Principal’s message

Dear Parents, Students and Staff

It seems quite strange that we have been at school in 2019 for just 11 weeks and here we are in the middle of an enrolment period for 2020! We have been visiting our local Catholic primary schools with two Year 7 students and a Year 12 student who are ex-students of their respective school and giving the students an outline of what the College has to offer and their experience of SFX. Last Friday we had 270 Year 6 students on site for a day of activities and there will be another event for the students from other schools this Friday. Tuesday night was our 2020 Enrolment Information Evening and there were a large number of prospective families who took the opportunity to have a tour of the College and met the teachers.

In the “marketing” sense, I believe our best advertisement is each student at the College. If they are learning, are safe and feel a sense of belonging, are involved and engaged in activities that meets their needs then that good news will spread far more efficiently then the glossy brochure. Of course, this is backed up with the relationship between home and school too, as the sound relationship between the student, home and school is the key.

The online enrolment process is new this year and the Catholic Education Office is fine-tuning some of the layout so hopefully it will be a smooth procedure to follow. It is very important for parents to submit their enrolment form in a timely manner just in case we are over-subscribed. The CEO has set the Friday 31 May as a closing date in the first instance.

I suppose that it is no surprise that the SFX community experiences the full range of life’s events on a regular basis. On Good Friday, Year 7 student, Bella Duggan, died following her battle with cardiomyopathy and our sincere condolences are extended to her family. The College was well represented at her funeral which was both a very sad occasion and a celebration of a short life well lived at the same time. “May she rest in peace. Amen”.

The students experienced a very thoughtful ANZAC Day ceremony last week facilitated by our Defence Transition Mentor, Debra Slack. The visuals and the story from our guest speaker and ex-student, Mateja Kostrica, were very poignant.

The SFX girls Rocketry Group saw their spacecraft fly 10000 feet into the air at the Thunda Down Under 2019 in outback Queensland in the holidays which was simply amazing. Teachers Mr Stock, Mr Elias and Mrs Fonhof are acknowledged in gratitude for giving up some of their holiday time to assist and supervise the students on their excursion.

The Gospel reading from last Sunday is the post-resurrection story of a small group of the disciples returning to their normal jobs (fishing) and not catching anything. Jesus, standing on the shore and not recognisable to the fisherman, tells them to cast their net over the other side of the boat. Immediately the net becomes full of fish to the point of almost sinking their boat (John 21:1-19).  On one level the story reminds us that nothing is impossible in God’s eyes. Furthermore, it is a metaphor for spreading the message of Jesus when he calls on Peter to “Feed my lambs..tend my sheep..feed my sheep”. It is not coincidental that this scriptural passage is used at the same time that we celebrate Catholic Schools Week and the Enrolment period. SFX and all Catholic schools have a particular mission where the life and teachings of Jesus is the axis on which our schools revolve which is a key part of our reason for existence. The life and teachings of Jesus is “Good News” and we try hard to ensure that we remain true to that in the daily interactions at the College.

Best wishes

Paul Carroll

Principal