Principal’s Message: Term 4, Week 5, 2021

“If we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another.” 1 John 1:7

To the families and friends of St Edmund’s College,

We now have all of our students back on campus.  Last Monday was an absolute delight being able to welcome back our remaining year groups.  There was much positive energy around the College and a genuine feeling that our boys were excited about being back at school, seeing their mates and physically engaging with their teachers. Let’s hope that we have the seen the last of extended lockdowns and that, as a country and a local jurisdiction, we are now headed in new directions in handling further COVID outbreaks.

College Leaders
Last Friday I had the very great pleasure to announce to staff and Year 11 our new College Captain and Vice-Captain for 2022. From next year, each of these positions will have special stewardship of one of the EREA Touchstones with the aim of promoting the Touchstones and making them a tangible, meaningful part of our daily lives at the College. Congratulations to the following students on their significant leadership achievement and thank you to all ten students who had the strength of character to put themselves forward.

The leadership process now continues with the selection of House Captains and House Vice-Captains.

Year 12 End of Year Events
I am also very pleased that our Year 12 students will be able to enjoy their scheduled end of year events without being affected too much by COVID restrictions.  The Year 12 Formal is going ahead this Friday at the Arboretum.  Next week sees our Year 12 students make their way through their Farewell Rites of Passage Week, with an Old Boys and Friends Association Breakfast, a farewell lunch, an affirmation liturgy and formal shirt signing activity, and of course the much-loved House Farewells next Friday. Our Year 12 Graduation Mass and Assembly will take place at school this year on Friday 26 November, followed by the Graduation Dinner at the Southern Cross Club that evening.

I have spoken to Year 12 students about the importance of finishing their schooling at St Edmund’s in a positive and respectful manner. We do not subscribe at all to the concept of “muck up day” – this is a terribly outdated and “old school” concept which has negative connotations and sees students finish their schooling in a disrespectful manner, with physical and relational damage to a school they have enjoyed being at through all of their time here. The time spent on the Farewell Rites of Passage Week and the graduation events should tell the boys that we want them to finish well, with dignity and in good relationships.

All Saints Day & All Souls Day
As Catholics, we begin November by remembering those who have died. We call the first two days of November All Saints Day and All Souls Day. On All Saints Day and All Souls Day we remember that we are members of the People of God and that united with God, we are also united with all Christians who have come before us in the Communion of Saints.

All Saints Day on November 1 is marked annually in the Catholic liturgical calendar as a day to remember and venerate saints from around the world and throughout history – not only those known and canonised, but also all unknown as well. It is an opportune time to consider the example saints offer us today and to reflect on how we can imitate their holiness. As Pope Francis remarked in 2017, All Saints Day “is not celebrated only in honour of those who have reached the ‘goal’ (of sainthood), but it is also for the many ‘simple and hidden people’ who we may know, and who, through everyday holiness, help God to ‘carry the world forward’”.  All Saints Day is also particularly important to me as my mother’s name is Santa (Italian for saint) and therefore it is her Feast Day as well.

All Souls Day follows All Saints Day on November 2, when Catholics remember, pray and offer Mass for those who have passed away. It is a day of special remembrance, to pause, reflect, pray and remember those close to us.

Gospel Reflection
Last week’s Gospel is perhaps one of the most well-known Gospel readings. In the reading, Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment.  It is of particular importance to know here that the Jews had over 600 commandments, covering many aspects of daily life, including family, personal hygiene and diet.  So here Jesus is being put to the test by a Scribe, being asked which is the most important of the of the hundreds of commandments (the Scribes being legal experts at the time, having full knowledge of the law).

“One of the Scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’  And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions”. (Mark 12:28B-34)

 These are the great commandments of Jesus. He gives two commandments that encapsulate all the laws and commands previously mentioned in the Old Testament.  Jesus first teaches us that the greatest of all commandments is to love God with our whole being because God is the foundation of love. It is only by loving God that we truly learn how to love. Right away Christ follows it up with loving your neighbour as yourself because once we put God at the centre of our love, we learn how it is to genuinely do the same for our neighbours.

Since their earliest years of school, children are taught to treat others how they want to be treated. We unfortunately do not see this in reality (nor do we see it in all adults). As mentioned in previous Vortex articles, I would dearly love to be Principal of a school where all of our students – every single one of them – is an advocate for other students. I want our young men to have the strength of character and inner fortitude to stand up for others; to be the advocates not just for their friends or mates, but for anyone they see being placed in a confronting or difficult situation – in class, in the yard, on the field, on the bus, etc., whether they know them or not. At the very most, our senior students should have this quality within them; to step in and stop negative actions and words or to be able to tell someone about it.  Being a student of St Edmund’s College means that all boys need to be the very epitome of loving others as they love themselves and treating others as they wish to be treated.  We find similar concepts throughout the New Testament, forming the very foundation of what it means to be Christian or to follow the ethos of Christianity in a Catholic school.

