iServi News | 21 May 2021 | Term 2, Week 5
Celebrating Servite
On Wednesday this week we gathered together at a whole school assembly to celebrate what has been a very busy and exciting recent time for the College. Our whole school assemblies provide us with the opportunity to pause our busy schedules to reflect on our special community and to recognise the efforts of our students.
Our assembly this week was held in great spirit and provided a wonderful snapshot of the amazing input of staff and students into the school and the plethora of learning opportunities available for students.
In speaking to the students at the assembly I referenced the St Mary Priory Feast Day Mass held on Tuesday where Fra Ruben focussed his homily on the lasting impact of Mary on our lives and how she is a wonderful role model to us all. Mary lived her life with great courage and with compassion for others – two values which of course are very important to us at Servite as a school which promotes Marian as a core charism.
During the assembly, I spoke about how we are encouraged as Servites to be compassionate through looking out to the needs of others and to be courageous in stepping forward and fully involving ourselves in life and its many opportunities and challenges. I then reflected on two significant recent events where students have highlighted these two core values.
The first of these events was the ACC Inclusive Carnival held at Jackadder lake on Friday last week. Our students had the courage to put their hand up to be involved and fully engage in the events on the day. As you would now be aware, their considerable efforts resulted in them winning the ACC Inclusive Sport Fun Run Spirit Shield which is an outstanding result.
We are very proud of our students and thank them for the positive way that they represented the College at the event. We also thank our amazing staff for their compassionate support of our students. It was a real thrill to see our students attend the stage to the theme of Rocky and present the winning shield to community.
The second of these events was the Cancer Council Relay for life which was held last weekend to raise money for cancer research. I have highlighted this event to our community recently, however the extraordinary efforts of students and staff need further commendation. We had in excess of 140 students involved in the event with them collectively raising $26,543. We also acknowledge the many staff involved in organising our students’ involvement, with particular gratitude to Ms Melissa Plant for her considerable efforts. We recognise the compassion demonstrated by students to reach out to support those around them and also for their courage in giving of their time and rising to the challenge of the event.
For us to grow and learn we need to have the courage to step forward and get involved in life. It is often easier for us to sit back and watch the world pass us by. It can be difficult but ultimately very rewarding to shift outside of our comfort zone to and to challenge ourselves – it is in the space that we learn and grow.
The rich student involvement in the assembly also highlighted the courage of our students and the positive impact of their involvement in the life of the school. We were pleased to hear about the exciting developments of our whole school musical Beauty and the Beast scheduled for later in the year. We wish all staff and students well in their continued preparations and look forward to the opening night. Our College Rock band had everyone’s feet tapping as they played us a number of their latest songs. Students were also invited to involve themselves in this year’s Pedal Prix competition whilst our Sporting Captains encouraged all students to get involved in sport at Servite.
This is an excellent school with multiple learning opportunities and pathways for students. We continually challenge them to positively contribute to our story and grow to personally by getting involved.
Next Week
Next week we have a number of students out on work placement – we know that they will represent the school and themselves well and we wish them all of the best.
We also know that our ATAR students are studying hard for their exams scheduled to commence next week – we wish them well for their preparation and encourage them to always seek out support for teachers and their peers.
Mr Jeff Allen
Principal