Enews - 19 August 2020

I understand the context of this statement and by no means do I wish to make any political statement particularly in these challenging times. I simply want to broaden and reimagine our concept of the Australian Dream beyond self, beyond a culture enthralled by money, convenience, comfort and where everything seems to be a commodity.  

It is easy to get lost in words, but perhaps the Australian Dream could be marked as a life characterised by generosity, a moral life, a life valuable for its impact on others, a life devoted to the common good. This type of life is measured by a courteous respect for the rights of others, a responsiveness to needs and a concern for the wellbeing of others. A person living this life will be motivated by kindness and compassion and, I would argue, is living a better Australian Dream. 

One of the challenges of working in Catholic schools is to open the eyes of our boys to an even broader understanding of the Australian Dream. We do this by teaching Gospel values and ensuring Jesus is known and loved. This however is not acquired by simply breathing in and out. It is the outcome of experiences, of reflection, of balanced input, and of significant modelling. It has something to do with expanding the mind’s horizons and stirring the heart’s emotions. Fr Adolfo Nicolas SJ, the former Father-General of the Jesuit order, said the major challenge facing western society was 'the globalisation of superficiality'. In a world of mass and instant communication and multiple distractions, he argued it is possible to never go beneath the surface, to never go in to those deeper places where our humanity registers.

So, it is for the school to create windows onto the world, to allow the boys to really see, to know and to respond to it. If we want our Marist graduates to contribute to a broader version of the Australian Dream we must continue to educate for choice, educate for depth and educate for heart.  

Matthew Hutchison
Headmaster

Last Saturday was the feast of the Assumption of Mary. The day belongs to a tradition that Mary was taken into heaven, body and soul. It is hard to picture what this teaching might mean, but it does place in context the significant place Mary plays in our story as a model for the Christian life - a life called to trust in God’s unconditional love for us. Mary faced many challenges throughout her life, she was tested on many occasions, but she always had trust in God’s plan and willingly responded to what she was called to do. Mary’s openness to God allowed God to work through her, and in many ways this feast day is an invitation to allow God to continue to work through us in our one wild and precious life. 

While nations close borders, the scientific world has opened theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Progress has been extraordinarily fast, new information is discovered each day and more than 200 clinical trials have been launched around the globe. This is an extraordinary team effort!

National Science Week was celebrated this week, a great opportunity to highlight a new generation of heroes emerging from laboratories, working to save our world. Our Science Department celebrated National Science Week with boys participating in events and activities that showcased science, engineering, technology and innovation. Boys played with flames reaching 1900 degrees, cooled off with ice at -78 degrees and watched the dissection of a gill-bearing aquatic craniate animal that lacks limbs or digits (Fish!).

Competitions and many other hands-on experiments teased imaginations and celebrated the vital role of science in our world. 

Last Friday our Head of Liturgy, Mrs Callaughan, led many of our Junior School classes in a prayerful reflection on The Assumption. The Assumption marks the end of Mary’s earthly life and her return to heaven to be reunited with her son Jesus. As part of the Marist Pilgrimage five years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the Basilica of the Dormition, situated on Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. The Basilica of Dormition contains a crypt housing a life-size sculpture of Mary who has fallen asleep in death. Experiencing the crypt certainly gave us a feeling of loss, sorrow and peace.

On Monday, your son would have taken home a school photo day envelope. This year our Year 4-12 school photos will be taken on Friday 11 September. For that week only, all Junior School boys will need to be dressed in their formal winter uniform for the whole day on Friday. Class teachers will be taking their class out for sport that week on the same day as their PE lesson. Sibling photo envelopes are available from the Office and are only given to the eldest in the family at the College. More details, including about ordering and payment, can be found in the College photo article in this edition. 

This week our Junior School boys have enjoyed having Senior School students in their classrooms as they participate in the Big Brother, Little Brother program. Thank you to Mr McGrath and Mr van de Waterbeemd who have worked together to ensure this important initiative is running again this year.

Last week, Mr Galvin, Junior School Head of Studies, and I joined with other leaders from independent junior schools in the ACT to discuss the review being undertaken of the Australian Curriculum by The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Mr David de Carvalho, CEO of ACARA, chaired the discussion on how ACT independent schools are managing the various components of the curriculum in their schools and gathered our thoughts on what could be considered for the review. Particular attention will be given to the Kindergarten to Year 6 curriculum in order to reduce overcrowding and provide improved manageability and coherence in the primary years.

This Thursday, as the boys enjoy a day at home, our Junior School teachers will be busily working with our Head of Teaching and Learning, Mr Stakelum, focusing on our exciting future Literacy plans across the College.

Have a wonderful week and let our prayer today be to keep the word of God as Mary did. ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.’

Kirsty Bell
Acting Head of Junior School

The Competition is an engaging 30-problem quiz that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ everyday lives; it is open to students in Years 3 to 12. Australia’s leading educators and academics, with a deep understanding of our national curriculum standards, actively design the unique AMC problems each year. Congratulations to those boys who participated. Results normally take a number of months before they are available. 

Gerard Galvin
Head of Studies - Junior School

We consider the work of intellectual greats like Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, William Shakespeare and Leonardo Da Vinci; however, we often forget that they were also students who fumbled and failed. Like all students, they had to learn persistence and resilience.

Giftedness is really defined as asynchronous development; essentially, the brain is just a little older than the body. Statistically, it impacts 1 in 10 students. Far from being the model student, many gifted learners find themselves underperforming. This can be first seen as boredom in the classroom, frustration with peers, work avoidance, anxiety, poor self-esteem, constant questioning and inquisitive exploration of novel concepts, passion for social justice and/or a penchant for challenging authority. Once catered for, gifted learners can very quickly turn these behaviours around and start to enjoy the learning process once more. 

In 2020, the College is looking to further encourage the growth and development of gifted learners with the inclusion of a number of new acceleration and enrichment opportunities. These include the usual grade skipping, subject acceleration and academic co-curricular involvement, but we are also moving towards more nuanced programs which seek to provide the learner with a more tailored experience. These include: accelerated assessment within the age group, small group acceleration in multiple learning areas, formative work at accelerated levels within the age group, and withdrawal enrichment classes to provide access to like-minded discussions. We currently have 83 students engaging in pilot programs across the College, and are looking to open these options to all students next year. By mid-2021, we aim to have all students participate in a Cognitive Abilities Test, or CogAT, in order to further tailor learning to the individual and identify any gifted learners within our cohort.

If you would like more information, or wish to discuss your son’s potential for inclusion in the program, please feel free to contact our Acceleration and Enrichment Teacher, Emma Ramke.

Emma Ramke
Acceleration and Enrichment Teacher

On Friday 14 August, the Year 12 Legal Studies classes who are currently studying a unit on International Law were granted the opportunity to attend a webinar on crimes against humanity and genocide.

Under the knowledgeable guidance of the Sydney Jewish Museum curators, the boys learnt about the atrocities of these mass killings through the accounts of Holocaust survivors. In addition, the class examined the faults that still plague our modern international legal system.

Throughout the webinar, students were encouraged to participate in discussions which prompted genuine critical-thinking and collaboration, particularly pertaining to the definition of genocide, a crime that was not prosecutable until 1944 due to the legal term ‘genocide’ not existing. Furthermore, since its establishment, the definition has never been updated, resulting in a lack of protection on the basis of sexual orientation as well as political beliefs.

We extend our special thanks to the Sydney Jewish Museum for providing such a valuable and engaging learning experience for the boys.

Conner McKillop (Year 12) and Robert Wearden (Year 12)

Our first session was run by the Archbishop’s Office. It focused on why we should have respectful relationships and how to know if you are in a good relationship and what traits you look for in a friend. It included an anti-pornography talk which explained how it can ruin the way you perceive other people and affect others around you in a negative fashion.

The second session was about enhancing your relationship with God and others. This session was run by Mr Ahearne’s Year 11 class. We learnt about the four different types of love and who they apply to. Nearing the end, we watched a video we received from Merici College who unfortunately weren’t able to take part in the Retreat this year, and we sent one back! At the end of the session, a small liturgy was held and we completed questions about the activities that we undertook.

Our last session was about ‘Running the Race with Mary’ which was facilitated by Mr Leech’s Year 10 Christian Leadership Class. We discussed how a strong faith can help you overcome obstacles. 

The Year 10 students performed a play with the message that when God comes into our lives, there are so many distractions that we can push God away. It also explored the idea that friends can help us to carry burdens. 

A big thank you to all the people who contributed to a great day. 

Willem Hornby (Year 7) and Jack Berg (Year 7)

The theme for the Reflection Day is Count Your Blessings and Year 10 students will be considering their gifts and blessings as an individual and as a group. 

This is a compulsory College activity and an integral part of the Years 4-12 Brothers Together Faith Formation program. 

Students are to meet in the Forum at 8.40am with buses departing at 9.00am to each venue. All buses will return to the College by 3:00pm.

The College has been overwhelmed by the generosity shown towards Marist180 and the supplies that families have been providing for the houses of unaccompanied minors in the ACT. 

The attached photo is only a small sample of items! On behalf of Marist180, we thank you for your generosity. 

Photograph envelopes were distributed to all students on Monday 17 August 2020. Sibling photograph envelopes can be collected from the Front office of our Senior and Junior schools.

Our preference is for ordering and payment to be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues with handling of cash. If cash is your preferred payment method, please include cash in the envelope and have your son hand it to the photographer on the photo day (Friday 11 September). Please do not return the envelope with money before the photo day.

Portrait and group package orders are due by Friday 11 September. 

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than tomorrow, Thursday 10 September. 

An email was sent to all families on 21 August 2020 providing details for ordering and payment. 

Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

Any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering should be directed via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au or alternatively, you can contact Gail Anderson.