College Principal

Congratulations to our award recipients acknowledged at our Co-curricular Awards night last week. Now, more than ever, it is important for young people to engage in activities that keep their minds and bodies healthy. While for some, it is the competition that drives them, for others it is the social aspect and a desire to be fit and healthy. Whatever it is, co-curricular activities like sport, dance, chess and debating teach our children teamwork, discipline, resilience and perseverance. These are of course skills for a happy and healthy life. 

I would like to thank the Sport Department who inspire our students to have a go! It is a busy and full co-curricular program – and it is led by a wonderful teacher and human, our Director of Co-curricular, Mr Luiz Ramalho who is always so positive and passionate about inspiring students to get involved. He is well supported by a wonderful team: Kiri Bowcock, Ryan Dunlop, Joanne Gocher, Lewis Jupp, Danielle Larkin, Jarrad Magee, Tiana Pangallo, Bryony Williams and Rachael Simmons as well as about 50 fabulous coaches!  Thank you to all our parents for your encouragement and for ferrying your children to all of their co-curricular activities! 

Work has commenced this week establishing the work site for the construction of our rotunda and rosary garden and new play equipment for Del Monte. We are looking forward to the turning of the sod which will signify the commencement of this project. We are hoping that most of the work will take place over the vacation period but it will also go into Term 1. 

This Friday evening we will celebrate our students by showcasing their work at our Fra Angelico Festival. There will be an art show, dance and music performances and an International Eat Street as well as a light show, disco for the children and Champagne Lawn for the adults. It will be a great opportunity to celebrate all that we love about our school and to come together as a community. 

It is a busy end of term, with Speech Night just around the corner. This is such a special occasion and important in honouring the academic life of the College – it’s an opportunity to honour our teachers and celebrate those students who strive to excel in their studies. This is a compulsory event for all students from Years 3-11. We look forward to welcoming parents and we are delighted to be able to hear from Professor Georgina Long – 2024 Australian of the Year and ex-student from the Class of 1988 – who will give the keynote address. 

Our Year 10 Encounter Program commenced this week which sees all Year 10 students engaged in a range of activities over the next three weeks including an Indigenous Immersion to Cape York, a community encounter engaging in service learning and a career encounter where students attend Work Experience. They will also engage in Future Proofing and Leadership Workshops at this time. This is a rich experience for our students and I thank Mrs van der Meer for her tireless work in coordinating all of the parts that go into making this a worthwhile and engaging experience for them. 

I wish you all the best for these final few weeks.

Paulina Skerman
College Principal