Please make note of the following important dates:
Friday 2 June: Champagnat Day Celebrations and College Walkathon. A reminder that as Mass is a formal occasion, students are expected to wear full winter uniform to school and bring a change of clothes for the Walkathon. For more information, please see the below articles.
Monday 5 June: Year 11 and 12 Exams begin.
Monday 12 June: King's Birthday Public Holiday.
Wednesday 14 June: Last day of Term 2 for Years 11 and 12.
Friday 23 June: Last day of Term 2 for Years 4 - 10.
Reminders
From the Library
Please note the library will close early for Senior School students this week on Thursday 1 June (4.30pm) and Friday 2 June (3.15pm).
Faith Formation
Champagnat Day Mass
All are invited to our Champagnat Day Mass to celebrate the feast of St Marcellin Champagnat.
The mass begins at 9.00am on Friday 2 June 2023 in Marcellin Hall followed by morning tea.
As space is limited, registrations are required. Please register your attendance here.
National Reconciliation Week and Voice to Parliament
This year, Sorry Day (26 May) and National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) have added significance for all Australians as they are asked to contemplate and then vote on the Referendum on the Voice to Parliament.
The theme this year is ‘Be a voice for generations’ and further information can be accessed here.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has released a statement on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
In his article 'Together', Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ says the Voice to Parliament is a necessary step towards practical reconciliation, while Fr Frank Brennan SJ suggests 10 steps for Catholics inspired by our Catholic social teaching when approaching the forthcoming referendum. Read about them in The Catholic Weekly article 'Fr Frank Brennan SJ: How to vote on the Voice'.
To promote understanding of the Indigenous Constitutional Recognition through a Voice, what a Voice to Parliament is, and is not, and why a Referendum is required to make it happen, there is an online course available here. It is hoped that the more people are informed about the issues, the more constructive and productive debates will be.
Alternatively, Catholic Social Services Victoria and Catholic Social Services Australia have opened registration for their three-part webinar series on this year’s Voice to Parliament Referendum. The webinar series begins at 4pm on Thursday 25 May, followed by events on 29 June and 27 July. Registration is essential to be sent the online link. Tickets for CSSV & CSSA members are free and non-members can purchase tickets for $12 per session or $30 for all three sessions.
Jesuit Social Service position statement on the Voice to Parliament can be viewed here.
Peter Hawes Assistant Head of School - Mission and Identity
Community
College Walkathon
The 2023 College Walkathon will be held on Friday 2 June 2023. The Walkathon is the College’s annual single major fundraising project. There will again be a social justice focus to this year’s Walkathon, with funds raised going towards:
Catholic Care – Mackillop House
HOME in Queanbeyan
Br Mark May Bursary Fund.
Given the emphasis on helping those in need within the community, we seek your strong support in meeting our fundraising goals.
For the first time, we will pair our Champagnat Day Mass with the Walkathon as a full day of celebration. A reminder that as Mass is a formal occasion, students are expected to wear full winter uniform to school and bring a change of clothes for the Walkathon.
The St Vincent de Paul Society has launched its annual Vinnies Winter Appeal with a focus on the number of older women experiencing and at risk of homelessness. The latest census figures revealed women over 55 remain one of the most at-risk demographics, increasing by 37% over the past decade to more than 7,300 across Australia.
This year we are again asking members of the Marist Community to join us in making a difference by making donations of warm blankets, jumpers, socks, gloves and other winter-related clothing that are new or in very good condition. These items can be donated in identified boxes located in House Deans’ offices until Friday 4 August.
This year our specialist homelessness teams have identified the following donation needs:
Gloves
Scarves
Jumpers
Warm Jackets
Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Mats
Supermarket Vouchers
Non-Perishable Snack Food
Marist Vinnies group would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and your kind donations.
Lorraine Gannon Head of Social Science
Sport
Senior School Cross Country Results
As an update to the article published in last week's Enews, we can now share a full report from the Senior School Cross Country Carnival.
Marist’s Senior Cross-Country season began with a four-week fitness program in Term 2 during PE classes and culminated with our College Carnival on Friday 19 May. Students completed the Mawson Ponds course and all Houses participated with tremendous school and House spirit. Congratulations to Haydon House for winning the Senior Carnival for the fourth consecutive year. Congratulations to Mark, Conway and Haydon for winning the Junior, Intermediate and Senior divisions respectively. Results are outlined below.
From the College Carnival boys qualified to participate at the ASC Carnival at Stromlo Forest Park on Friday 27 May. The College has a proud history at this event and the team was successful in retaining the boys overall trophy, which we have now held since 1987. Many of these students progressed to the ACT Championships that will be held later in the year.
Congratulations to all students who participated in this season’s Cross-Country events.
