Year 12s Go Bush

Our Year 12s went off grid, 13-15 March, into the leafy surrounds around greater Melbourne for their annual Retreat. The theme for the Retreat and the College theme for 2024: LET THE LOVE YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEARTS BE SHOWN OUTWARDLY IN YOUR DEEDS (St Clare of Assisi). Along with theme, the scripture passage Matthew 9:35-38 underpinned sessions that students were led through by Padua staff over the course of the Retreat.

Students reflected on the following:

• I do not stand on my own. I am a part of my family, my friends, my school community, the Australian community, and the world community. All people are interconnected. It is in working together that we achieve more.
• God has made me unique and loves me. There will never be another me. I have gifts and talents that are unique in this world. No one can share these gifts and talents in the way that I can. “Be yourself, everyone else is taken” – Oscar Wilde.

They also completed a list of shared hopes for 2024, affirmations of each other, received a personal letter from a parent/guardian, looked at the things that are important to them and the experiences that have shaped them to this point. Particularly the relationships and communities that we belong to. Key take away questions that were asked:

• Who am I within my family?
• Who am I in relation to God?
• Who am I in the context of the wider world in which I live?

Give Me Some Time and Space

On 18 and 25 March we welcomed Time and Space presenter Dr Kelly Harris to Padua College to run the Year 8 student and Father/Mentor program and the Year 7 student and Mother/Mentor program.

Designed to promote conversations surrounding settling into secondary school and building positive relationships between mentors and students, Dr Kelly taught our student leaders how to facilitate small breakout groups in which students and other mentors can learn and discuss their experiences of dealing with teen hood and the positives and negatives that come with that.

We greatly appreciate Dr Kelly and everyone at Time and Space for coming back to Padua for the third year in a row to run this amazing program for our community. Thanks to all student leaders who helped in setting up, running groups, and ensuring all went smoothly. And finally thank you to all the mentors and students who came and participated in the night, the feedback has been amazingly positive!

Overall, we had over 150 parents participate in the 2024 program and the involvement of 40 student leaders.

Yasmine McCoy, College Captain

Our Grand Final Week

In the last week of term one, we had student-led Easter liturgies and Stations of the Cross presentations at all campuses. The reflections from students gave thought in that we greet Jesus as a King on Palm Sunday, yet by Friday, he is dead. Whilst we know the end of the story, his followers did not and they were wrought by grief and dashed hopes.

The days of Good Friday and Holy Saturday are perhaps the most important days of reflection in the whole year for us as Christians. They offer us insight into, as St Paul says, the hope that is within us. How do we cope when nothing makes sense? When we are going through challenging times, how do we endure those experiences of incomprehensible questioning and doubt that life will ever be normal again? It is Paul again who assures us that God's grace is sufficient for us, and it is in that knowledge that hope is possible.

The events of Holy Week are not just a week in history. They are an insight into the human journey - a journey of exultation and pain, of friendship and broken relationships, of healing and of faith, and always, of being held in the ever-present love of a caring God.

Padua Community Mentors

Community is an important part of the fabric of Padua College, founded in 1898 by the Mercy Sisters. Over that time, we have educated thousands of young people of the Mornington Peninsula. We have a strong and vibrant community, with much wisdom.

The Padua Community Mentors (PCM) program is an exciting new initiative for members of our community to give back, to share their wisdom to our senior students and to parents of Padua College students. Future program sessions are going to include how to do a tax return, nutrition, tips on starting a business, how to be a great communicator, how to start in the share market, buying property and much more!

The Padua Community Mentors program is an opportunity for senior students to attend by themselves or ideally with their parent/guardian and share in the experience gained from the session.

Launch Panel for Padua Community Mentors

1. Kate Save.
Kate is the CEO of Be Fit Food and an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Accredited Exercise Physiologist and a Diabetes Educator.

2. Lauren Wild.
Lauren is a dynamic entrepreneur with a stellar track record in real estate. Founder of ‘Wild Women in Business,’ a thriving community networking group focused on fostering high-level collaborations.

3. Pippa Hanson.
Pippa is the co-founder and CEO of the highly successful ‘The Sports Injury Clinic. Approaching its 20th year in business, Pippa leads a 60-person strong team.

4. Shannon Smit.
Shannon is the founder of Transfer Pricing Solutions. She spent 11 years working with one of the Big Four in Melbourne, Amsterdam, Prague and New York, before returning to Melbourne. Shannon is a Chartered Accountant, Registered Tax Agent and holds her Masters in International Tax Law and is on the Australian Government Board of Taxation.

DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

TIME: 7:00pm – 8:00pm.

VENUE: Pearson Lecture Theatre (Whyte Building), Mornington Campus.

Please email me for more details: mwilliams@padua.vic.edu.au

Holy Week Service Calendar

Click here for Holy Week Services 2 Calendar