I hope and pray everyone in the community are well and getting into a routine that while not in the least ideal, is manageable for all in your respective bubbles.

As we go further into this lockdown, events and activities in the calendar have already been cancelled or postponed. It’s with great sadness we had to cancel our CanTeen Run for A Life event, but with the current disruptions to teaching and learning, coupled with the general uncertainty of times such as these present, that decision was inevitable.

The third week of our term concluded with a mass to mark the Feast of Assumption.

One of the key beliefs of the Catholic faith is the role of Mary, the mother of Christ, and of how she accepted the invitation to be his mother. She was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and for 33 years she guided, influenced and nurtured Him. Then she witnessed His terrible death, on the Cross. When we say "Hail Mary, full of grace" we mean she is without sin, and it is because of this that she is assumed into heaven, body and soul.

Father John Adams was the main celebrant and his message was about the significant part not only the mother of Jesus played in the Christian message, but also mothers in general.

At the end of the mass, Fr. John blessed all the mothers present, mothers and grandmothers of the boys, and the mothers on the staff. Each received a small gift at the end of the mass.

Offers of place for the 2022 year were made in the last few weeks. In one breath it is disappointing to have to turn down so many applicants, but encouraging for the College that so many find the place desirable. Interviews of successful applicants began a couple of weeks ago and now continue through zoom.

As we prepare to accept the new cohort of Year 9s, we also continue to transition our Year 13s out of school. The Careers Day that was held featured the organisation Zestpeople who led the boys in various activities including personality profiling, CV writing and interview techniques. The boys also heard from guest speaker Cameron McIntyre, an old boy of the 1990s and father of Reuben (Year 9). Now a player agent for rugby players, he gave the boys the following advice.

The first was find your passion, and a clear message to the Year 13s not to follow pursuits that don't excite or make you bounce out of bed in the morning.

The second point emphasised was about what is your point of difference, and to work on one's strengths rather than worry too much about what one is not so good at.

Building resilience was the third point, and dealing with the inevitable disappointments that life throws at everyone was something Cameron dwelt upon. He commented that too many people 'throw the towel in' too quickly, and too readily walk away from the hard things rather than learning from the bad times.

A week seems an age, but just over a week ago we had our last school assembly. I thought I’d take the opportunity for the boys to hear another voice, and I played the attached clip, which I have since shared for parents and now share for you. Hope it resonates with you too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBuIGBCF9jc&list=RDLVTBuIGBCF9jc&start_radio=1&rv=TBuIGBCF9jc&t=32

Until next month

J G Boyle