iServi News | 18 June 2021 | Term 2, Week 9
Naming our Places and Spaces
Our Servite history is a rich and illustrious one which harks back to the early 13th Century. Since their inception in 1233, the Order of Friar Servants of Mary have spread worldwide. Servites live and work in active and diverse ministries in our modern society, with Servite College being a dynamic example of the Servite Order’s education ministry. As we continue to develop both the College’s Tuart Hill and Nannup sites, we look for innovative and engaging ways we can express our story, charism and connection to our communities.
The Servite College Master Plan provides a catalyst to enable us to achieve our contemporary vision for the College. Our focus on the individualised care, support and growth of each Servite student drives our design philosophy of creating a modern and inclusive campus.
A core design goal for the campus is to provide intentional places that enhance wellbeing and nurture students and staff as members of an authentic, future-focused learning community.
Our aim is to ensure that every student learns to their individual best in a safe, highly engaging and personalised environment that promotes the skills, attributes and values they need to thrive as the leaders of tomorrow.
Our students, families, staff and College Council have joined the conversation with Kon Michael, Swanbury Penglase Architects, around the types of spaces that they believe will facilitate the best learning experiences and educational outcomes for our students.
Our Servite story is embedded in the design of our places and spaces and is also captured through the names we dedicate to the different areas. With the recent and upcoming completion of Master Plan stages, we are now in a position to seek feedback and input from our broader community in naming these areas.
We have established a Servite Story team, made of different community members, including the Servite Friars, who will shape up ideas around names for our newly developed spaces. This team will utilise our Place Naming Guidelines which provide a framework for naming that is designed to affirm identity, recognise relationships, celebrate heritage and focus on the future. Contemporary best-practice naming principles provide the foundation for these guidelines.
As a Catholic school in the Servite tradition, Servite College has the opportunity to name facilities and spaces aligned with the evolving Servite story. Our initial focus will be on formally naming the Nannup campus, the new student administration space and the western courtyard which aligns the Shanahan building. We look forward to providing you with further details seeking your feedback in the upcoming weeks.
Christian Service Learning
Christian Service Learning at Servite continues to offer legitimate and engaging ways for students to put their faith into action. The most recent initiative this week involved a number of staff and students completing the Ration Challenge which saw them live off the same rations as a refugee – “just a small amount of rice, flour, lentils, chickpeas, beans, oil and fish” – for five days. We acknowledge the staff and students for their courage in getting involved and for raising awareness and money for this important cause.
Another key Christian Service Learning initiative is planned for this Friday in the form of the LifeLink Winter Sleepout. Staff and students will spend the night outside of their comfort zone sleeping on the cold, hard floor of the College gym to raise important funds for LifeLink agencies in support of those without a place to call home this winter.
In launching his annual Winter Appeal for LifeLink, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB urged everyone to “follow the example of Jesus and extend our arms to embrace people in need here in Western Australia.”
He said that:
“When Jesus walked with us here on earth, in everything he did and everything he said, he brought to us God’s message of love. Jesus showed us, by His example, that it is in the action of demonstrating our faith that we will truly see and experience God’s love for us.
When we reach out to help our brothers and sisters in need – the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the isolated and lonely, the abused and abandoned, and the sick – we demonstrate our love for God in a very real and tangible way. We can all follow the example of Jesus and extend our arms to embrace people in need here in Western Australian through our collective support for the Church’s LifeLink social service agencies.”
Congratulations and thank you to the staff and students who have committed their time and energy to this very important cause. A special thanks to Ms Melissa Plant for her dedication in providing authentic Christian learning opportunities for students.
Enrolment Interviews
Further to my comments last week, we would strongly encourage families and friends wishing for their child to attend the College in Year 7 in 2022 and 2023 to submit an application to the College as placements are quickly becoming limited. College Enrolments Officer, Mrs Patricia Buys, is available to provide any enrolment information families might require. Mrs Buys can be contacted by phone on 9444 6333 or via email to enrolment@servite.wa.edu.au. Enrolment information is also available here.
Mr Jeff Allen
Principal