See our last Building Futures magazine for 2016. Inside articles include the Principal's Address, "In 2016 is we celebrated the year of Love and Mercy. The Love came from our mission statement to “Love Life” and Mercy came from the Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Francis – “the Year of Mercy”. This term has seen a number of services and celebrations for the students in their different year groups. Year 12 students, their teachers, parents and family members attended a moving Graduation Mass and Awards Ceremony at St. Christopher’s Cathedral and we have also had a wonderful celebration with students and their families at the Formal held at the Arboretum on what was a magnificent night. We had a beautiful Advent Mass for Year 7 to 10 students and a special Award Ceremony the following day for our Year 10 students who had just completed a week of service in our community. The year ended, as it usually does with a great concert and disco. The big areas of focus for 2016 have been the implementation and review of the Timetable and Reporting systems. We have also focused on improved Sustainability practices (which resulted in a $30 000 saving in electricity). Mental Health issues have continued to be an area of concern for our students, staff and their families. The mindfulness minute and technology free Pastoral Care times were just a small step into building resilience along with our pastoral program. Next year we will have a ‘Calm Space’ in the school. All schools across the ACT have created a space like this in response to the ‘Schools for All’ recommendation. We will also introduce two new programs called MindMatters and Sources of Strength. These programs assist students to create a framework that creates hope and draws on the gifts we bring to our relationships with each other, God and of course, ourselves."
Loretta Wholley
