This week’s prayer is the beautiful prayer of St Francis of Assisi and calls all to peace; tragically this call remains current and contemporary almost 800 years after his death.

Earlier this week, I was privileged to attend the second annual conference of Mercy Ministry Companions (MMC). This organisation has formal governance responsibilities for a number of ministries of the Sisters of Mercy in Australia and Papua New Guinea including Mercy Education, Mercy Health, Aged Care and Community Services. The conference included senior delegates from each of the organisations as well as a number of Sisters of Mercy. A highlight of the conference was an exploration of the five core values of MMC (which reflect the various values of the organisations it has responsibility for) by Sr Liz Dowling rsm:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Hospitality
• Justice
• Hope

Student and Staff Activities

Although this is the first newsletter for term four, the school has been abuzz with a large of number of events and activities, these include:

The Junior School Showcase (scheduled for tomorrow as I prepare this report on Wednesday) which brings together the work by Year 9 Expo students, Year 8 Make A Difference (MAD) students, as well as the personal learning profiles prepared by our Year 7 students. I wish each of them the best and look forward to seeing their work.

Next Tuesday sees the completion of thirteen years of compulsory education for our Year 12 cohort, with students commencing final preparations for VCAA examinations or starting life beyond school in employment or further education. The day is a full one with a final assembly, a number of year level events and Graduation Mass in Quambi in the evening.

Sacred Heart College remained a busy place during the recent school holidays with students undertaking Unit 3 & 4 VCAA subjects completing practice exams and a number of students and staff volunteering to run Camp Campaspe for local primary school aged children. Particular thanks to Mr Sam Weir for his leadership of this program.

Last Thursday night, I was privileged to join many others for the screening of the Year 12 Media Studies students’ 2023 films. This is the students’ major work as part of Media Studies and the very high quality on display is a testament to the efforts of the students, their families and Mr Ben Gallagher, the Year 12 Media Studies teacher.

Yesterday’s beautiful spring sunshine provided a perfect backdrop for a group of students and staff who worked diligently on a revegetation project adjacent to the Campaspe River. This project was made possible through a grant received from LandCare and includes removal of invasive weeds and the planting of native trees and grasses.

Yours in Mercy,

Dr Darren Egberts 

Principal