Principal’s Message: Term 4, Week 6, 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,

One of my great interests in a boys educational environment is how we can restore the lost form of ritual rites of passage for our students.  A traditional rite of passage is any ceremony or event that marks a transition from one phase of life to another. These ceremonies often correlate with a significant change of status in the boy’s community.  Unfortunately over time we have lost this sense of ritualised rites of passage and have left boys to experience their development into young men on their own, leading to problematic behaviours and attitudes as boys have sought to model themselves on inappropriate images of adulthood.

Throughout history, rituals would give a community an opportunity to recognise the new status of a young man. Being witnessed in this way would hold the young man accountable for honouring his new standing and responsibilities to the group.  These ritual initiations were revered as sacred and provided young men with the opportunity to transform their consciousness. It was a mental marker for them to shift their way of thinking about themselves and how they should behave.  Dr Arne Rubinstein, an expert in adolescent behaviour, writes that “Our lack of formal rites of passage has meant young men are learning how to be a man through the media and the internet”.

Dr Rubinstein also writes that we have the ability to create contemporary rites of passage where teenage boys are challenged to think about what sort of men they are going to be and what childish behaviour they need to let go of.  I would hope that St Edmund’s College provides our young men with important rituals and rites of passage to assert their transition and development. An example of this is the Year 12 Formal which was held last Friday.  Not only is this a social occasion in which our students can let their hair down and celebrate the end of the year, but in this formal occasion there is a wonderful opportunity to mark this time as a significant time of transition.

We also have a Year 12 Farewell Rites of Passage Week where the last week of school is marked by a special event each day. The week commences with the Old Boys and Friends Association Breakfast, in which the boys are addressed by a member of the Association (an old boy) and they are formally inducted into the Association.  Tuesday is normally marked by an activities afternoon where the oldest students in the school (Year 12) and the youngest students in the school (Year 4) spend a fun afternoon together involved in a myriad of activities.  Unfortunately this year we cannot have this combined afternoon due to ACT Health regulations which prohibits different cohorts in schools mixing together.  Wednesday is normally marked by a farewell lunch with Year 12 students from St Clare’s College.  Again, COVID restrictions do not allow different school groups from mixing together, so this year the boys will have a farewell lunch with staff.  On Thursday the boys will have an affirmation liturgy in the Chapel.  This is a beautifully touching activity where the boys bring in a white shirt and have the shirt signed by their peers as a symbol of their time together over the past nine or six years.  The Farewell Rites of Passage Week ends with Friday’s House Farewells, where the boys are farewelled by their House groups, led by the head of House and tutor. There are also some significant rituals planned for the Year 12 Mass, Assembly and Graduation Dinner on 26 November (which I cannot mention here without spoiling the surprise!).

I hope that in a small way the planned rituals we have for our Year 12 students allows them to reflect on their transition away from school, entering the world before them with a greater sense of maturity and a closer sense of their own identity. Over time I would like to introduce a wider range of rituals for our boys in other year groups, appropriate to their age and development.

As already mentioned, our Year 12 Formal was held last Friday at the Arboretum.  This was a great event and perhaps one of the best formals I have attended in my 36 years of working in schools.  Our young men were perfectly behaved, beautifully dressed and looked after their guests well. Our Year 12 students introduced their guest to me as they arrived at the venue, at which point we had a brief chat before they moved into the venue itself.  The boys are reminded of appropriate etiquette prior to the event.  It was a fun and positive evening and it marked the nearing of completion of a difficult and problematic year for students in lockdown.  I congratulate our boys who certainly rose to the occasion last Friday. We look forward to a similar positive experience with their Farewell Rites of Passage Week and their graduation events.

College Expectations
As I wrote last week, it was an absolute delight to have all of our students back on campus.  Most of our boys have returned in a very positive manner, engaging well in their face to face learning and enjoying the energy of school life.  It was disappointing to see some boys poorly dressed and with extreme haircuts.  I have always said that St Edmund’s College is more flexible with its hair policy than any other Catholic school in Canberra, but we do not tolerate hairstyles which are ridiculously extreme and come nowhere near meeting the College expectations.  If we have boys coming to school with unacceptable hairstyles, we will have no hesitation in sending those boys home to rectify the hairstyle.  This should come as no surprise to any of our students or parents, as appearance is one aspect of school life that is made very clear at each and every enrolment interview and is clearly mentioned in our enrolment policy.  Having said this, I must congratulate the vast majority of our students who make a great effort each and every day to come to school in appropriate appearance, wanting to represent their school in the best way possible.

Uniform optional items (next winter)
We have received the sample of the College puffer jacket.  All students, parents and staff on the consulting group have been unanimous in their approval of the sample, so it looks like we will go ahead with the puffer jacket for next winter.  The puffer jacket is an optional item of uniform (not compulsory) and is intended to be worn over the College blazer and jumper during winter.

The sample of the new beanie was not met with the same enthusiasm (I must say I was disappointed when it arrived), so we are still working on a better design for this. The beanie is also an optional item of winter uniform.

I will provide more information about these optional items of uniform over the next few weeks.

Important dates
I would ask all parents to please keep in mind the following important dates as we draw closer to the end of the year:

EREA Child Safeguarding Standards

This week we continue exploring the Standards by looking at Standard 11 (the final Standard).

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 11: EREA PROTOCOLS AND REQUIREMENTS EREA protocols and requirements support ongoing compliance with and reporting against the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards.

EREA, through its Board, seeks assurance that EREA itself, as well as each EREA school, complies with all relevant child protection legislation and regulations, the requirements set out in the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards and relevant requirements of the Catholic Church.

Rationale: The EREA Board is the means through which EREA discharges its governance responsibilities with respect to the implementation of these Child Safeguarding Standards in each EREA school. In accordance with this authority, EREA requires regular assurance from each EREA school on the overall effectiveness of its Child Safeguarding policies and procedures and the management of child safety incidents, either current or historical. The EREA Board have a responsibility for ensuring this.

What is EREA expected to have in place to comply with Standard 11?

1. EREA models compliance with the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards at its highest level of leadership.
2. Governance arrangements facilitate implementation of EREA’s child safeguarding strategies at all levels and across all of EREA’s activities.
3. EREA monitors and oversees the effective implementation of child safeguarding policies, procedures and practices, including the Child Safeguarding Policy and related procedures and practices at all EREA schools.
4. EREA monitors child safeguarding compliance and risk management at each EREA school through annual risk assessments and attestations of compliance that are provided by each EREA school.

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 REFLECTION

Gospel, Mark 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honour in synagogues, and places of honour at banquets.  They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.  A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

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

Joe Zavone
Principal
Christus Lux Mea