There is Joy to be Found in Ritual and Ceremony

The Opening Mass and Commissioning of our Year 12s was joyful, prayerful and true to who we are. Fr Gillen formally opened the 2023 academic year and officiated the commissioning of our Seniors on Tuesday at Riverlife.

I was delighted to see our Year 12 parents and caregivers there to participate in ritual, sign and symbol. The structure of ritual and more specifically, the Catholic Mass is not necessarily something all young people are overly familiar with today. However, they rise powerfully to the occasion and the occasion is powerful as a result.

Last Friday the Junior School participated in their Opening Mass that promoted joy to all. The main message of both these masses should resonate with us all – to be kind and to pave the way. There is significant research which has found that young people have a deep thirst for spirituality and meaning and I congratulate and thank Mr Matt Warr and our staff for the way in which they engage our students in accessible language and story which is relatable and recognisable in the world in which children live.

Our College Chaplain, Father John Gillen, a master teacher, is also very skilled at this. We are indeed blessed. For me, the most telling moments were the silent ones during the ritual of the Senior Tie at Tuesday's Mass, where Mum, Dad or a significant adult was with the individual young person in that moment. This ritual has no words and yet says so much. It was a privilege to witness this sacred signpost moment.

Student Behaviour

As I communicated last Wednesday, in a letter to all parents and caregivers, it was not a proud time for our community. The actions of a minority of our students who were involved in conflicts off campus have resulted in damage to our reputation as a College.

Tim Walker, our acting Dean of Formation, and myself addressed all the Middle School and Senior School students last Friday to reinforce our expectations and the consequences of this behaviour. Being directly involved, being a spectator, videoing of the incidents and sharing on social media have occurred, and these actions promote a culture that is strongly against the values of ATC. I again assure you that the Formation Team are actively involved in investigating details and applying appropriate consequences.

Education continues to be important as our young people grow up in a changing world. Please continue to have conversations with your child regarding where they should be after school, what they should be doing, and the dangers of social media being used inappropriately.

If you have any information regarding this matter, please pass this on to members of the College Leadership Team or your child's Formation Leader.

NSIT Review

This week Ambrose Treacy College will be involved in the National School Improvement Tool Review. Research is revealing the powerful impact that school leadership teams can have in improving the quality of teaching and learning. The National School Improvement Tool was endorsed by the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) at its meeting on 7 December 2012 and has been made available to all Australian schools for use in their school improvement planning from 2013.

The National School Improvement Tool brings together findings from international research into the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders. The Tool assists schools to review and reflect on their efforts to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning. It supports school-wide conversations – including with parents and families, school governing bodies, local communities and students themselves – about aspects of current practice, areas for improvement and evidence that progress is being made.

The Tool does not describe everything that effective schools do, but focuses on those practices that are most directly related to school-wide improvements, and thus outcomes for students. In this sense, the Tool can be thought of as a core element of more comprehensive school improvement programs, frameworks and initiatives.

The ultimate goal of school improvement is to improve outcomes for students, including levels of achievement and wellbeing. For this reason, direct measures of student outcomes are essential to all school improvement efforts. However, ‘school improvement’ fundamentally means improving what a school does. The Tool provides evidence about a school’s day-to-day work to complement, and possibly shed light on, measures of student outcomes.

The College will use the results of the NSIT, along with other data gathered over the previous 12 months, to develop a new Strategic Plan for 2024. This Strategic Plan will set measurable goals and design strategies for improvement, and to monitor and demonstrate school improvement over the following years. I thank the 85% of teaching staff, School Officers, Administration staff, Parents and students who will participate in the NSIT this week , for your valuable time and insights.

Parent Lounge and Student Café FAQs

As you are aware, the College has been transitioning into an increased use of Parent Lounge and Student Café. For many of us, we were just commanding SEQTA and now must make a fresh start. Patrick Behan, our eLearning Coordinator, and our IT Department have been working on collating information to assist you in navigating this new system.

The best way to learn a new system such as this is by doing, getting involved and practice. Hopefully this document will provide clear guidelines to answer some common questions. The importance of you being able to see your son’s timetable, homework, assessment tasks, results, reports, commendations, and service hours are all important for the promotion of the partnership between home and school. To access the Parent Lounge and Student Café FAQ, please CLICK HERE.

NAPLAN Update

The annual NAPLAN tests have been rescheduled to commence on Wednesday 15 March (Week 8). ATC encourages all students to participate in these tests as they provide useful information for our teachers in conjunction with our internal testing, to best support each individual. Students in Years 5, 7 and 9 will sit a practice NAPLAN test during Week 6, when they are not attending their Camp.

Co-curricular Update

Music

It has been wonderful seeing our musicians learning in the recently refurbished Instrumental Music rooms. Our talented Music Tutors are loving the new facilities and our numbers remain strong across our program. After a Junior Band Co-curricular Music Information evening last week, I look forward to seeing the commencement of our youngest and most enthusiastic band, as they begin their wonderful journey in our music world.

Sport

We are now two weeks into the AIC Sport competition for Term One. As invited guests to the AIC competition, our sportsmen relish the challenge of competing against strong opposition in Cricket, AFL, Volleyball and Swimming. With competition also in the GBC competition, plus games against GPS Schools on their bye round, our teams are getting a great range of games and levels. Congratulations to Mr Jarrod Turner, his Sport Department team, and our large band of coaches for supplying such wonderful opportunities, challenges, fun and growth for our participants.

Community

The P&F have been preparing for their launch of the new school year, with the annual Kick off Cocktails this Saturday evening. I look forward to seeing many of you at Wests Rugby Club as the adults get a chance to get to know other families within your son’s cohort, and enjoy each other’s company. Ticket sales close this Wednesday 15 February and are available via Parent Lounge.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Kate and Stu Tyson – both staff members – on the birth of their second child. Baby Tyson decided he didn't want to wait any longer, and rushed into the world in the early hours of last Thursday. Bub is healthy and strong, and Kate is well. God's blessings to the Tyson family.

Enjoy your week.

David Gardiner

Acting College Principal