To the community of St Edmund’s College,
Today the College held a very special NAIDOC Week Assembly in which we acknowledged and celebrated the rich history, tradition and contribution of our indigenous sisters and brothers to this great land. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’).
Every year there is a different theme for NAIDOC Week, with this year’s theme being, “Because of Her, We Can!” It is so important for St Edmund’s College as a Catholic boys’ school, to celebrate the role and participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women at local and national levels, and recognise the significant enabling effect of these women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have been trailblazers, politicians, activists and social change advocates who have fought and continue to fight for justice, equality and access to maintain and celebrate culture, language, music and art.
Unfortunately, the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women has sometimes been invisible or diminished, but for at least 65,000 years these women have carried dreaming stories, songlines, languages and knowledge that have kept Aboriginal culture strong and enriched as the oldest continuing culture on the planet.
At our NAIDOC Assembly today, we heard of the stories of the women who have enabled our indigenous students who have stood up and claimed, “Because of her, we can!” We were very privileged to hear from two strong Aboriginal women – proud Ngunnawal woman Aunty Caroline Hughes, Director of Yurauna Centre at Canberra Institute of Technology, who welcomed us to country and gave a powerful presentation, and Wing Commander Cheryl Neal about her experiences as an Aboriginal woman in the armed forces. We also viewed a student-produced video focusing on Year 10 student, Jahrod Foley and the way in which he uses his art to connect to his Aboriginal culture. Some of our junior indigenous students demonstrated a self-devised indigenous dance for us, accompanied by some of our older students on didgeridoo and clapping sticks.
A very moving part of the assembly was a special presentation to the College of a beautiful Aboriginal representation of the College crest. This tells the story of the gathering of a community with our symbol of the pelican as the focus of that community, our community. A picture of this beautiful art work is attached to this message. We will place this in the front entrance foyer of the College to ensure that we always remember our place and our context within a much wider and deeper history of the land on which this College sits. The artwork was designed by well-known indigenous artist Duncan Smith and created by our indigenous students and I could not be prouder of their achievement and this very special gift to the College.
Celebrating NAIDOC Week gives us a very strong sense of place. Although we were not invited to this land, we must all act as guests to this land, respecting its first people, its traditional owners, its history and its many gifts.
In 1986 St John Paul II made a very strong statement to iconic words to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during his visit to Alice Springs. On the 30th anniversary of this visit, Pope Francis issued a powerful statement last year encompassing the significance of the continued acknowledgement and recognition of the rich culture and legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. He wrote,
“This anniversary affords me the happy opportunity to express my deep esteem for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for your ancient cultural heritage. Uniting my voice to that of Saint John Paul II, I encourage you in his words: ‘Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear. Do not think that your gifts are worth so little that you should no longer bother to maintain them. Share them with each other and teach them to your children. Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost.’ For when you share the noble traditions of your community, you also witness to the power of the Gospel to perfect and purify every society, and in this way God’s holy will is accomplished.”
As a member of the EREA family of schools, we at St Edmund’s firmly support the EREA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy, which in part reads: “Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) continues to walk together in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Through collaborative and respectful partnerships, EREA is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment and to offering a quality and culturally enriching education for all young people. EREA is committed to furthering Reconciliation and valuing the wisdom and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by deepening an understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout the curriculum and the cultural life of EREA and its schools”. St Edmund’s College is proud of the diversity of our student population and we aim to maximise as many opportunities for each student. Our student population is certainly enriched by the presence of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Creator of all things,
Both seen and unseen.
Speak to us in your great wisdom.
Make us strong as we seek your help and guidance.
Teach us to love all people regardless of race or colour or belief.
May we listen with great care to the heartbeat of this land
and to its people who cared for it so well and for so long.
May the peace these people and their land have always enjoyed
continue to be strengthened and preserved by all who wish to come and be part of
this country and its Dreaming.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts, forever.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following six Eddies students for having been selected to represent the ACT in the recent Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union competition, held in Sydney over the last holiday break: Oliver Efkarpidis (Year 12, Clancy), Zane Hogan (Year 12, Haydon), Brendan Jimenez (Year 12, Rice) Alexavier Punou (Year 12, Treacy), Davea Teoteo (Year 12, Rice) and Junior Tupou (Year 10, Treacy). Our College Captain, Zane Hogan, was also appointed Captain of the ACT squad. Whilst the ACT squad did not make it through to the final round, the boys certainly served the ACT and the College well and we are extremely proud of their efforts and achievements.
