“Let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24-25
To the families and friends of St Edmund’s College,
I would like to express my warmest welcome to all of you for the new school year. I hope that all of our students and families had a safe and happy break and we look forward to working closely with you all for another year.
On Monday we welcomed our new students to the College. We were blessed with good weather for most of the day so the boys could really enjoy their first day with us and get to know the place and its people well.
We are all excited to engage with the boys once again, although there will be many changes in Term 1 to align ourselves with the continuing Covid environment. Our Deputy Principal Mr Ian Garrity has already informed you by email of the procedures to follow should your son be diagnosed with Covid. You have also all been notified of the distribution of the rapid antigen tests. I would ask you to please follow these procedures closely to ensure that we continue to create a safe school environment for all of us. We will also continue our safe practices here at school to ensure that all students and staff are working in a safe environment. I would like to specifically thank Mr Garrity and our Director of Business Services, Mrs Samantha Brady, for all of the work they have done around the Covid protocols this year.
A consequence of the current Covid environment is the changes to some of our planned events for this term. These events include the Opening College Mass, New Family Function, camps and retreats, swimming and athletics carnivals and College assemblies. We will keep you informed of these changes and hopefully we will be able to schedule some of these events later in the year.
SCRIPTURAL THEME 2022
Our scriptural theme for 2022 is “Let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24-25). We are encouraged to stir each other first of all to love – not a romantic love of course, but a love for each other; a love where we raise each other up, support each other and add value to the other rather than a selfish love where we look to increase ourselves. I spoke to the staff last week about what this love might look like in the classroom, in the yard and in a pastoral context. How do we as a staff stir one another to the love of our students, and how do we stir our students to the love of each other? Inherent in this love is the concept or right and respectful relationships, and a strong sense of justice and peace. We are also encouraged to stir each other to good works – what are the actions and deeds that we can undertake that demonstrate how we love others? These can be actions on both a micro and macro level, within our own specific community or in our broader community. It is important to note that in being called to love and good works, we have two actions which force us to look outwards and increase the lives of others, and in doing so we of course increase our own lives. We are reminded here of the qualities of love as outlined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. Our aim this year is to work together, all members of the Eddies community, to stir one another to love and good works, following the path that Christ has set for us through his model of love and good works.
The scriptural theme, plus the Statement of Eddies Pride, tells us who we are, why we are here and how we act as members of the St Edmund’s community.
STATEMENT OF EDDIES PRIDE
- Striving to achieve my personal best, showing resilience and engagement.
- Investing in respectful, positive relationships with everyone in the College and the wider community.
- Contributing to a constructive learning environment and meeting College expectations.
- Honouring the College name, reputation and facilities.
- Reflecting the College motto (Christus Lux Mea, Christ is my Light) in all that I do and say.
CLASS OF 2021
In celebrating the achievements of our graduating class of 2021, we offer special congratulations to College Dux, Nick Odgers and our high ATAR achievers Baden Godfrey, Leo Blaney-Brown, Jack Hodges, Noah Ellis, Lachlan O’Neill, Riley Diwell, Shenal Rajapakse, Jack Thomson, Patrick Rees and Adam Viali. It is so heartening to see so many of our students follow the pathway of their choice, whether this be in tertiary education or an employment / vocational pathway.
STAFF NEWS
Just as we have welcomed new students to our community, we also welcome our new staff. The following new staff members have commenced with us this year:
- Monica Day, Assistant Principal, Student Wellbeing
- Olinto Fabbri, Languages teacher (Italian)
- Linda Goth, Head of Mathematics
- Timothy O’Brien, Leave replacements for Semester 1
- Phoebe Sewell, HASS/English teacher
- Lee Boswell, Co-Curricular Manager
- Melissa Gardiner, Support Staff
- Lachlan O’Neill, IT Support/Performing Arts Administration – Semester 1
We also offer our congratulations to the following staff members:
- Michael Monagle and his wife on the birth of their baby daughter
- Holly Ellem and her husband on the birth of their baby daughter
- Ashleigh Kerin on her marriage during the holidays
- Justin Giteau on being selected as Head Coach for the Raiders U21 squad
PRAYER
As we find ourselves at the beginning of a school new year, we also find ourselves on a new page, allowing for fresh starts and new opportunities. I would like to end this week’s Vortex with a beautiful quotation from American poet and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, on the importance of viewing each new day as a fresh beginning. It is very natural for us as humans to carry over our concerns, our failures, our mistakes and our worries from one day to the next, allowing these to become heavier and more burdensome. This does us no good at all. We need to strengthen the ability to just “let go” and allow ourselves the freedom to start again, and this is a particularly important skill to develop and refine with the boys with whom we work. I certainly hope that we instil in our students a sense that every day is a new day, every day is an opportunity to start again, to leave the past behind and start a new path.
“Write it in your heart that everyday is the best day in the year. They are rich who own the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt, crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lord,
You are full of grace and forgiveness.
Help us to walk forward from this day.
Thank You that right now we can enter into a new dawn,
a fresh start and a new freedom.
You turn the pages of our lives and wash each day clean.
Help us to feel that we can learn from the past in Your safe arms and move on.
Thank You that we can write a new story on a fresh page.
With You we find vision and hope again.
Thank You for the price that you paid
that we always have a chance to begin again with You.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts, forever.
Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea