Principal’s Message

Month of Remembrance

The Catholic church has a beautiful tradition of inviting us to remember our family, friends and loved ones who have died, especially those who have passed in the last twelve months. This tradition, or Month of Remembrance, starts on 1 November with All Saints Day and is followed by All Souls Day on 2 November, where we remember and pray for the dead.

On a personal note, my sister passed away on 21 November 2015. She was 63 years young and enjoying life, especially being a grandmother. Her cancer went undetected in its early phases and then spread rapidly. Fortunately, she was able to leave the hospital and come home, where she passed away surrounded by her two daughters, her son and her husband. I missed her by minutes as I had to travel to Canberra where she had made her home.

There is not a day when I don’t remember her. Her remembrance card is on my desk at work, her photo on my piano at home and I know with absolute certainty where she is right now. She is in Heaven, in peace, out of pain, out of discomfort, out of sadness, out of grief, and she is with our God who embraces her with love and gentleness. She is there with my dad who passed away in January of the same year and whose passing prompted my application to be Principal at St Ursula’s.

I don’t share this with you so that you can feel sorry for me because, the reality is, we all feel or will feel the loss of a loved one in our lifetime. I share this with you today to highlight our common unity as humans who are able to empathise with and support each other, especially in times of loss and grief. I do this to remind each of us to remember that we are all sisters and brothers in one common humanity. Those whom we love are never forgotten, they live on in our hearts and in our minds and we will always love them. We will always remember them.

It is a beautiful tradition of the Catholic Church to include the names of those whom we have lost in a special book of remembrance and I invite you to remember your loved ones and include them in this online Book of Remembrance.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon them

May they rest in eternal peace with You.

Amen.

Year 12 students make our College proud

Our Year 12 students looked resplendent as they arrived for their formal event on Tuesday. Despite some of them teetering on their very, very high heels, they laughed and danced and photographed the night away.

For me, the most memorable part of the evening was that as they departed, each one of them thanked either Ms Sukkar or Ms Melas or one of the many teachers in attendance for organising the event for them. I am told by my newest members of staff that this has not been their experience in previous schools. This form of genuine gratitude is a hallmark of St Ursula’s students who regularly thank their teachers after lessons and the like.

Our Year 12 students now await their HSC results which will be available on 15 December. Some girls have already begun part-time employment while others are enjoying a well-earned holiday.

More action from around the school

As I write this, our Year 7 students are enjoying their three-day camp under the watchful leadership of Ms Di Mattia, Year 7 Coordinator, and 11 other staff members. I am very grateful for the generosity of these teachers for giving up their own family time to be with your daughters to create a wonderful memory of their secondary school life.

All in all, another busy term is well and truly underway:

reports are being prepared;
first HSC assessment tasks are being marked for the HSC class of 2023;
the Year 10 transition program was announced this week;
and of course, great teaching and learning is happening in every class.

God bless each of you and your loved ones in the coming week and always.