Edmund Rice Education Australia Touchstone
Inclusive Community
As a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition, we look beyond our own community to contribute to the overall growth and development of Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition and to Edmund Rice ministries in Australia and overseas
Over the last school holidays Ms Terase Killin, Mr Alex Powell and Mr Alex Rozario, Harvey Olsen, Max Judd, Oscar Woolford, Max Oteiwi, Nicholas Husk, Jonte Wicks, Jaden Roesch, Logan Treble (students from Year 11) and I attended the Immersion to Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the Immersion was Kesheni, which means ‘Stay Awake’ in Swahili. In attending this immersion, we were challenged to stay awake to the needs of those that are less fortunate. The program provided us with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the work of Edmund Rice Ministries in the slums of Nairobi, with the hope of challenging and inspiring us to become agents for change in our own community and to motivate others to support the impoverished and disempowered in our local context. The program also serves to continue to develop and strengthen connections between Edmund Rice Ministries in Nairobi Kenya and St Edward’s College.
The Immersion provided us with many wonderful experiences and the student participants will be sharing their story of the Immersion to students in other year groups over the coming weeks. I would like to thank Harvey, Max, Oscar, Jonte, Nicholas, Jaden, Max and Logan for being great ambassadors for St Edward’s College. Ms Killin, Mr Powell, Mr Rozario and I are very proud of the way in which they immersed themselves fully in every activity, showing great respect, dignity and compassion towards everyone and every ministry that we visited. Before leaving Australia, we spoke about the importance of opening our hearts and minds to the beauty of Kenya and its people. We were challenged in many ways, but the learnings I am sure have been very rich.
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HSC Commences
The HSC commenced last week and will continue until Friday November 8. I wish all our Year 12 students the best of luck in these exams, and we pray for them during what can be a stressful time. I look forward to celebrating the end of their time at St Edward’s with them at their graduation dinner in early November.
Year 11 Commencing HSC
Year 11 students have commenced work on their HSC Courses from the start of this term. It is important that students in this year begin to establish some clear routines, ensuring that they manage their time between schoolwork, part time work, a social life and sport so that a healthy balance is maintained. The Preliminary Reports will be made available to students in the coming weeks and this report provides some valuable information to assist boys in establishing learning goals in each of their courses as well as their pattern of study for the HSC Year.
Attendance
NSW legislation states parents and carers of children of compulsory school age are responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day. Parents of children from Kindergarten to Year 12 must ensure their children attend school every day. On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:
- being sick or having an infectious disease
- having an unavoidable medical appointment
- being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
- exceptional; or urgent family circumstances eg attending a funeral
NSW legislation requires parents to provide an explanation for absences to the school within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence. Where an explanation has not been received within the 7-day timeframe, the school will record the absence as unjustified on the student’s record. Parents are reminded that they can inform the College of a student absence in the following ways: email info@stedwards.nsw.edu.au (this is the preferred option), respond to an SMS which is sent home on the day of absence, or phone the College on 4321 6400.
Family holidays which are planned during the school term do not qualify as a justified absence and parents are discouraged from booking extended holidays during these times. Unjustified leave which impacts on the completion of an assessment may have implications on students’ final grades. Parents and students are encouraged to read the information included in the College Assessment Policies available at College Assessment Policies, if they are planning for an extended absence from school.
Community Christmas Carols Event
We are joining St Patrick’s Primary School, St Patrick’s Parish, and St Joseph’s College to bring together an evening that will truly capture the magic of the Christmas season. It’s going to be a night filled with festive fun, joyful performances, and wonderful community spirit – and we’d love to see your whole family there! See the flyer below for more information.
