Dear Parents and Guardians, 

As we come to the end of another busy and rewarding term, there is much to celebrate across our College community.  

Over the past fortnight, our students have achieved outstanding success in many areas. Our choirs and performers received excellent accolades at the Burnie Eisteddfod. Gaelle, from Year 9, has been selected to represent Tasmania at the Rostrum Voice of Youth competition in Sydney. Our junior football teams enjoyed strong finals performances, and we successfully hosted a Careers Expo. 

 With over 60 exhibitors sharing their professions and pathways, the Expo provided our students with valuable opportunities to explore future careers and make informed decisions about their education. We look forward to making this an annual event as we continue to support our young people in planning for successful futures.  

I would like to sincerely thank our families for their ongoing support throughout the Term and acknowledge the outstanding commitment of our staff. Their dedication, care and professionalism provide our students with the opportunities to thrive both academically and personally.  

Mid-year reports have also been released this week. These reports provide an important snapshot of your child's progress, recognising their achievements while also identifying areas where greater effort or support may be needed during Semester Two. I encourage families to take the time to discuss the report together, celebrate successes and set goals for the remainder of the year.  

This week, I also had the privilege of speaking with our students at assembly about NAIDOC Week and sharing a personal story from my time living and working in the Daly River region of the Northern Territory more than 25 years ago.  

I introduced students to the Aboriginal concept of “Dadirri”, a word from the Ngangikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri peoples that describes the practice of deep, respectful listening. It is a reminder that genuine understanding begins not by speaking, but by listening.  

I reflected on my experiences of being welcomed into an Aboriginal family and the profound lessons I learned about Country, belonging and respect. Those experiences taught me that Country is far more than land, it is story, identity, memory and relationship.  

As part of NAIDOC Week, we celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples while recognising the importance of listening to stories that have been shared across countless generations. As Catholics, we believe every person is created in the image and likeness of God. Every person possesses inherent dignity, every culture has wisdom to offer, and every story deserves to be heard with respect.  

I concluded by encouraging our students to listen before judging, seek understanding before forming opinions, and recognise that when we truly listen to another person's story, it has the power to change the way we see the world.  

I wish all of our students, families and staff a safe, restful, and well-deserved holiday break. Thank you once again for your continued support of our College. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed for another exciting term.  

Invitation: Parent Focus Group Session  

We would like to extend an invitation to our parent community to participate in a consultation focus group session. The purpose of the session is to assist Catholic Education Tasmania in developing their 2030 Strategic Plan for system schools.  

This is taking place at the College on Thursday 6 August, and we have a 45-minute timeslot allocated from 2:15pm – 3pm.   

The focus group discussions will include, but not be confined to, our school community's thoughts on the following questions:  

• What are your hopes and aspirations for your school and our system of schools? 

• What are we doing well that we wish to keep? 

• What are our challenges? 

• What actions do we need to take to address those challenges? 

• Is there anything else you wish to tell us?  

If you are interested in participating, please complete the following form: Parent Focus Group Invitation: Catholic Education Tasmania – Fill out form 

Warm regards, 

Shayne Kidd 

Principal