Justice and Solidarity

We are committed to justice and peace for all, grounded in a spirituality of action and reflection that calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalised and the Earth itself

In the September/October school holiday’s, seven Year 11 students will be accompanying Mrs Meagan Armstrong, Mr David Ritchie and myself to the St Edward’s College annual immersion to Nairobi Kenya. The Year 11 students attending are: Josh Armstrong, Kai Darwin, Aiden Davis, Joseph Hussein, Aaron Judd, Daniel Pearce, and Jackson Robb. The theme of the tour is Kesheni, which means ‘Stay Awake’ in Swahili.

St Edward’s has established a strong relationship with many of the Edmund Rice organisations and participants in this year’s immersion will visit the Ruben Centre, within the Mucuru slum. This centre provides free quality education for 3000 students, a health clinic, a mother and babies centre, a children’s nursery, a dentist, a community focused local radio station, an environmentally sustainable fruit and vegetable garden and a variety of adult educational services. The Mary Rice Centre provides education and physical therapies for disabled students from the Kibera slum, in classrooms made from shipping containers and a demountable classroom that St Edward’s donated last year. This facility also provides a meeting place for the Kibera Youth group who plan and implement fun and challenging day camps throughout the year for young people from the slum. Staff and students from St Edward’s will assist in running a day camp again this year. Women for Women, an organisation which is conducted by the Loretto Sisters, seeks to find sponsorships and placement for young children into primary and secondary schools as well as micro-finance and educational programs for women from the Kibera slum. These are just a few of the amazingly generous, life giving agencies that exist in these challenged communities.

Participants will also visit some of the Wildlife and Cultural Centres and the Nairobi National Park Game reserve. The program provides participants with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the work of Edmund Rice Ministries in Nairobi Kenya, with the hope of challenging and inspiring them to become agents for change in their 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.

In keeping with the tradition of previous trips, where we have collected pairs of underwear to donate to the various ministries such as the African Women for Women organisation, we again call for donations of new pairs of girls and women’s underwear to take with us. There is a desperate need for these basic clothing items, and the generosity of the St Edward’s community in supporting this cause is greatly appreciated. Our wonderful staff in the Shanahan Learning Centre will collect these items.

Liberating Education

A Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition encourages all members of the school community to work to the best of their ability, to realise their potential and to strive for equity and excellence

On Wednesday 24 July, the College community gathered with parents, grandparents and carers to celebrate the wonderful academic achievements of students in Years 7-12 at our annual Semester One Academic Assemblies. At the start of the year, all students were encouraged to be the best they can be in their academic, cultural, religious, social justice and sporting endeavours. These assemblies provided the opportunity to acknowledge the many fine young men at St Edward’s who have set themselves learning goals for 2019 and worked hard in achieving these goals. Awards were presented in three categories: Consistent Effort, Academic Achievement and Outstanding Academic Achievement. Students receiving the Consistent Effort award were identified by their teachers as displaying an ongoing commitment to their studies. Students who achieved an Academic Achievement Award are generally performing very well in each of their courses and students receiving an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award are the students who have been nominated by their teachers as achieving the highest grades in most, if not all, of the subjects. It was very pleasing to see so many boys being acknowledged for their efforts. I would particularly like to congratulate the Outstanding Academic Award winners. To achieve this meritorious award is a testament to their application and effort in all of their courses throughout semester one. The names of students achieving this award are listed below. All students are encouraged to read carefully the feedback from their Semester One reports to establish areas for improvement. It is hoped that many more boys will receive awards at the Annual Awards night in December.

Outstanding Academic Award Recipients

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Amazing Surf Lifesavers

I am very pleased to pass on to the St Edward’s community the amazing efforts of two young men from St Edward’s who were involved in rescuing a man from dangerous surf whilst recently on a holiday in Bali. While surfing, Hugh O’Malley and Kye Fearnley, who are both in Year 10, noticed a man panicking and drifting out into deeper water. Hugh and Kye paddled to the man and towed him back to safety, using their leg ropes. The man in question reports to have been in a state of shock and believes that he would not have survived the ordeal without their help.

Congratulations to Hugh and Kye on their wonderful effort.

Waterford Project

Parents are reminded that all students in Years 8-11 are required to have completed their minimum fifteen hours of Waterford Community Service by the end of Term 3. It is the student’s responsibility to find ways to complete their hours, through either the College offerings and/or their family’s community connections for example through parishes and sports clubs.  Upcoming school based opportunities offered to the boys are 40 Hour Famine and the Homeless Sleep-out. Boys are encouraged to see Mr Dell if they would like to participate in any of these activities. Your son must have his Waterford summary sheet submitted to his Religious Education Teacher by Week 9 of Term 3. Please contact Mr Pat Dell on ph: 43216439 if you have any questions about Waterford.