To our Sacred Heart Community
National Reconciliation Week
The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians — individuals, families, communities, organisations and government — to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
National Reconciliation Week was celebrated with assemblies across the College featuring a Welcome to Country from John Lochowiak, a Pitjantjatjara and Kaurna man, chairperson of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, former parent and dear friend of Sacred Heart College. We also witnessed a dance performance from Dusty Feet Mob, an Aboriginal dance group that builds connection to culture, community and country through dance and song. Our Stage 2 Aboriginal Studies class also presented a “You Can’t Ask That” video fielding questions from students in our College community. Finally, we were witnessed to a rousing performance of Baker Boy’s “Meditjin” by our music students and a strong choir of students being a voice for reconciliation.
We also raised funds for the Tjindu Foundation through selling Reconciliation week donuts and ‘Home for all Hearts’ badges. Tjindu is an Aboriginal Community Controlled, not-for-profit organisation which aims to “create positive, long-term change for Aboriginal children in communities across South Australia through cultural education and success in schooling that enables them to become future leaders.”
Seven of our Aboriginal Education Program students are involved with the Tjindu Foundation and Sacred Heart students represent the largest student involvement from one school.
STEM Day Out
Last Friday our Year 9 STEM students attended an excursion at the Australian Space Agency and MOD. At the Space Agency, students were asked to engage in the deconstruct and design process by designing a satellite that would measure and record surface temperatures across Australia. They had the opportunity to connect with university students as well as industry professionals, and see satellite monitoring systems operating in real time. At MOD. students immersed themselves in the various exhibitions that explored invisibility aimed at shining a spotlight on the unseen to help us better understand the world around us and our place in it. They delved into the tech monopolies controlling our lives and reflected on the importance of slowing down to notice the land around them.
Emily Upton
Science Coordinator (Champagnat)
School Photo Days
Champagnat Campus have held their school photo day today, and a reminder that Marcellin Campus are holding theirs next Tuesday 7 June 2022 (Week 6).
For full details, please refer to the relevant communications sent out by the College.
Students are asked to ensure particular attention is given to their uniform and presentation on this day. Details of the Uniform and Grooming requirements of the College can be found here.
If you have any further questions regarding School photos, please contact Student Services on 8350 2500.
‘Raising Happy and Resilient Children/Teens’ with
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Child and Adolescent Psychologist, bestselling Author, Broadcaster and Social Commentator, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg will be presenting the secrets of building happy and resilient children and teenagers in a post-pandemic Australia.
In this special event, you will learn the skills, knowledge and evidence-based strategies to help our young people face, overcome and be strengthened by adversity, including stop-start schooling and the pressures of being a teenager in a social-media driven climate.
Tuesday 21 June 2022
6.00 pm – 7.15 pm
Loreto College, Performing Arts Centre, 316 Portrush Road, Marryatville SA 5068
To register, please visit: https://events.humanitix.com/raising-happy-and-resilient-children
Wednesday’s whole campus assembly at Marcellin, with its special Reconciliation focus, was a privilege to be a part of for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was the first time that the whole campus had gathered together, as a community, this year. I have written a number of times this year in this blog about what it means to belong to a community and why Family Spirit, one of the five Marist Characteristics, is what makes the Hearts community a special one. Secondly, and aligned to this notion of our Family Spirit, it was a privilege to attend the assembly because it was a reminder of how blessed we are to have our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and a challenge to “Be Brave. Make Change”.
Thursday’s assembly in houses at Champagnat was similarly poignant, and we are fortunate that we had the opportunity to view the recordings of the dance and speeches from Wednesday’s assembly at Marcellin. I hope it proved a catalyst for some of our younger students to be the change both in their time at Sacred Heart and in their lives post-school.
In his address to the assembly, Mr Byrne reflected on the history of our Aboriginal program over the past 10-15 years, and acknowledged some of the brave pioneer students who took a risk to move to Adelaide to join our community, and in so doing, laid an impressive foundation for those who now attend the College. The challenge, then, to each of our current students is to Be Brave and reach out in friendship and solidarity with our First Nations students. We are fortunate in our community to have an abundance of opportunity to “Be Brave [and] Make Change” in the Reconciliation space; perhaps a family discussion this week can be to what extent these opportunities have been acted on?
Daniel Head
Deputy Principal
