COLLEGE Rostrevor Generations, Class of ‘59 Returnees with Yr 4 Students and Br Coughlin in the Sustainable Garden from the Principal
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PA I L N T A E R E COLLEGE Rostrevor Generations, Class of ‘59 Returnees with Yr 4 Students and Br Coughlin in the Sustainable Garden FROM THE PRINCIPAL Dear College Community From time to time we hear in the media about law and order campaigns. It’s the approach that says let’s get tough and crack down. The same approach is sometimes called for in schools as a response to poor behaviour and conduct. As with most law and order approaches those who advocate for a tough stance tend to see it differently when it is their own child who is seeking the mercy and compassion of the organization for his or her own misdemeanors. Rostrevor College sets firm standards in terms of behaviour and discipline. But, such standards are best achieved through positive enculturation rather than through threat of punishment or coercion. That is why we call our approach a ‘Personal Responsibility Policy’ and is based on ‘Restorative Justice’. Our desire is to create a Culture of Care that brings about change from within the student, rather than a Culture of Control, which seeks the outcome by imposing external punishment. As a community that is founded on the life-giving message of the gospel, our desire to create a Culture of Care aligns well with our calling to be a faith community. Brother Vince Connors cfc wrote of the implications of being a faith community in an edition of Catholic School Studies: • The teachings of Jesus are known and lived out on a daily basis – one of these being courtesy and respect for all • There is a genuine sense of justice for all in every aspect of life with a special concern for those most in need of care • All feel they are valued for who they are rather than for what they can achieve • There is a serious effort made to develop a spirit of giving and sharing of talents, time and possessions with others, especially the most needy. Br Connors goes on to say that if these features were clearly identifiable the chances of bullying would be minimized. I couldn’t agree more. Building up a community that is tolerant, respectful, responsible and values each individual is a key response to addressing the problem of bullying. So much of the solution is found in building positive relationships within the community. It is for this reason that our Policy focuses on creating positive relationships and encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their actions. Our focus on relationships and creating community is necessary in order to fulfill the task of educating FRIDAY 18 MARCH 2016 your child. We are not a business dealing with individual clients, we are a community. We are in this together and support each other to achieve our desired outcomes and goals. This approach is supported by our faith tradition, but is also supported by research into the functioning of healthy organizations: EEK 7 7 EEK Von Krogh et al (2000) emphasises that a culture of care (certainly not a business term!) is vital for W successful performance, which they define in five dimensions: mutual trust, active empathy, access to help, lenience in judgement and courage. Does that sound like soft stuff better suited to kindergarten?….. ERM 1, 1, ERM bsentee line: 8364 8387 8364 line: bsentee T A NEWSLETTER DATES TO REMEMBER CoMMUNITY AND CULTURE March Week 8 Monday 21 Harmony Day Friday 25 Good Friday National Handball Championships Saturday 26 Easter Saturday National Handball Championships Sunday 27 Easter Sunday College Community, Ever valued members of the College Community the class of ‘59 Returnees in the Archive room reliving memories and experiencing what the College has to offer in 2016. National Handball Championships Not when you see the U.S. Army, KPMG, Gemini Consulting, Monsanto, British Petroleum, Sears and a host Week 9 of other companies in “tough” businesses espousing quality relationships as vital to their success. Monday 28 Easter Monday (Quoted in Leading in a Culture of Change Fullan (2001) (p.158)) Wednesday 30 Creating a Culture of Care, as the writer says, may sound like “soft stuff”. But the evidence is that it works. Staff vs Student FutsalM atch So, what defines a Catholic community? It is when people express a commitment to each other, that Sunday April 03 makes God real in this world. It is when average battlers, whether they know it or not, become the Open Day channels of God’s presence. My thanks to you, my fellow members of the Body of Christ. God Bless Simon Dash Principal ANNOUNCEMENT From 2016, the College will be moving to an electronic Newsletter/Bulletin. These publications will still be emailed to families as per previous years and made available on the College website. However, families that had previously nominated to receive a hard copy (newsletter only), will need to obtain this from the respective administration office/s (MY&SY / JY). Alternatively, if you would now like to be included