The Languages Department has an activity-filled year. We are raising the cultural awareness in the school community by celebrating national days and festivals from Italy, China and France. An important but simple way to attain inter-cultural understanding is through food and celebrations.
For this task, I created a choral piece entitled, ‘A Prayer During Change’, praying to Saint Angela Merici, as ‘…a woman of foresight and courage who enjoined her successors to make changes according to the needs of the time.’ (The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020), for guidance and strength during ‘… times of change’. The piece explores the theme of transitioning, reflecting on challenges faced by the Merici Community during 2020, and highlighting how, whilst confronting, periods of transition facilitate growth and flourishing.
Wow, what a year. Bushfires, smoke, hail, COVID-19, remote learning and the constant feeling of not really knowing what was going to happen next, has made this a highly unusual year for everyone. It is definitely a year we would like to not repeat, but it has also shown how amazing and resilient the Merici community really is, including the Science Department.
THE YEAR IN MATHEMATICS
Throughout this year, students across Year 7-12 have shown resilience and creative ways to engage in Mathematics, both online and in the classroom.
We have welcomed to the Department Mr. Damien Nemeth and Miss Emma Bishop at the start of the year and Mr. Ed Mickleburgh and Mr. Damien Woods in Semester 2. All come with a wealth of experience and a passion for teaching and learning.
Welcome to the last Green Tip of the year!
Usually, the tip at this time of the year has some suggestions for how to reduce your environmental impact at Christmas.
This year, while researching I came across an article that provides 3 useful tips while counting how many tonnes of waste have gone to landfill in the time that readers are visiting their website. It is an eye-opener that provides motivation for reducing our environmental footprint not just during the festive season, but all year around.
Good evening and my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your attendance tonight.
I consider EVERYONE who is here today and those who apologised or have met up with me prior to today to say goodbye as special guests on my journey in Canberra. To:
BOM and CSIRO State of the Climate 2020 shows Australia is experiencing climate change now!
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/bom-and-csiro-state-of-the-climate-2020/12871690
Key points:
It takes 21 litres of water to produce a small milk chocolate bar!
The link between the clothes we wear and their impact on our environment is often overlooked.
According to https://www.onegreenplanet.org/ fashion is the second largest water polluter in the world.
Also, did you know that nylon production releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is 300 times more damaging to our climate than CO2?
Or, that the fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined (Business Insider Australia, 2019).
Today our Year 12 students were formally farewelled by the Merici College community at a special assembly. On behalf of the staff and students, Mrs Wholley thanked the Year 12 students for the wonderful contribution they have made to Merici College over the years, “Strive with all your might to remain as you are called by God and to seek and desire all the ways and means necessary to persevere and make progress to the very end.” St Angela Merici
Every year at the Opening Assembly since 2013 I have concluded with the words:
