Principal's Message - SHC Kyneton

QUICKLINKS

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
May the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within
both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

This week’s prayer continues to highlight the significance of 2025 as a Special Year of Jubilee for the Universal Church. This prayer was written by Pope Francis and includes foci on the needs of God’s creation as well as humanity. Sacred Heart College itself looks forward to be a “cultivator of the seeds of the Gospel” across all aspects of school life in 2025.

New Senior Leaders

Following the resignation late last year of Craig Minter, there have been a number of new appointments made for the 2025 school year. Some of these have important student-focused responsibilities:

Anthony Diamond has been appointed as Head of Senior School (Year 10 – 12)
Mary-Anne Bratovic has been appointed as Year Eleven Level Leader
Paul Matthews has been appointed as College Timetabler with an expanded set of responsibilities including students’ subject selection

College Reception

Parents and members of the broader College community visiting the school in recent weeks will have noticed significant changes to the College Reception area. Front Reception and Student Reception have been consolidated at the front of the school. Students who are being dropped off and/or collected are able to do so via the front of the school with a single area catering for all Year 7 – 12 students.

Mercy Principals’ Retreat

Last week, I enjoyed the privilege of spending four days on retreat with the twelve other Mercy Education principals as well as Mercy Education Chief Executive, Louisa Rennie. The retreat was held in Katoomba, NSW and focused on the theme of “Walking Together”. It provided an extended opportunity to reflect on the particular responsibilities that principals have as faith leaders in our Mercy communities as well as to discuss a range of contemporary issues affecting our schools and system.

Student and Staff Activities

With the school year already into week four, a number of significant activities and events are underway:

On Thursday last week, Sacred Heart College celebrated the commencement of secondary education for our 167 Year 7 students through their Commissioning Mass. Thankfully, the weather has cooled somewhat for what will be a very special occasion.
Following on from their Commissioning Mass, all Year 7 students head off on their Year 7 Camp at Kinglake this week. The camps are split with 7A, 7B & 7C at Kinglake from Monday – Wednesday and 7D, 7E & 7F from Wednesday – Friday. The week also includes Reflection Days on Monday and Friday. I look forward to visiting both groups at camp this week.

Last Thursday morning, the whole school had the opportunity to celebrate the high achievers of 2024 across VCE, VCE-VM as well as a number of other areas.
Last week also saw the College welcome more than 20 very excited students and staff from our French sister school, Notre Dame du Roc. Students and staff will spend almost three weeks in Australia and will experience the normality (or chaos) of family life in their home-stays.

Bereavements

Your prayers are asked for the following families who are mourning the passing of a loved one recently. The Heenan family on the passing of John Moran, grandfather of Ella 7C and Michael 8A. Also, the Meldrum family on the passing of Maxwell 'Tom' Bacon, father of Debbie Meldrum, staff member of SHC.

Yours in Mercy,

Dr Darren Egberts

Principal