in the email distribution list, please advise the College at [email protected]. Furthermore, the fortnightly Bulletin will now report on co-curricular news only. General notices will be reported in the fortnightly newsletter instead. National Handball Championships 25-27 March See the Best Handball Players in Australia Compete at Rostrevor College #goplayhandball COMMUNITY BUILDING & ENGAGEMENT Frank Ranaldo Deputy Principal R-12 Principal’s Student Leadership 2. Close the Gap (Thursday 17 March). Australia’s Another dilemma was to choose between remaining Assembly largest campaign to improve Indigenous health. in Nazareth, his home, or to flee to Egypt in order to Supported by more than 30 Indigenous and protect his family. At Rostrevor we believe that every student has the non-Indigenous organisations, the campaign calls capacity to exercise leadership. The development We can say that in these times of dilemma, Joseph on Federal, State and Territory Governments to of leadership capacity in individuals promotes discerned what was just/good not only for him, but commit to closing the life expectancy gap between excellence, authenticity and respect in larger groups also for Mary and later for the infant Jesus as well. Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a and shapes our school culture. Boys at Rostrevor may He was a person who listened to, and was aware of, generation; exercise servant leadership through a designated his “inner calling”. It happened because apart from leadership position or exercise leadership in 3. National Day of Action against Bullying & being a just man, he had other “grounding” qualities academic and co-curricular contexts through their Violence (Friday 18 March). This is an opportunity like faith, humility and a caring demeanour. We can actions, words and conduct. for students, teachers, parents and the whole all learn from St Joseph’s discerning attitude when community to take a stand together against bullying dealing with our own families’ dilemmas and issues. Today at the Principal’s Assembly we presented over and violence. This annual day provides a focus for And while dealing with those issues, if we discern 60 leadership badges to students from Years 7 to the College community to say “Bullying. No Way!” that what we choose, is in line with God’s will for us, 12. The badges carry the title of House Vice-Captain then we can certainly trust that the outcome will and with that comes the responsibility of being a St Joseph’s Day bring joy and peace not only to us but to our whole visible leader within the community as outlined in Today we also celebrated the Feast Day of St Joseph, family as well. the Contract of Office which was also presented at our College Patron Saint. St Joseph is recognised as the Assembly. A number of Junior Years Leadership the patron of fathers, family life, patience and purity, positions were also announced although badges and workers, carpenters, the troubled and the dying. God bless. contracts of office had already been presented at a separate event. As an R-12 community we had the From what we know from the gospels, St Joseph Frank Ranaldo opportunity to congratulate the Junior Years Captain, faced a few major dilemmas in his life. One of his Cameron Tunno and Vice-Captain, Ishaan Oak dilemmas was whether to accept Mary as his wife or as well as our Year 6 Junior Years House Captains. to abandon her, after hearing that she was pregnant. Congratulations to all boys who now have an important role to play in seeking to enrich the experience of others through their service. The full list of Junior, Middle and Senior Years Leaders are listed separately. There are literally thousands of quotes on leadership that can help explain what leadership should be. Nevertheless, we need to go no further than the most powerful example we have, in Jesus, for a very simple but powerful style. His leadership was quite simply “servant leadership” and as the title suggests, he was prepared to serve the people who actually believed they were his followers. R-12 Activity After the Principal’s Student Leadership Assembly, students gathered on the Bungalow and were arranged in groups to make the shape of letters to read, from an aerial view, some simple statements acknowledging a number of significant events: Student Leaders, Cooking over 1500 sausages last Friday for Boarders Week celebrating the contributions 1. Harmony Day (Monday 21 March). This coincides made by Boarders to College life and acknowledging their journeys to Rostrevor. with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a day of cultural respect, widely celebrated across the Nation; YR 10 RETREAT STUDENT WELFARE Br John Ahern Evan Pezos Assistant Principal Director - Student Religious Identity Welfare and Mission This week sees in the fifth week of Lent, perhaps The difference between school and life? In school, students were also in favour of maintaining our high a good time to think about our Lenten resolutions you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.