Head of Secondary
This week the College farewelled the Head of Secondary, Mr Peter McLellan. As staff and students said goodbye it was very clear the impact he has had on so many and how much he will be missed by the College community. During his 24 years of service, Peter was a PE Teacher and Coordinator of PDHPE, before being appointed as the Head of Secondary School in 2006. We are so thankful for his faithful service to Christian education, his humility, the love and care he has shown to a myriad of students and staff, his passion for basketball and his sense of humour. We will miss his booming voice, his “pep talks”, his pacing and his passion for sharing his love of Jesus. I will miss working with him each day as a colleague and as a friend. We pray God’s rich blessings over him and his family in this new season.
Term 3 is a very important term for our Year 12 cohort. It is their last term at school and kicks off with the HSC Trial exams. Please be in prayer for them. It is vital that students maintain their focus during and after these exams. Many subjects finish their content much later in the term and other subjects use this time to revise content and skills. If you have a Year 12 student in your household, please encourage them to stay the course to the end of term.
Interviews for Years 7,8,9,10,11 and 12 students are being held Tuesday 2 August from 4:00pm until 8:30pm in the MPC. Students are encouraged to attend these interviews with parents.
Bookings will open online (in Parent Lounge) on Tuesday 26 July 2022 at 9:00am and will close on Monday 1 August at 4:00pm.
Access your Parent Lounge with your username (previously supplied) and password.
The easiest way to learn how to book your appointment is to watch the short video once you have accessed your account, under 'School Links' tab and select 'Help Videos'.
Please note - David Russell will be available on the evening for parents of students in Year 10 and 11 wishing to see the Careers Advisor.
Pathways for Aboriginal Elite Athletes by Kahlan B (Year 12)
Please journey with us through the Year 12 Aboriginal Studies Major Projects over the next few weeks. This task gave students the opportunity to explore and research a related topic of their choice with a wide variety of presentation options including artwork, film, presentation, and thesis. It is worth 40% of the course and took six months to complete. Consulting with Aboriginal community was the key skill used.
Kahlan B explored the pathways Aboriginal people take into elite sports. In her report, Kahlan found that despite the challenges related to remote living, the desire to remain close to family and damaging effect of institutional racism, many Aboriginal sportspeople have been leaders in their chosen sport. Through consultation with Pastor Isaac, Ngemba man from Brewarrina, she explored some of the key challenges including socioeconomic disadvantage. She found that key Aboriginal sports people are part of the success story of the younger generation.
After consulting with former professional sportsman, Jeff Hardy, Kahlan explained … “Jeff Hardy … was a sport teacher and mentor at Endeavour high school for 20 years has helped young Kirinari Aboriginal boys with sport with a sporting program at the school…In the past seven years Jeff Hardy has worked with Clontarf Foundation by starting an academy at Endeavour high school and throughout Western Sydney. He provided boys with full time support with an academy room with mentors… Australia has made a huge success in this program with 10,000 young boys in the program and an 80% school attendance.”
As part of the Aboriginal Studies course in Years 11 and 12, students have looked at the history of colonisation in Australia and how this has resulted in challenges for Aboriginal people, as well as the importance of Aboriginal initiatives in addressing these challenges. Well done to Kahlan for her completion of her Major Project Report!
Mrs Amber Erasmus, Aboriginal Studies Teacher
