Principal’s Message
An Easter Prayer
How amazing is your love,
A love that overcomes, endures and redeems.
How astounding is your life,
A life that sustains, heals and creates.
How awesome is your hope,
A hope that promises, restores and inspires.
How absorbing is your truth,
A truth that releases, changes and rebuilds.
How we worship you, as we remember the moment when your love conquered.
When out of the cave of sorrow Jesus arose to release forgiveness to the world.
And each time we encounter this resurrection day we are again lifted to an eternal place.
Our sin, brokenness and darkness fall away and your light and peace flood our lives.
How we thank you for this incredible celebration we call Easter.
Amen.
As we near the end of the Lenten season and approach the Holy Week of Easter, I hope that you take strength from this prayer which is a reflection on God’s love, life, hope and truth for us all.
I wish our families and everyone who is part of our Ursuline community a blessed and Holy Easter, where the resurrection of Christ can offer new hope.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Conference
Heather Jesuadian, Leader of Teaching and Learning Innovation and IB Co-Ordinator; Amy Bosnich, Leader of Curriculum; and I, attended the IB Global Conference in Daegu, South Korea last week.
There are currently 5,700 IB World Schools in 160 countries and 206 schools in Australia. This conference brought together 1,300 educators from 38 countries and the graph below shows the percentage of attendees by the country they are from and the role they have in schools.
As the only IB World School within Sydney Catholic Schools that offers the Diploma Programme in Years 11 and 12 as an alternative to the HSC, it was a highly informative and extremely important gathering for us to attend.
The mission of the IB is to: develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through an education that builds intercultural understanding and respect.
This mission aligns well with our Ursuline values, and the IB fits our learning culture and framework very well.
This mission was evident in Daegu. Learning from and networking with educators from North and South America, Asia, Europe, the UK, the Middle East and Australia was very powerful. We came together passionate about the holistic learning experiences of young people with a common mission and curriculum and intercultural understanding and respect was evident throughout the conference.
At St Ursula’s College, whether a student chooses to study the IB or the HSC in Years 11 and 12, they will be educated in a learning environment underpinned by values of acceptance, respect, unity, action, empowerment and service. During my time in South Korea, I reflected on the challenges and conflicts many people are experiencing in our world today. I feel grateful that I lead a school that provides a challenging curriculum that makes students learn and think critically and deeply about global issues and enables them to act and contribute to a more just, caring and peaceful world in the future.
Our Year 10 students will be deciding this year whether they will choose a HSC or IB pathway in 2025. Further information will be provided this Tuesday, 2 April at 6:00 pm, at our Stage 6 Information Evening for Year 11 2025.
In this Issue
Enclosed within this newsletter are many faith, classroom and co-curricular activities that highlight the amazing individuals that are part of our fantastic College.
Congratulations to our students who made it through to the Public Speaking Grand Finals and to Laura from Year 8 who placed 4th in her cohort. Thank you to Ms Stefanie Chan for providing this opportunity for our students.
We thank our generous community for your support of Project Compassion and we know that the money we have raised will make a difference to the lives of others.
Happy and Holy Easter. I know that our families will focus on the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection story as they attend Mass together this weekend. I also wish you much joy in your homes as you gather with your loved ones.
A tradition in my family is the boiling of eggs with onion skins to create red eggs. Over the Easter weekend, my competitive family will seek out the egg they believe will withstand the annual egg fighting competition!
Whatever traditions are part of your Easter celebrations, enjoy!