To the friends and families of the St Edmund’s Community,
Vibrant Spirit. Strong Character. Tailored Learning.
Last week the College held two events which clearly epitomised the depth of our vibrant spirit and strong character. The Eddies spirit was truly alive and well in both the Walkathon day last Wednesday and our Heritage Day last Saturday.
WALKATHON
Our Walkathon could not have been held on a more beautiful Canberra winter’s day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the boys were in fine spirits. The sense of co-operation and community was very tangible throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of the Junior School as I joined them on their walk (though next year I need to remember to wear proper walking shoes!). I received a phone call during the day from one of our close Canberra Avenue neighbours who complimented the boys on the way they walked down the street – quietly, respectfully and courteously. I must thank all of our students who attended for entering the spirit of the day with a positive attitude and a friendly nature. The boys certainly displayed their very strong sense of community last Wednesday. A significant thank you to Mr Michael Monagle (Assistant Principal, Mission and Identity) who led the day and to Mr Jacob Knowles (Assistant Principal, College Operations) who organised the practicalities of the day. Thanks also to Pam Knight and her canteen team for feeding the hordes and to the Heads of House and other staff involved in the afternoon activities. Also a very special mention to Mrs Carmela Wilson (Head of Religious Education) for motivating the boys in the lead up to the Walkathon last term and to Ms Leanne Gair (Assistant Principal, Student Wellbeing) for organisational assistance. To date our boys have raised a little over $20,000 which is an absolutely wonderful achievement.
HERITAGE DAY
Last Saturday was our very important Heritage Round against Marist College. The day kicked off in our Blessed Sacrament Chapel with the Olds Boys Mass, celebrated by old boy Bishop Pat Power. This was followed by morning tea for our old boys catered by our Hospitality students under the creative supervision of Mrs Rebecca Jarman and Mrs Paula Moeller. The staff lunch room was set up with some wonderful memorabilia and exhibitions for our old boys – this was organised by Ms Bridget Cusack who also organised the Mass. My thanks to Ms Cusack for her careful and creative planning of the Mass and the morning tea – this served as a great start to the day. Thanks also to old boy Kieran Sloan who gave us the gift of music for our Old Boys Mass – Kieran provided us with a beautiful version of the College song to close the Mass.
We had the opening of new electronic scoreboard in the afternoon. This was blessed by Bishop Pat Power and officially opened by old boy John Barilaro, Deputy Premier of NSW and NSW Member for Monaro. The scoreboard was organised and generously donated by the Old Boys and Friends Association, and I thank the Association and especially its President, Matt De Jongh, for this very generous and much needed addition to our sporting landscape. The support given to the College by the Old Boys and Friends Association is invaluable. We also had a special presentation for the Ricky Stuart Foundation at this time. Thank you to Mrs Mary Jane McLeod for her hard work in organising the presentations and for organising the First XV jerseys – these special jerseys are printed with the name of every First XV player in the history of the College.
I received so many messages from old boys either verbally or by email to say that they had never heard our boys cheer on their teams as they did last Saturday. I thought we had outstanding attendance last year, but we managed to top the attendance this year and this was reflected in the great cheering led by our boys. This is an extract from an email sent to me this week: “For me and most other old boys the highlight of the day was the students and how they sang and chanted during the games. Especially how they sang Edmunds to the Fore at the end of the game. I was sitting in the grandstand with my uncle and my dad and we were all overcome with emotion watching and listening to the boys at the end of the match. It was really special and inspirational. Thank you, the Eddies spirit is alive and well.” The sportsmanship and behaviour demonstrated by our young men were exemplary and they were a great credit to the College. The Heritage Day was a great celebration of old boys’ spirit, community spirit and of sporting talent and sportsmanship. Thank you to all who participated on the day.
UNIFORM UPDATE
Our incoming uniform provider (Ranier) has indicated that the uniform shop will be reopening for limited hours from Monday 23 September (last week of Term 3). Whilst not being fully stocked at that time, a fit range will be available for the shop manager to provide a fitting to ensure students order the correct size in each item.
Orders can be placed in store at the time of having the fitting conducted or online from your home or work. An SMS notification will be provided when the order items arrive in-store.
Opening dates and times (last week Term 3 2019):
Monday 23 September: 8.00 am-11.00 am
Wednesday 25 September: 1.00 pm-4.00 pm
Hours for Term 4 2019:
Mondays 8.00 am – 12.00 pm
Wednesdays 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Fridays 8.00 am – 12.00 pm
Second hand uniforms
Ranier will also take over the second hand uniform collection. You may wish continue to donate your second hand uniform items or you may wish to sell them on consignment (i.e. turning your pre-loved uniforms into cash). To assist the St Edmund’s community in the lead up to the uniform stock arriving, Ranier will sell your pre-loved items in store. Simply follow these steps:
- Wash and iron your pre-loved uniform
- Determine your sale price
- Deliver to the uniform shop with your banking details
- Ranier will sell your items and deposit 70% of the sale price into your account (30% fee to cover admin costs)
Please note that the second hand uniform items that have been already donated to the College will remain as donations. They cannot be retrospectively sold on consignment. Families in need are still encouraged to communicate directly with the College regarding second hand uniform item arrangements.
Timing
The components which comprise the St Edmund’s College uniform have various lead times for production. Ranier is unable to provide exact dates for each arrival. Enquire at the uniform shop for more information from Monday 23 September.
St Edmund’s College Prayer
Dear Lord,
Grant that we may live each day to the full, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Let us cast away all worries and concerns into your divine care.
Christus Lux Mea
Give us strength to confront all challenges that we face with hope and faith.
Let our community seek truth in all that we search for.
Christus Lux Mea
Let us stand for others always giving generously without counting the cost.
Amen
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts, forever.