Zane Hogan and Brendan Jimenez have now also been selected in the Australian Schools extended squad, so we offer them a very special congratulations on this wonderful opportunity
Matthew Harrow (Year 12, O’Brien) is a member of the under 19 softball team, the Junior Steelers, who have won the World Softball Championship in Canada during the last holidays. Congratulations to Matthew and his father Laing Harrow who is the coach of the team. The Junior Steelers had won four world championships from 1997 to 2008, and this Gold Medal was the first championship win since then.
Semester Two
The second semester affords all of our students an opportunity to enter College life with a renewed sense of commitment and participation. I would hope that all students use their assessment and examination feedback in a constructive manner, focusing on what they can do to improve their skills and strengthen their learning. When feedback is coupled with effective instruction, we have an extremely valuable tool for our students to grow and develop in their learning. The core business of any school is education and here at St Edmund’s we value dearly the teaching and learning experienced by our students. Teachers had a week of professional learning in the last week of Term 2, looking at improving student outcomes by the more effective engagement with curriculum materials, by the more authentic use of a digital learning platform and by the continued focus on establishing right relationships in the classroom. I wish all of our students and teachers a successful and productive second semester and look forward to many more highlights of this wonderful Eddies community.
Community Spirit
Many thanks to a small group of parents – Rodney Skvorc, Peter Chapman and Jason Carniel – for their contributions and efforts in completely rebuilding and refitting the barbeque near the Moloney Grandstand. Their hard work will be enjoyed by the Eddies community for a number of years to come. It is this sense of co-operation and willingness that gives the Eddies community a special character and identity.
Rugby Old Boys Round
Saturday 4 August sees Round 9 of the Rugby competition – this is a gala day with most of our matches against Marist College Canberra here at St Edmund’s. I would encourage as many parents, old boys and current students (who do not have any co-curricular commitments at that time) to be a part of this day. This annual fixture culminates in the Heritage Game (the First XV match at 3pm), where the First XV play with heritage-style jerseys as an acknowledgement and celebration of the many students who have passed through St Edmund’s College. The Second and Third XV will also play Marist on Owens Oval prior to the First XV game. It would be wonderful to see the Moloney Grandstand full of parents, old boys and current students (in school uniform) to support our teams and encourage Eddies pride on this significant round.
Thursday Morning Mass
I extend an invitation to all members of our College community to join us for Mass every Thursday morning, commencing at 8.20 in our Chapel. It is quite a special experience to participate in Mass celebrated for a very specific faith community and it would be wonderful to see parents attend this Mass regularly with their sons. I would ask parents to consider making this a regular activity to further enhance the faith development of their sons.
Work Around the College
We have had quite a deal of work carried out around the College during the last holiday period.
- We are committed to providing our students and teachers appropriate and suitable learning spaces. We have started the refurbishment program of our classrooms, with two classrooms (E1 and SOSE1) being repainted, recarpeted and repaired. Desktops in these classrooms will be replaced soon as our order of desktops becomes available. These two classrooms have also had safety glass installed in the internal windows and lockers relocated from in front of these windows so that these windows (along the corridor) are returned to their originally intended architectural feature.
- Carpets have been cleaned throughout the College.
- Carpet has been laid in the Student Services offices.
- The Curriculum / RE office in the Junior School has had walls repaired and painted.
- Metal workshop equipment has been tagged and tested.
- Plumbing and water-related maintenance and repairs have taken place throughout the College.
- Most internal and external windows and glassed areas have been cleaned.
- Most classroom desktops have been cleaned.
- Hallway walls have been cleaned.
- New data projectors have been installed in all but one of the Science classrooms.
- New data projector installed in Waterford.
- New surveillance camera installed in the gym.
- School devices have been moved to a new wireless network.
I am of the very firm belief that a clean, well-maintained school significantly contributes to a positive learning environment as well as to strong school spirit, and of course these factors lead to student success. We will continue our program of classroom refurbishment and will continue to work with our students on developing a culture of respect of both our built and natural environments.
Marymead Appeal
St Edmund’s College is very proud of our close relationship with Marymead and the numerous programs they offer. Marymead has recently launched a major fundraising appeal which will provide funds to build new ‘Care Cottages’ that will provide short-term accommodation for children and families from regional NSW and the ACT in need and at times of crisis. Marymead’s ‘Buy-A-Brick Appeal’ hopes to raise $1.3 million to build the Care Cottages. I would ask all members of the St Edmund’s community to consider this worthwhile cause. Information and details are available at the following link: http://www.marymead.org.au/buy-a-brick-appeal
Christus Lux Mea
Joe Zavone (Principal)