• No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:24)
• For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)
• Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2)
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
• A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)
• The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commands there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Romans 13:9)

EREA Child Safeguarding Standards

This week we continue exploring the Standards by looking at Standards 9 and 10.

Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and St Edmund’s College Canberra are committed to creating an environment in which the safety, wellbeing and participation of all children and young people are paramount.  We have zero tolerance of child abuse and all allegations and safety concerns are treated very seriously in line with our robust policies and procedures. EREA and St Edmund’s College have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

EREA has responded proactively to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by developing a set of Child Safeguarding Standards. The EREA Child Safeguarding Standards Framework is designed to further enhance a culture within St Edmund’s College and all EREA schools wherein protecting children and young people from abuse and other harm, and the promotion of child safety, participation, empowerment and wellbeing, are embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of our leaders, staff and volunteers.

The EREA Child Safeguarding Standards ensure accountability for the protection and safety of the children and young people under our care. St Edmund’s College and all EREA schools and entities are held accountable to the Child Safeguarding Standards and we will regularly report to EREA on how these standards are being addressed here.

The purpose and intent of the Standards contained in this Framework are to embed a culture of child safety and wellbeing by demonstrating values in practice, nurturing the wellbeing of all children and young people, respecting their dignity, ensuring their safety and protecting them from abuse and other harm. This we do, at all times, by acting in the best interests of children and young people under our care.  The Framework should be read alongside the EREA Child Safeguarding Policy which can be found here, and the St Edmund’s College Canberra Commitment to Child Safety which can be found here.  The entire EREA Child Safeguarding Standards Framework can be found here.

STANDARD 9: REGULAR REVIEWS AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT Implementation of the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards and of the St Edmund’s College Child Safeguarding Policies and Procedures is regularly reviewed and improved.

St Edmund’s College is expected to maintain vigilance by putting in place systems to frequently monitor and improve performance against the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards.

Rationale: St Edmund’s College seeks to continuously improve its delivery of child safe services and the school’s broader operations. Regular reviews of the school’s performance against the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards ensures that its policies and procedures, including record keeping practices, are being implemented by Staff, Volunteers and Contractors. The school reports on the findings of its reviews, shares good practice and learnings back to the school community on a regular basis, and addresses new challenges or child safe concerns that arise.

What is St Edmund’s College expected to have in place to comply with Standard 9?  The core components of continuous review and improvement of Child Safeguarding practices are:

1. The school regularly reviews and improves Child Safeguarding policies, procedures and practices.
2. The school analyses complaints and reports of child safety concerns to identify causes and systemic failures to inform continuous improvement.
3. The school reports on the findings of relevant reviews to Staff, Volunteers, Contractors, children and young people, families and relevant communities.

STANDARD 10: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SUPPORT CHILD SAFETY Policies and procedures document how St Edmund’s College is safe for children and young people.

St Edmund’s College is expected to have clearly documented Child Safeguarding policies and procedures that detail how the school meets its obligations under the law, regulation and EREA Child Safeguarding Standards to create an environment that is safe for children and young people.

Rationale: Documenting policies and procedures ensures consistent application of Child Safeguarding practices across the school. It also enables the school to examine, through review processes, adherence to child safety principles, practices, law and regulation.

What is St Edmund’s College expected to have in place to comply with Standard 10?  The core components of policies and procedures in a child safe organisation are:

1. Policies and procedures address all EREA Child Safeguarding Standards and comply with relevant child protection law and regulation.
2. Policies and procedures are accessible and easy to understand.
3. Accepted best practice and school community consultation informs the development of policies and procedures.
4. Leaders champion and model compliance with policies and procedures.
5. Staff, Volunteers and Contractors understand and implement the policies and procedures.

Next week we will explore the final standard, Standard 11.

From now on, when an initiative or program is raised in Vortex or any other College publication or communication, we will explicitly make the connection to the relevant Child Safeguarding Standard so the whole community is aware of how we are meeting our expectations.  We will also post the ways in which we comply with each Standard on our website.

PRAYER
All I am, and all I have,
I offer, Lord, to you.
I offer you these hands,
that you might use them
in and through my daily work.
I offer you these feet,
that you might lead them
to someone who needs my help.
I offer you these shoulders
if you should need them
to help lighten another’s load.
I offer you this voice
that you might use it
to speak up for those in need.
All I am, and all I have,
I offer, Lord, to you.

Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts, forever.

Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea