Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
This week I was invited to attend the EREA Principal’s Conference in Brisbane. The EREA Principal’s Conference is a significant event that brings together 55 principals from schools across Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA). This conference provides a valuable opportunity for principals to collaborate, share insights, and discuss strategies for enhancing the educational experience within the EREA school network.
Our call to Faithfulness
In the late 1700’s a group of young visionaries from
Waterford Ireland, inspired by their Catholic faith, formed by their work with the disenfranchised of
their city, and aware of the discrimination that the people of an occupied Ireland faced, made a commitment to act. In 1802, inspired by the work of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters, Edmund Rice and his Companions opened a free school for boys in a new street stable.
Our Call to Transformation
As we begin the second quarter of the 21st Century, we are asked to reflect, in light of the Gospels and our Catholic faith, on the challenges we face as individuals, schools, communities and church. How do we learn, educate and grow with courage, faith and hope in order to be active participants in and leaders of change?
The conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet our brothers who share the Edmund Rice Tradition with Colleges and Flexi-schools (Flexible schools that cater for physical, social and emotional needs of individuals).
We welcome and celebrate
diversity in our local,
national and global
communities, responsive
to each person’s aspirations
and needs, and committed
to the common good.
This Wednesday, we will come together as school to for Ash Wednesday, a significant day in the Catholic faith that marks the beginning of the Lenten season. For our school community, Ash Wednesday is a time for reflection, prayer, and spiritual renewal. The ashes placed on our foreheads serve as a reminder of our mortality and the need for repentance, while also inviting us to focus on personal growth, humility, and a deepened relationship with God.
As we approach the season of Easter it reminds us of the passion, suffering and resurrection Jesus made to transform our lives. Easter is the most important part of the Christian calendar, and we are reminded during lent to reflect on our own capacity to be present to others and to turn to God.
Saturday 8th March is International Women’s Day. I want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible women who are parents and teachers of our boys. Your dedication, strength, and commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and compassionate individuals cannot be overstated. As role models and guides, you not only shape the lives of your own children but also influence the young men in our school, encouraging them to embrace respect, equality, and empathy. Your impact extends beyond the classroom and home, helping to create a world where our boys understand and appreciate the value of women’s contributions in the world.
Thank you for everything you do to uplift our community and inspire the future of our society. We are grateful for your tireless efforts, your resilience, and the powerful example you set each and every day.
Finally, Mary, our mother, calls us to emulate her example of unconditional love.
Blessed Edmund Rice – Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts – Forever
Tim Cleary
Principal