own businesses, a health worker and a Police officer. Some had completed Year 12 with us, one had left partway through Year 11 to work, another moved to Year 12 at Don. All of them provided an insight into the reality that finding your place in the world is not 'linear'. To borrow from "The Beatles", it's more a long and winding road. All of them showed their personal strength and courage. Given that some had come off a night shift and had still to sleep before starting another, and many indicated that they worked long hours, that they made themselves available to us showed their generosity of spirit.
We have invested heavily into helping our Year 10s prepare for senior studies and are excited to continue that investment into Years 11 and 12 where we excel in every field and especially in the individual support each senior gets from their subject teachers. This, and our small class size, is what sets us apart. (This feedback comes from students who have experienced one senior year with us, and another, elsewhere.)
We were thrilled to host our 2022 Year 7s on their Orientation day. What a happy and handsome group they are. Numbers in Year 7 are nearing capacity so we will have to consider a waiting list, shortly, as we are committed to smaller class sizes.
We are seeking feedback to help continue our improvement and each student and parent will have received a link to a Google form to provide us with constructive data.
The SRC Executive went on their leadership camp last week. Apart from Year 11 members who become House Vice-Captains by default, the students, themselves, vote for the various roles. Following an extended process (including three rounds of voting), we could not separate a tied vote for the female College Co-Captain. Seeking a solution to the impasse that held true to it being a vote from within the SRC executive, we could see only one solution - that the College Captains become a 'team' consisting of Harrison Nield, Meg Castles and Ruby Skirving, with one more elected from either gender. Josh Fraser was elected. The Team negated the need Vice Captains.
This will require a little 'creativity, moving into 2022, but I can see many benefits.
Thus the SRC Executive for 2022 is as follows:
- Female College Captains: Meg Castles & Ruby Skirving
- Male College Captains: Harrison Nield & Josh Fraser
- House Captains:
- Dillon: Jessica Welch Griffin: Lachlan Robins Lyons: Austin Keay MacKillop: Trista Aylett
- House Vice Captains:
- Dillon: James Watson Griffin: Mitchell Nield Lyons: Felicity Purton MacKillop: Starla Chrystie
If any parent has had trouble accessing the booklist (or cannot find an email that provided the link, please contact Caritas Reception on 6424 76722.
We have some staff who will not be with us in 2022 and I would like to acknowledge them:
- Stefan Redford has completed his replacement contract and has asked to finish early.
- Anton Bezemer has decided to take 2022 off as Long Service Leave.
- Elizabeth Temple has made the decision to move closer to home and, though we are sad to lose her, she remains in Catholic Education and has transferred to St Patrick’s Launceston.
- Lucy Withers has resigned to move to fresh opportunities. She was the very first person that I appointed while Acting in late 2009. I was very keen to have her interest in Agricultural studies available to the College. It proved a successful appointment with Lucy introducing many initiatives that she worked to bring to fruition. (A Farewell to her will be in next year’s Magazine as formal notice of resignation arrived after printing.)
- Rose McDonald has resigned after a long and loyal tenure at the College. In recommending her for employment with SBSC in 1988, the then Principal of OLOL described Rose as “a very caring and sensitive person” from whom students with learning difficulties “had benefited from her professional approach and had developed significantly”. Thirty-three years later this description is as accurate now as it was then. Rose had so much more to offer than supporting students with learning needs and in 1997 she was appointed as a Year Level Coordinator and also filled the role of House Coordinator until she moved to lead the Learning Support department in 2011. As Head of this department Rose was responsible for significant advancements in both the identification of and provision for students with additional learning needs
In closing for the year, I thank all parents for working with us, and those parents with whom I have had to have so many varied conversations, for your understanding and willingness to work with me. I thank all of the staff of the College for their willingness to live out our vision to be generous of spirit. Mostly, however, I thank the students - you bring us joy every day and keep us vibrant.
I wish each of you a very merry and blessed Christmas and pray that you keep safe and happy until we resume in 2022.
Frank Pisano
