To the community of St Edmund’s College,
Last Thursday evening the College held its first Gifted Learning Information Evening. Throughout the evening we heard from our Head of Diverse Learning, Emma Ramke, who highlighted the processes we have in identifying our gifted students and then how we go about developing and engaging these students in various programs. Importantly, on an evening that focuses on the programs we have in place for students, we heard from a handful of students themselves who shared their journey and stories. My thanks and congratulations to Noah Wright (Year 12), Caden Bryce (Year 4), Nico Matthee (accelerated Year 7), Tian Uksi (accelerated Year 11) and Le Yao Zha (accelerated Year 11.) Some of these students are experiencing a special program of study, some of them have been significantly accelerated and one of them (Noah Taylor) is actually conducting a special program of study for younger students. It was inspiring to listen to stories of these students and how their specific needs are being met so well here at St Edmund’s. It is without exaggeration that St Edmund’s is the only school is Canberra that has such a significant gifted program in place for its students. Some parents who attended the evening confidently claimed that we are in fact the only comprehensive school in Australia that is conducting such a significant gifted program (these comments were from parents of students within the school and parents visiting the College for the first time last Thursday evening).
It is important to focus on why St Edmund’s has such a gifted program in place. As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, we have at our core four Touchstones. The Touchstones of Gospel Spirituality and Justice and Solidarity are very noble and important touchstones but these are characteristics that are not uncommon to all Catholic schools across Australia. In terms of our Gifted program, we focus on the touchstones of Liberating Education and Inclusive Community. Through a liberating education, we open hearts and minds, through quality teaching and learning experiences, so that through critical reflection and engagement each person is hope-filled and free to build a better world for all. As in inclusive community, we are called upon to include and cater for all members of our community. Whilst most schools cater for students with learning difficulties and strong academic students quite well, often gifted students are an afterthought in many schools. They are usually left to their own devices, are involved in tokenistic extra-curricular programs or expected to do “extra” work. At St Edmund’s, our gifted students are offered genuine and authentic learning experiences and pathways that best suit their individual needs. This is why we are a lighthouse school for Gifted students. We will not be bound by the constraints of our timetable to cater for the needs of these students. Our Gifted program is one of which we are proud and will continue to work hard to further develop and refine in order to always meet the individual needs of our students.
My thanks to members of staff who organised such a successful evening for the great benefit of our community – Emma Ramke (Head of Diverse Learning), Marianne Geoghegan (Director of Teaching and Learning), Jacob Knowles (Acting Deputy Principal) and Nigel Palfreman (Head of Creative and Performing Arts).
ACT Scaling Test
Next week our Year 12 students following a Tertiary pathway will be sitting their ACT Scaling Test (AST). This is a test attempted by all ACT Year 12 students wishing to gain an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The test is designed to measure a range of general skills considered to be relevant to success in a variety of courses and to studies at university. The AST scores of those students who complete a Tertiary package provide the basis for scaling course scores awarded to students by the College. A student’s scaled course scores are used in the calculation of that student’s ATAR.
I ask you to join me in wishing our students well and that they attempt their AST with a calm mind, a clear head and a confident manner. Let us pray that God is with each of our Year 12 students as they take this test next week, calming their nerves, guiding their path and inspiring their heart.
Congratulations
Last week the Australian School Boys Rugby Union team was announced with two St Edmund’s College boys making the team. Congratulations to Year 12 students Zane Hogan and Brendan Jimenez on this outstanding achievement. We are very proud of your achievement and wish you every success as an important part of this team.
Old Boys’ Mass
At this stage, we are planning to hold our inaugural Old Boys’ Mass on Saturday 27 October. This will be a mid-morning event in our Chapel with a light lunch provided at a nearby venue. Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor John Woods (Class of 1966). You can register your attendance at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/old-boys-mass-tickets-49413810036
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.” (1Cor 12:26)
Early last week, the Vatican released a letter from Pope Francis to all of the world’s Catholics. In this historic letter, the Pope addresses the ongoing crisis of sexual abuse in the Church.
From Vatican News: “In his letter, the Holy Father speaks of the realisation that the wounds caused by abuse ‘never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death’ He admits that the Church has failed to deal adequately with the crisis of abuse. ‘With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realising the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives,’ the Pope says. ‘We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.’ ” The full text of Pope Francis’ letter can be found here: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-letter-people-of-god-sexual-abuse.html
In June of last year, Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) acknowledged and apologised for the suffering of victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Christian Brothers, clergy and lay staff in our Edmund Rice schools. By acknowledging the suffering of survivors in our schools, this apology demonstrated that we now have grown into an environment where we listen to survivors and act on their views, thoughts, and feelings. The full text of the EREA Apology can be found here: https://www.erea.edu.au/docs/default-source/about-erea/erea-national-apology-2017.pdf?sfvrsn=9e6f7b68_2
The Catholic Church in Australia has reached a stage of maturity and growth where it is taking clear and obvious steps in acknowledging its previous and current wrongs in a genuine attempt to not only offer a compassionate, empathetic and accepting environment for the victims and survivors of past wrongdoings, but to ensure that our future directions as a Church and as Church-based institutions are more open, safe and supportive.
Stability
At a time when our rural brothers and sisters are suffering significantly with the on-going emotional, physical and financial effects of the drought, and at a time when many marginalised groups in our society are in need of compassion, action and support, like many of you I was dismayed and appalled at the actions of our federal politicians last week. I pray that the instability of the last week or so quickly dies down so our politicians can focus on why they are in government – to serve our communities, to focus on both the immediate and long-term needs of the wide range members of our communities and to perceive their political responsibilities through a lens of sensitive stewardship rather than personal prizewinning.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Blessed Edmund Rice, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our Hearts, forever.
Christus Lux Mea
Joe Zavone (College Principal)