Edmund Rice Education Australia Touchstones

Gospel Spirituality

As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, we nurture and encourage the spiritual growth of each person through reflection, prayer, symbols, sacred stories, rituals and sacraments.

Year 12 students participated in their annual Retreat throughout Week 3. This thought-provoking experience in some ways is the culmination of the formation opportunities offered to the young men of St Edward’s. Students spend three days at the Edmund Rice Retreat Centre at Mulgoa and are provided with time to reflect on their values in relation to themselves, their relationships with others and on their sense of spirituality and relationship with God.

The timing of the Retreat at this point of the year is intentional. Students are at the stage of their schooling when they are beginning to think and plan the remainder of the HSC year and their life beyond school. The workshops presented challenge the boys to think deeply about their time at St Edward’s and the type of young man that they hope to be when they leave St Edward’s. The experience also provides students with time to relax and recharge their batteries as they enter the final stages of the school life and the pressures of the HSC.

A highlight of the retreat is the healing ceremony on the last night, in which students are asked to reflect on the theme ‘forgiveness is the virtue of the brave’ which is followed by a wonderful liturgy which is prepared by students. These meaningful celebrations bring together the themes of the retreat. The engagement of students in all the activities and their level of discussion regarding what they value to be important in their lives, reaffirms in me that they are becoming exactly the type of young men that we are proud to say are Eddie’s men. The depth of their discussions on topics such as relationships, gender equality, the values and qualities that are important to them, clearly affirms the great faith that I have in young people to deal with the challenges that we face in society today to create a better world for all. This year group more so than any previous years took the opportunity to celebrate the friendships and connection to the College that they have formed over the last six years. Their participation in the final liturgy and their singing of the new College theme song, “Hey Brother” by Avicii and the College song was evidence of the deep bonds that they have created.

A number of staff who would normally attend the Retreat contracted COVID and were therefore unable to attend. I would like to thank Mr Gerry Summerhayes, Mrs Heidi Englund and Ms Jodie Connor for stepping in at the last minute to assist  Mrs Palmer-Brown, Mr Dell, Mr English and Mr Powell in leading this retreat.

Year 12 Mid-Course Reports

The HSC Mid-Course reports will be made available on the Parent Portal this week. The information provided on this report includes a Mid-Course Examination mark and rank and accumulative assessment mark and rank to date in each course. Further feedback provided includes student level of achievement of outcomes and importantly a comment by each teacher on progress made at this stage of the HSC year. This report provides the most accurate indication of how each student is performing in relation to the requirements of each course to date.

It was pleasing on reading each student’s report, to identify the many students who have performed at a very high standard either in an individual course or across the full breadth of subjects. It is important that all students take the time to read this report carefully and reflect on their effort so far. They are encouraged to seek further feedback from their teachers on how best to prepare for examinations and improve their understanding of the content and skills developed. Students wishing to continue to improve must make a true commitment to the establishment of a sustained program of revision.

Importantly all students must realise that in most of their courses the majority of their assessment marks are still to be determined. Their performance in the remaining assessment tasks and the Trial HSC Examinations will influence greatly on their result.

I wish all students the best of luck for the remainder of the year.

Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders Congress

St Edward’s College is a member of the International network of schools called Edmund Rice Beyond Borders. This network consists of 280 schools from twenty countries which educate 200 000 young people and provide a range of other services and ministries in underprivileged areas. The network aspires to promoting global solidarity and offers a transformational education for justice and liberation.

Last week a virtual Edmund Rice Congress was held which saw educators from Edmund Rice Schools across the globe engage in dialogue and experiences that were designed to:

• Build Global Community: connect with educators from schools around the world and share experiences, insights and resources.
• Explore Quality Education: share together and hear from experts about further developing quality education.
• Deepen Faith: engage in spiritual experiences that deepen faith and connect our world.
• Build Solidarity with the Margins: develop strategies that further support solidarity with those on the margins of our world.
• Develop Future EREBB Priorities: contribute to the development of EREBB Priorities and Actions for 2022-2025.

Our College Aspiration Statement challenges us to provide students with a liberating education that empowers them to build a better world for all and we plan to continue to explore these themes from the Congress across all areas of the curriculum.

Further information regarding Edmund Rice Beyond Borders Network is available from their website at: Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders