60 Williamsons Road Website:Website:http://www.marymede.vic.edu.au/ South Morang Vic 3752 Email:Email:[email protected] Phone:Phone:03 9407 9000 Fax:Fax:03 9407 9010 Subscribe to Online Newsletter! http://marymedecc.schoolzinenewsletters.com/subscribe 14 August 2015 Year 12s FROM THE PRINCIPAL There is no avoiding the fact that for our Year 12 students the joy and tears of finishing are fast approaching. As the tension Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of our Marymede and pressure build, I encourage them to keep supporting each Community, other and continue to give of their best. We particularly wish Today we celebrated the feast day of Marymede Catholic them well for the coming three months. College, in this our tenth year. This is a significant day for Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews our College Community as we celebrated Mary’s love and commitment to doing God’s will. Mary, the Mother of God, is Please note that the next Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews a role model showing us the way to Jesus and how to act will take place for Years P-10 students on Thursday September towards others. 3 from 10.00am to 8.00pm. There will be no scheduled classes for all students on this day. Communication will be emailed to Our celebration today began with a Whole School Mass in the parents regarding the booking process on Thursday August 27. Fitness Centre. A big thank you to our celebrant Fr. Martin Ashe and Ms Judeline Wadhwani and Mrs Melinda Muir for their Community Mass organisation of this most significant celebration. Our last Community Mass was very well attended by the After recess, the students were involved in a range of activities Marymede Community of students, parents and staff. I am to raise funds for the St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. After encouraged to hear the numbers are growing so please mark lunch a number of our talented students performed in the in your diaries that the next Community Mass will take place on concert which also featured a staff act. Special thanks to all Friday August 28 at 8.00am in the Chapel of the Annunciation. staff and students for their support of the day. I enjoyed my first All members of our community are most welcome to attend. Marymede Feast day and loved the way we came together as Kind Regards, a school community to celebrate what we are truly about. Mr. Michael Kenny International Principal’s Conference Principal I have returned this week from the International Principal’s FAITH AND MISSION NEWS Conference in Helsinki. The theme of the conference was ‘Leading Educational Change’. I very much enjoyed listening From Mary, Mother of God to Mary, St. Mary of to the international key-note speakers talk about the changes the Cross (MacKillop) required in education to meet our rapidly changing world. I also loved the opportunity to interact in the workshops with follow Principals from all over the world. I would like to thank Mrs Robyn Roberts for taking on the Acting Principal role during my leave. Planning for 2016 Planning is underway for next year. I draw this to your attention as you might not be aware that planning is done months ahead. I am interviewing staff about their plans for next year and by the end of this term I hope to have a clearer picture of staff availability. We also use this time to project our budget for the Source: Google Images following year which is critical to the organisation of the College. The week just gone by has seen the Church Enrolments for 2016 celebrate the feast of St Mary of the Cross We have a limited number of vacancies in some year levels for MacKillop, Australia’s first saint on Saturday 2016. If you know of families considering Marymede Catholic 8 August and feast of the Assumption of College for their children, please encourage them to submit Mary, mother of God and Blessed Mother an enrolment application as soon as possible to avoid to all, on Saturday 15 August. disappointment. 1 We as a community of faith celebrate the feast of the his parents and the community that gave him the drive to Assumption on our College Feast Day, Marymede Day. compete at an elite level. His message was one of hope, determination and service to others; factors that resonated with Although they lived in situations that were poles apart and faced the students as they embark on their last weeks here at the with experiences that were widely different, both women named College. Sam competed on the world’s stage as a swimmer but Mary share much in common. The young Jewish girl Mary said the students remember him best, from the media attention he the very important “Yes” in answer to God’s invitation to be the received as a contestant on Big Brother. One of the Year 12’s mother of God’s Son. The young Australian girl Mary MacKillop commented to me after the presentation that he felt inspired did the same, nearly nineteen centuries later. Both women and motivated by Sam to make the best of his time left at are contemporary role-models of discipleship demonstrating school and to “soak up the atmosphere”- Kathy Freeman prayerful trust in what God was calling them to be and a strong sense of service in what God was entrusting to them: Mother of 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 God for Mary the young Jewish girl and inclusive face of Christ So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; to all for the young Australian girl. Both women bore immense but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to suffering in their time, yet continued to focus their glance on others I myself should not be disqualified. Christ as they continued with the daily task of nurture in building the Kingdom of God. The Feast of the Assumption of Mary and her coronation as Queen of Heaven Mary shared completely in the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. She alone shared and in a complete way the wonder of the Incarnation (God becoming flesh) and the Birth of Jesus. She was the only one who was with Jesus from his birth, through his growing years at Nazareth. She was there at the foot of the Cross witnessing his death. She was there at Jesus’ Ascension and with the apostles in the Upper Room at Pentecost. Tradition tells us that Mary lived to a good age and when she had done everything that God had asked of her during her life, she was taken up (assumed therefore the word Year 5 & 10 Aboriginal Linkage Project – Assumption) to heaven, body and soul. On July 16 all Year 5 and 10 students united to listen to our We do not know if Mary died and then went to heaven or if she guest speaker, Sherry Balcombe from the Aboriginal Catholic was taken up to heaven before she died. The Eastern Church Ministry. Sherry spoke to students about her work with the believes that Mary fell asleep and her body was taken up to ACM and the Opening the Doors Foundation which the ACM heaven as she slept so they do not speak of her death but of supports through its Fire Carrier program. Sherry also spoke her “dormition” or “falling asleep”. Others believe that she died about some of the key symbols of great significance which are and was then taken up to heaven. What we do know for certain central to Aboriginal culture such as that of Fire which provides is that she went to heaven and was crowned by Jesus as nourishment and is life giving. Sherry shared some very wise Queen of Heaven and she sits with him listening to our prayers words with our students in raising their awareness about what and interceding for us with God and her son Jesus. the media portrays in relation to our indigenous brothers and Our College Feast Day, Marymede Day is a celebration of the sisters. Feast of the Assumption of Mary Queen of Heaven. Sherry also shared the following quote with our students: “Let it be done, according to your word” (Mary, mother of God) “And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the “Never see a need without doing something about it” (St Mary Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made of the Cross Mackillop) your contribution to her life and until that contribution has Ms Judeline Wadhwani been joyfully received by others.” Head of Faith & Mission (P-12) Saint Pope John Paul II, 1986, Australia. HEAD OF SECONDARY RELIGIOUS Over the coming week’s students in year 5 & 10 will continue to work together as they enquire about Aboriginal History, Art, EDUCATION Spirituality and the Dreaming. Be sure to speak to your son/ Sam Bramham -OAM – Paralympic Swimmer daughter if they are in Year 5 or 10 to ask them about their experiences working together. On Thursday August 6, Marymede Catholic College was very fortunate to have Sam Bramham OAM, gold medal winning Paralympic swimmer, visit the year 12 cohort and year 11 VCAL students to discuss the myriad of prejudices and positives he has encountered, living with a disability. He credits his enormous success to the unwavering support he received from 2 12 Drama Solo Performance Workshop On Friday August 1, the 12 Drama class participated in a workshop at the Malthouse Theatre, Southbank.