Christian Witness

This week several of our staff were involved in a workshop on Christian witness. The guest speaker was David Wells via short video clips. Being a witness to who I know Jesus to be for me. The key points we explored were;

1. Tuning in
2. Strength
3. Movement

Tuning In - Allowing silence for God to reveal himself to me. It is in silence that we discover we are not alone. Be still and be present. Consciously make time in our day or week to be present.

Strength - Don't rely on our own strength, Romans 7:15 "I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." Holiness doesn't make us less human, failure is okay, and we are allowed to make mistakes. It is not about me, so I should not wait until I am perfect. Allow ourselves to be humble before God.

Movement - the more we move to unite with Jesus, the more he makes us open ourselves to others. We can get caught up in ourselves. Life is often happiest and most fulfilling when it is not about me.

"We Christians must ask ourselves," the Pope added, "whether we have not become too silent. Whether we do not lack the courage to speak out and bear witness. ... Our world has need of such witness, it awaits above all the joint testimony of Christians.” (Pope Benedict)

Netsafe

I attended a seminar this week about online safety and wellbeing. Key points were the challenge of digital distraction and the need for us all to develop in students the ability to think critically about what they view.

We want young people to tame technology and self-manage. To do this they need to be prepared to be critical. Andrew Tait is a TikTok/influencer who is currently popular. His material is objectionable. He has become famous for his masochistic views. Similarly, the platform Discord has raised concerns. It is a popular way for kids to chat with friends while playing online. You may have seen media reports warning parents about the dangers of Discord and the promotion of hate speech, vulgar language and exploitations. What can we do? Talk to our young people. Ask them, how does this impact you? Do the messages we hear and see reflect your values? Is this the messaging my family aspire to uphold?

Wearing of Ties

The Senior Leadership Team has decided to postpone the decision on ties. The reason for this is that, despite repeated directives to the student body to meet school expectations with respect to uniforms, a number of our students continue to make their own personal decisions about what they wear and what they do not wear to, from and at school.

While we understand that wearing or not wearing uniform items may not have any impact on student learning, our uniform rationale states that the college uniform is a visual connection to our Mercy heritage and values; it creates a sense of equality and equity amongst our students; it creates a sense of pride in, and identification, with St Catherine's College; and it engenders self-discipline and self-management in our students. Until such time as our students meet uniform expectations and use the correct channels to seek amendments to those expectations, winter uniform will continue to be: long-sleeved white shirt; school jersey, vest or monogrammed cardigan; blazer (Yr 10 - 13); tie; school skirt or trousers; black lace-up shoes; white socks or black pantyhose. We have a small supply of second-hand items at school. Parents/caregivers of students who arrive at school in non-school items or without the correct items will be informed and requested to ensure that their student meets uniform expectations.