Dear Parents/Guardians & Students,

Opening Assembly

What a wonderful celebration we had last week to officially commence the school year with our Opening of the School Year Assembly. This annual event on our College calendar brings students from each of our campuses together so that we can welcome our new Year 7 students to the College community and celebrate the outstanding results of our graduating class of 2019 together as one College.

A number of 2019 graduating students were acknowledged at this assembly including the 11 students who achieved an ATAR greater than 90 and the 66 students who achieved a study score of 40 or above (22 of these students were in Year 11 in 2019).

The College community also acknowledged 2019 College Dux, Ryan De Ruyter on his great success in achieving an ATAR of 97.8 and Monique Machin on achieving a perfect study score of 50 in Outdoor Education.

I extend my thanks to all staff involved in the great success of the assembly, particularly:
• Mrs Helen Sugameli, Mr Travis Pearce, Mr Curtis Stone, Ms Kelly McGurn, Mrs Rita Clough and Mrs Pauline Lanigan for setting the schedule and organising the awards;
• Mr Jim Baird, Mr Terry Luppino, and Mr Mark De Fazio for setting up for the assembly space which was particularly challenging this year due to the Mornington gym currently in the middle of a refurbishment;
• To Mr Bart Ryan, Mr Scott Chapman and the Maintenance team for working behind the scenes (as usual) to ensure the gymnasium was ready for use;
• To Mr Michael Harrison and the Faith team for preparing the opening prayer;
• To Ms Diane Lewis and the Library staff for selecting and preparing the book prizes for our 2019 high achieving students;
• To Mr Mark Mannock and Mr Rob Dabbs for providing the music set up and co-ordinating the singing of the National Anthem.

Opening Mass

This evening we will celebrate our Opening of the School Year Mass in the gym at our Mornington Campus. I look forward to seeing all our new families, along with many familiar faces at this celebration. Again this will be a significant time for our Year 7 students who will be formally welcomed into our broader faith community at this Mass. I wish to thank our parish priests Fr Geoff McIlroy, Fr John Paul Mount, Fr John McGinty and Fr Joe O’Shea for celebrating Mass for us, as well as Mr Michael Harrison, and the members of the Faith team, Mr Mark Mannock and members of the Music department for their preparation for this significant annual College celebration.

Catholic Education Today

Each term, Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) produces a magazine titled Catholic Education Today. This term’s edition features a reflection on the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) held in Perth at the end of 2019, as well as articles on the significance of Lent, new governance arrangements and how Catholics from across the nation have come together to assist communities affected by the devastating bushfires. The centre pages comprise a handy calendar of events and key dates. This edition can be accessed here.

Aspire9 Launch

This week we officially launched the commencement of the 2020 Apsire9 Program. Due to the weather, plans for the launch were changed and all Aspire9 students gathered at the Rosebud Campus for a symbolic liturgy to commence the program. The students then did a walk which was followed by a shared lunch. My thanks to our Director of Aspire9 Mr Mark De Fazio, along with our Aspire9 Campus Co-ordinators Mrs Georga Bryant (M), Mrs Andrea Cummins (R) and Mr Lance Albrecht (T) for their organisation of this event which sets the tone for the Aspire9 Program for the year.

School Events

Interhouse Swimming Carnivals have commenced and are continuing for each of the campuses in preparation for the SIS Swimming Carnival in the first week of term two. Next week, Year 7 students from the Rosebud and Tyabb Campuses will be attending their Year 7 Camp, followed by Year 7 students from the Mornington Campus the following week.

Performing Arts Centre (PAC)

As noted in the last edition of The Paduan, plans for the new PAC at the Mornington Campus are progressing very well and it is hoped that this project will commence in the middle of this year. Below are some artist impressions of the new facility:

Whom To Contact

Also noted in the last edition of The Paduan, parents can access the list of Staff Contacts for 2020, available on the College website via this link.

Anthony Banks
Principal

Prayer

We now pray for all students,
At whatever stage of your journey at Padua College.

May God’s word enliven your understanding,
deepen your wisdom, and guide your actions.

May God’s light shine from within you
to brighten our school community and our world.

May the love of Christ’s cross deepen your compassion
and guide you in the decisions you make this year.

May our school community support you in your studies,
strengthen your friendships and care for your needs.

May the grace of God shine on you this year.
We ask this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN