Edmund Rice Education Australia Touchstones

Liberating Education

As a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition, all members are challenged to prophetic leadership within the school community and beyond.

Student Leadership

St Edward’s provides many opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate leadership skills both within the school and externally within the community. The Student Leadership program which has been established in recent years is a wonderful way in which students who wish can challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zone and be representatives of the student body. The Student Leadership program provides an opportunity for eight students in Years 8-11 who are chosen by their peers to engage in leadership experiences and work with prefects in the four College Portfolios. The portfolios are Spirituality, Liturgy and Social Justice, Culture Publicity and Social Events, Environment, Sport and Healthy Lifestyle, Literacy and Academia.

Student Leadership Group

The students in Years 8-11 who were selected to represent their cohort in this program participated in a Leadership Workshop led by our Director of Pastoral Care, Paul English and Acting Deputy Principal, Jodie Connor. The workshop was designed to engage students in discussion regarding the characteristics of quality leadership. Students were asked to collaborate on a Leadership Manifesto which outlined what they believe to be important in student leadership at the College. On reading the manifesto which appears below, I truly believe that these students are outstanding examples of the quality of young men at the College and that we have great things to look forward to as a result of their leadership in 2022.

Manifesto

• We believe that leaders at St Edward’s are inspirational young men who strive to succeed and have the courage to be visible members and the voice of students within our community.
• We demonstrate this by showing our peers that we are available whenever they need us and organising events, joining portfolios, running assemblies and participating in volunteer work in the greater community.
• We commit to being the voice of the student body guided by the Touchstones and give 100% to our responsibilities as a College Leader.

Term 3 Leave

I would like to inform families of my intention to take Professional Renewal Leave this year. I applied and have had approval by Dr Craig Wattam, the Executive Director of EREA, to take this Professional Renewal for all of Term 3 this year. I am pleased to announce that EREA has appointed Mr Cameron Alexander to the role of Acting Principal in my absence. Cameron is currently the Deputy Principal at Christian Brothers College, Adelaide, and will move to the Central Coast during this time to take on this role. I have attached a letter from Dr Craig Wattam, formally announcing this appointment.

Friday Sport

As we continue to return to some sense of normality in the operations of the College post COVID-19, there remains some aspects of our normal routine that continue to be impacted upon by the effects of the pandemic in our wider community. Friday afternoon sport is one example of an important College experience that continues to be impacted. Many of the external venues that were engaged by the College on Friday afternoons have either closed or not returned to pre-covid capacity, impacting on the availability of external venues to accommodate all students in Years 7-10. We continue to explore additional opportunities and are committed to returning to a time when all students in Years 7-10 will participate every Friday afternoon.

The limited capacity of external venues has been further compounded over recent weeks by the severe inclement weather making many playing fields, including our own, unusable. As a result of these two concerns, we have been forced to adopt a rotating roster which allows some Year groups to participate in sport while others in lessons during Friday afternoons.

Year 6 Day in the Life at St Edward’s and College Open Day

The College will hold an Orientation Day, A Day in the Life of St Eddie’s, on Thursday March 24 for prospective Year 7 2023 enrolments. A number of students from non-Catholic feeder schools will join the Year 6 boys from Catholic feeder schools and we are anticipating over two hundred and fifty boys on the day. The orientation experience will allow the boys to observe and participate in TAS, Visual Arts, Drama, Information Technology, Physical Education, Music and many other KLA’s the College has to offer. The College Open Day will be held on Saturday March 26, from 10am to 2 pm. This day provides a wonderful opportunity for families to visit the College to get a sense of the quality of the educational experience that we offer at St Edward’s. Over one hundred current students volunteer to assist on the day, by working in each of the faculty areas or as guides for visitors. I thank the many students and staff who give up their time to assist on the day.

Staff Development Day Friday April 8

Click for the Reconciliation Action Plan

A Staff Development Day has been gazetted on the College calendar for Friday April 8, the last day of Term 1. This day has been organised to support the actions that stem from the College’s Reconciliation Action Plan. This plan outlines the College’s commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation and the development of a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture, heritage, spirituality and the issues associated with Reconciliation in Australia today. Staff will participate in a series of workshops and presentations facilitated by members of the local Aboriginal community to support this commitment and to assist us in our work with students in developing their understanding.

2023 Enrolments

The College is now accepting enrolment applications for Year 7 2023. The enrolment process is completed online via the College website at: https://www.stedwards.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/

The enrolment information clearly outlines the enrolment criteria. Applications received after Tuesday April 26, will be processed as late applications. Current families who are aware of family or friends who wish to apply for their son to attend St Edward’s, are asked to encourage them to visit the College website for information about the College and the process of enrolment.