Ignatius Park College
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Ignatius Park College 384 Ross River Road, Cranbrook Townsville Australia 4814 Newsletter E: [email protected] Number 8 | 20 May 2021 W: www.ipc.qld.edu.au T: 07 4796 0222 | F: 07 4796 0200 Inclusion Week The Ignatius Park College Community would like to humbly acknowledge the Wulgurukaba peoples on whose land our College is located, as well as the Bindal peoples on whose land many of us live and travel across daily. We respectfully thank the elders of this traditional land both past and present for guiding us through the journey of time to where we are today. This spiritual and cultural journey is significant in allowing the freedoms our society has today. As a community we reflect on the history of Australia and its First Nations peoples and ask all elders to guide us to a promising and enriching future. As a community we will continue to develop our minds to be respectful and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as well as all people who make up this country of Australia. Dear Parents and Carers, Introduction Next week, our Senior Leaders will attend a Diocese Mass celebrating 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia. In this country, over the past two centuries, we have been gifted to have the opportunity to provide an education that is grounded in the mission of the church and develops the spirituality of students to build a more just and equitable world. Although the number of people attending church maybe declining, for many of our students today the College is the church. Our students now live in a complex world where they are confronted with a broad spectrum of attitudes and values, many of which challenge their moral and personal beliefs. It is this challenge, that many Catholic schools, and in particular Iggy Park, need to address to redefine our spirituality within the College context. Our Touchstones are beacons for our students and provide a moral compass as they journey beyond the College gates. Let us celebrate the achievement of our Catholic Schools! New Learning Resource Centre Last week the EREA Board approved our first phase of our Master Plan which is the construction of a new Learning Resource Centre at Ignatius Park College. This is an exciting development for the College. This new centre will be located where the old Brothers House is currently situated. The new Learning Resource Centre will be a flexible space that supports students in their learning, to encourage their curiosity, problem solving skills and build a sense of innovation. This centre will be two floors and will be twice the size of our current Library with meeting rooms, a media and communication room, break out spaces, a tiered lecture area, a café and outside working area underneath the already established rainforest. It is envisaged that the Learning Resource Centre would be an innovative space where students can collaborate and use the “state of art technology,” allowing both the physical and digital spaces to connect readers and learners with their peers, to others within the school and the wider community. Students will be able to connect globally with other students in Edmund Rice Schools. The new centre will be a welcoming place and provide a safe place for students to be. In addition, the centre would be an environment that is conducive to diverse learning needs and could be used by students before and after school, have learning hubs or quiet private study facilities. The Learning Resource Centre will provide opportunities for our students to study either inside or outside on the deck under a rainforest canopy. The upper floor of the centre will be a quiet area for Senior students to study, either individually or in meeting rooms. The design of the Learning Resource Centre is to provide seats and tables where they are comfortable and can concentrate for extended periods of time, on their academic study. A Catholic Secondary College in the Edmund Rice Tradition The Edmund Rice Community acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which the College stands, the Bindal and Wulgurukaba People, and pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future. PrincipalPrincipal From the Principal (continued) The development of the centre will occur in three stages. Firstly, the demolition of the Brothers House in the forthcoming holidays. Secondly, the construction of the new Learning Centre commencing in October with a due completion in May 2022. Thirdly, the car park near the swimming pool will be expanded with safe areas parents and carers can drop off and pick up students. This will occur in the Term One holidays in 2022. This is an exciting and much needed development for the College and is the first phase of refurbishment of the College over the next ten years. Inclusion Week This week is “Inclusion Week”. The week is a reminder to our College community of our commitment to anti bullying “White or Blue: I’ll stand by you,” but also acknowledging and accepting the diversity of students that are part of our Iggy Park Community, irrespective of whether they are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, ethnic minorities, the academically disadvantaged, those with physical or cognitive disabilities, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with unusual family lives, English as a second Language students and the economically disadvantaged. Our Touchstone “Inclusive Community” calls us to welcome all people into our community without being marginalised. This week great care has been taken to ensure activities we provide allows students to engage with issues about awareness of minority groups that are relevant and appropriate for their age and stage of life. Our focus is to build right relationships that respect the dignity, diversity and uniqueness of each individual. Last year the College developed an Inclusion Statement which appeared on our RAP document that stated: Inclusive at Ignatius Park College is about our students learning, growing and flourishing together, accepting the unique gift of each individual. Inclusive education at our College reflects our EREA Touchstones, where every student is created in the image of God and has the right, without exception, to be included in our College educational setting. Parent Survey Thank you to all the parents who completed the Parent Survey for the College. We had over 240 responses. We will publish the results from the survey in the forthcoming weeks. Reconciliation Week Next week is Reconciliation Week. The theme for 2021 is “More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.” This week reminds us that the heart of reconciliation is the relationship between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Reconciliation Week is about fostering a positive race relation, a relationship that is grounded in a foundation of truth. For Catholics, reconciliation is an essential element in relationships between people and people and God. Reconciliation is an active process where we are called not simply to say sorry to those we have wronged, but also to repair the damage of that wrong. In “reconciliation and penance” (Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 1985) Pope John Paul said, “Without reconciliation there cannot be peace.” As a College community, we are called to reflect on our history and the crucial steps we all need to take to build a unified and just society where we value and respect each other. The College has just completed our 2022 Reconciliation Action Plan. Blessed Edmund Rice was born in 1762 at “Waterford” Callan and lived under circumstances which would appear quite privileged compared with most around him. However, the family did still experience the terrible effects of the Penal Times which had in previous times decimated their prestigious position as land holders, a privilege originally stemming from their arrival in Norman times. The fact that they would be paying rents on lands they rightfully owned were supporting a clergy whom they had no allegiance to would have been difficult for Edmund to understand. This would have been a major motivating factor to Edmund to work towards equalising the relationship between the Ascendancy (English) and the Irish. Education and using the law where necessary were his two main weapons for fighting inequality as he perceived it. Like the plight of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, Edmund was fired up by the injustices in Ireland and the need to take significant steps to bring about a more just society through his actions. As an Edmund Rice School, his story provides a living example of his commitment and passion to the need to take action against injustice. Our Touchstone of Justice and Solidarity calls us to actively become involved in creating a better world for all people, especially those who are marginalised. This invitation originates from God’s love for the world and desire for all of creation to be one. We are invited to co-create a world characterised by justice, peace and solidarity. Reconciliation Prayer Loving God, you have been present in this land from time immemorial. You have made yourself known to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Who have lived here for over 65,000 years. You continue to make yourself known to those who have more recently called Australia home. Give us the strength and courage to walk together, grounded in truth, as we move forward towards a unified future. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son, and in the spirit of Blessed Edmund, who answered your call to build a better world for all. Shaun Clarke | Principal 2 Redefining the Education of Young Men IdentityIdentity and and Mission Mission Identity and Mission Dear Parents, Carers and Community, This weekend, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.