Merry Christmas
Last Saturday I attended the final profession of Sr Sarah Puls at Glebe. Sr Sarah made her final vows to become a sister of the Good Samaritan. Many other Good Samaritan sisters and friends of the sisters were present, as well as students and staff of the other Good Samaritan Schools. I am appreciative that Lilian F (Year 10) and her mother were also there to enjoy the celebration. The Gospel reading during the service was the one of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. In his homily, the priest spoke not only about the act of Jesus washing the feet of his followers, but also the humility of the disciples in allowing their master to wash their own feet. It would be such an act of surrender to allow someone to wash our feet. They are often the part of our body that we pay the least attention to. He spoke about the need to strip away the façade we hold around ourselves so that we can be of real service to the needs of others. It was a very special celebration and we wish Sr Sarah a full and wonderful life as a Good Samaritan sister.
Sue Lennox
You would have recently received a link to a survey we are conducting with our parents. Every year, independent schools are required to complete an annual report for the Board of Studies. As part of the report, I am required to comment on parent satisfaction. This data is gathered in a variety of ways and every few years we use surveys to inform the comment. I encourage you to complete the survey as it will assist us in our future planning and reporting.
In 2009 the College established the Middle School and Senior School Coordinator roles. We decided to cluster the Years 7-9 and 10-12 and develop them so that they supported the girls in their development and their learning needs. Since this time, Mr Paul Ashkar and Mrs Louise Ibbett have worked to establish these two schools so they now have a definitive profile and are a great service to the girls and their families at the College. I am very grateful for the work they have both done in these roles. With the changing requirements of Governments and our own internal needs, we have had to make some changes to these positions. From 2017, Mrs Ibbett will hold a new position of Curriculum Administrator, which will essentially cover much of the compliance now required of schools, and Mr Ashkar will take over a Year Coordinator role. We are very fortunate to have such experienced and skilled staff at the College who continue to offer great leadership and direction in the many roles they hold. Sadly, from 2017 we will no longer hold the Middle School and Senior School Coordinator roles at the College but the staff will continue to be a vital part of our community. I am indebted to their great work.
During the week, we had the Middle School graduation ceremony. It was an excellent celebration of the growth of the Year 9 girls. They shared with the assembled College community the highlights of their years and it was both insightful and entertaining. Congratulations to all the girls on this milestone. We unfortunately had some calendar glitches concerning this event. We apologise for the errors and the inconvenience this may have caused. We have rectified the issues so they won’t happen again.
The annual Performing Arts Challenge was once again performed and once again the talent and skill of the girls continued to amaze everyone. The performances were energetic and well-orchestrated and very entertaining to watch. Congratulations to all the girls involved and the house captains who planned their house performances. Congratulations also to Gilmore who won the Challenge for 2016.
I am delighted to inform you that Ms Glase was successful in becoming a Year Coordinator at the College. She will be an excellent support to the girls and their parents. The Year Coordinators for 2017 are as follows
Mr Power - Year 7
Mrs Power - Year 8
Mr Ashkar - Year 9
Mr Quigley - Year 10
Ms Dunn - Year 11
Ms Glase - Year 12
I am sure you will find them to be a great support to your daughter.
Finally, as we finish up for another year, I thank you for your support and for entrusting us with the education of your daughter through 2016. It has been a great year and we hope you will be able to share with us the closing mass and award ceremony on Tuesday 6 December. Whilst at the College, you can admire the grounds and gardens, which have once again won the Campbelltown Garden Competition, schools section. My thanks to Mr Tony Smylie and the maintenance staff for all their work on the grounds.
We wish you a wonderful Christmas as you spend time with family celebrating the birth of our Lord.
Blessings
Sue Lennox
"This Christmas let us ask Mary,
Mother of Jesus and our Mother,
to help us see in our neighbour
the face of Jesus, God made man"
Pope Francis