Dear Parents and Carers

 “Let suffering soften your heart rather than harden your soul.”

Fr Ronald Rolheiser

We return this week to the '10 commandments for mature living', as described by the American priest Ronald Rolheiser. Rolheiser is of the belief that inevitably, in one way or another, suffering comes to us all. How we handle that suffering determines the next stage of our growth and of our lives. He writes, “Suffering comes to us all, and in full measure, but how we respond to them will determine both the level of our maturity and what kind of person we are. Suffering and humiliation will either soften our hearts or harden our souls.” COVID-19 has involved a kind of mass suffering, and the media have told stories of those who have chosen different ways of dealing with the pain. A softening of the heart is ultimately the only way to integrate all of life’s ups and downs into our life’s story.

Principals, Priests and REC Meeting

This Friday, Stephanie Burns and I are meeting with Fr John Woods, our Parish Priest, together with Philippa Brearley and Emily Capper, Principal and REC respectively of Holy Trinity, Curtin. We are all zooming in together to a meeting hosted by CE, where all Archdiocesan Priests, Principals and RECs gather annually, to participate in a formation day together. The day will have a number of speakers, but chief among them is Br David Hall, Director of the La Salle Academy, of the Australian Catholic University. https://www.acu.edu.au/about-acu/institutes-academies-and-centres/la-salle-academy

The day is spent looking at the changes in the Catholic Church that have taken place over the years, with one eye especially on the Plenary Council. Within this context of change, CE is looking at its faith formation practices, where its staff is concerned. David Hall will lead the meeting and discussion. I met David at the Principals’ Retreat earlier in the year. He is a superb speaker and an important thinker.

Leonie Anstey

An equally important thinker is Leonie Anstey, whose area of expertise is Maths. Leonie is visiting the school digitally next week, due to COVID-19 restrictions (Leonie is based in Victoria). She will be working with teachers via zoom on Monday and Tuesday next week, assisting them in developing their understandings of concepts inherent in the Maths curriculum and the best ways of bringing the concepts to life with the use of concrete materials. Leonie is also booked for Term 4 and for 2021. http://elevatinglearning.com.au/

Siloam

Next Wednesday I am away from school for ½ a day at Siloam, a mini-retreat day for Principals (again, using zoom). It is really a mini formation program for Principals and usually takes place four times a year. This term, we are spending some extended time reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8: 23 – 27), which is really a metaphor for the storms in our lives, that we all experience, and the presence of Jesus within the midst of the storm.  It is also a good opportunity to connect with colleagues in a different way than the normal system led meetings allow for. It is another way of being a community.

Have a good week with your families and enjoy the warmer weather.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal