Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn eNewsletter

The Catholic Education community gathered at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manuka to celebrate NAIDOC Mass and recognise those who have made a significant contribution to Aboriginal education in the Archdiocese.

The service began with a smoking ceremony by the Wiradjuri Echoes that welcomed attendees into the Church for Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher Prowse. Special thanks to Selina Walker for giving the Welcome to Country. Music was led by the Merici College, Braddon choir.

Those who could not attend the Mass in person due to COVID-19 restrictions joined in the celebrations via a livestream.

Congratulations to the 2021 NAIDOC Award recipients.

Cultural Leadership Award
Campbell Holgate (Year 6, St Patrick’s Parish School, Cooma)

Leadership/Mentoring Award
Belle Golding (Year 6, St Francis Xavier Primary School, Lake Cargelligo)

Performing Arts Award
Mariah Brody (Year 11, Merici College, Braddon)

Culture and Identity Award
Nikita Bell (Year 10, Hennessy Catholic College, Young)

Academic Achievement
Lily McConnell (Year 9, St Clare’s College, Griffith)

Academic Achievement
Bailey Shipp (Year 10, Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn)

Leadership/Mentoring Award
Liam Martin (Year 12, Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn)

Visual Arts
Chloe Mitchell (Year 10, Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn)

Leadership/Mentoring Award
Kristy Wallace (Teacher, St Anne’s Central School, Temora)

Leadership/Mentoring Award
Louise Gaynor (Teacher, St Anne’s Central School, Temora)

Performing Arts Award
Edith Baggoley (Year 6, St Benedict’s Primary School, Narrabundah)

Academic Achievement Award
Mia Tuoro (Year 5, St Benedict’s Primary School, Narrabundah)

Community Award
Sherrin Murphy (Grandparent)

Leadership/Mentoring Award
Alice Stuart (Year 12, Hennessy Catholic College, Young

Academic Achievement
Jordan Beath (Year 11, Hennessy Catholic College, Young)

Academic Achievement
Michael Perry (Year 12, Hennessy Catholic College, Young)

Mother Teresa School, Harrison, has partnered with the University of Canberra (UC), in a pilot program that will see Occupational Therapy students working with children in primary schools on a weekly basis.

Endorsed by Catholic Education, Occupational Therapy students from the University of Canberra will work with children in the classroom, supporting them in building day-to-day skills. The initiative will pilot at Mother Teresa School, with the hope of extending the program to support additional schools across Canberra.

The idea was initially put forward by Karen Garrity, a Kindergarten teacher at Mother Teresa School. Ms Garrity worked with the Faculty of Health’s Clinical Educator of Occupational Therapy, Jacqui Etherington, to develop the program.

“We are always supporting additional needs in our diverse learning team, and my son also has additional needs, so I value early intervention really highly,” Ms Garrity said. “With long waitlists for occupational therapists, the idea came about from thinking that if we can give children access to short, focused interventions with specialists in the classroom, it could be really successful,” she said.

Catholic Education Director, Ross Fox, attended a signing at Mother Teresa School, with UC's Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President Academic, Professor Geoff Crisp.

“Mother Teresa School, Harrison, is known for a lot of things, but particularly, its great staff and enthusiastic students. It’s wonderful to again see its innovative and student-first approach to learning,” said Mr Fox. “We can’t stand still when it comes to meeting the needs of our students and the occupational therapy initiative is one we would like to see expand and grow to service other students in the future,” he said.

Professor Geoff Crisp said the partnership was an excellent initiative for the Canberra community.

“I want to thank Mother Teresa School for their innovation and willingness to partner with the University of Canberra in this initiative,” he said. “Not only will we see a benefit to the students and their learning outcomes, but it sees our Occupational Therapy students getting hands-on experience within our community.”

The Occupational Therapy students started working in the classroom from March this year, assessing around 100 Kindergarten children and their needs. They have also been working with some Year 1 students who also require extra support.

“We want these children to have a sense of accomplishment and to feel proud of what they are doing,” Ms Garrity said.

Claire Pettit, a Year 12 student from Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn, was awarded Student of the Year at the Illawarra and South East NSW Regional Training Awards, for her passion and commitment to her studies in Agriculture. Nominated by teachers, Rachel Smith and VET Coordinator, Dominique Croker, Claire completed her Certificate II in Agriculture in 2020 and has aspirations for a career in the industry.

The annual Training Awards recognise outstanding achievement within the vocational education and training (VET) sector across our regional Catholic colleges.

The Training Awards are presented across nine NSW regions, recognising the achievements of students, trainers/teachers, training organisations and employers. The NSW VET in Schools Student of the Year Award is open to full time Year 11 or 12 students undertaking accredited vocational education and training as part of their Higher School Certificate (HSC) studies.

Claire was also named one of three finalists for the NSW State Training Awards in the VET in Schools category. She was required to complete a ten minute presentation on what she would tell other high school students studying VET. The winner will be announced at an awards night in September.

Claire said that studying her Certificate II has allowed her the opportunity to apply practical skills and knowledge through her industry work placement. She is an active participant in Trinity’s agricultural program, having represented her school at the NSW State Sheep Show and Interbreeds Competition.

“Agriculture has always been an important part of my life as I have a strong farming background in my family as well as living in rural community,” said Claire. “I chose to study a Certificate II in Agriculture as I wanted to gain more knowledge and understanding of the industry, including the handling of livestock and chemicals, fencing and weed identification and control,” she said.

“The connections that I have made by completing work placement in the industry will help me further my education and open up pathways into possible careers,” said Claire. “I am grateful to my teachers for this opportunity.”

Year 12 student, Alex Castrisios, from Carroll College, Broulee, received ‘Highly Commended’. Alex is undertaking a full VET package in order to gain valuable insight into the areas of Hospitality, Construction and Information and Digital Technology.

“Studying a variety of VET courses has allowed me to be engaged in my learning at school by completing practical tasks that are transferable into my future,” said Alex. “I was truly honoured to be nominated for this award by my teachers,” he said.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the live event in Wollongong was cancelled. The awards were announced via a livestreamed Zoom presentation.

Karen Ruppert, Registered Training Organisation (RTO) Manager at the Catholic Education Office, Manuka, said that although they could not gather in person, it was great to be able to celebrate via Zoom with the winners, committee and sponsors.

“I couldn’t be prouder of both Alex and Claire,” said Karen. “I have had the opportunity to get to know them both throughout this process and they are great ambassadors for their school, the system and the opportunities that VET provides,” she said.

Students at St Joseph’s Primary School, Bombala, recently had the opportunity to speak with American astronaut, Shane Kimbrough, direct from the International Space Station (ISS).

The link up with Shane was made possible by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). ARISS is an international consortium of volunteers that assist to develop and operate the amateur radio equipment on board the ISS. ARISS provides students worldwide with the opportunity to speak with crew members about daily life on the ISS.

ARISS Moderator, Shane Lynd, established radio contact with the ISS, using an ARISS telebridge network. The amateur radio ground station that established radio contact for St Joseph’s was located in Casale, Monferrato, Italy.

Students at St Joseph’s were able to utilise this technology to ask Astronaut Shane Kimbrough a variety of questions about life in space.

Miller Stewart, Year 6 School Leader, asked Shane a question about zero gravity in space and how this affects astronauts when they return to earth.

“Currently we are learning all about the universe,” said Miller. “We recently visited the Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre so it was really exciting for us to get to talk to a real astronaut,” she said.

“Shane answered our questions and gave some great tips for budding astronauts” said St Joseph’s Principal Susan Tighe.

“At St Joseph’s we are growing skills that will equip our students for their future,” said Susan. “The school is focused on developing student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We are also introducing coding, robotics, Virtual Reality and 3D printing into our learning,” she said.

“Thanks to all St Joseph’s staff who have spent this Term investigating all things Space in their classes,” said Susan “Special thanks to Lily Sato, Alice Shannon and Simone Hillyer who helped prepare the event and supported the students on the night to ensure all questions were heard and answered.”

“Thank you also to the members of local amateur radio groups who came along and supported our link up,” she said.

Good Shepherd Primary School, Amaroo, has celebrated the completion and opening of twelve new classrooms and breakout spaces, with a special Liturgy and blessing.

The new buildings were made possible with a generous grant of one million dollars from the Australian Government and financial support from the Good Shepherd Community Council and the Catholic Education Office.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse officially opened and blessed the new buildings. Special guests in attendance included: Chair of the Catholic Education Commission, Dr Patrick McArdle; Catholic Education Director, Ross Fox; Senator, the Hon Zed Seselja; ACT Legislative Assembly Members, Michael Pettersson MLA, Leanne Castley MLA and James Milligan MLA; Chair of the ACT Block Grant Authority, Graham Humphries; Managing Director Total Project Constructions, Troy Magyar; and Chairperson of the Good Shepherd Community Council, Erin Burrows.

Special guests, Sister Genny Ryan and Mrs Joan Jones, a former staff member, were honoured at the event. The two new buildings were named after them in acknowledgement of their long-standing commitment to Good Shepherd and Catholic Education. Sister Genny recalled stories of carrying furniture into classrooms back when the school was officially opened.

Archbishop Christopher, accompanied by the Official Party, blessed the facilities. A commemorative plaque was then unveiled by Director Ross Fox, Senator, the Hon Zed Seselja, Principal David Austin, Sister Genny Ryan and Mrs Joan Jones.

The Good Shepherd school choir performed songs throughout the event.

“For the past five years it has felt as if we have been teaching and learning in the middle of a building site,” said Principal David Austin. “The new extensions will help to serve Good Shepherd’s growing enrolments and the renovation and redesign of every single classroom caters to 21st century learning,” he said.

Mr Austin said they were incredibly proud of the classrooms, buildings and learning spaces at Good Shepherd. “It was wonderful to have Archbishop Christopher officially bless and open these facilities for our current students and future generations.”

“A huge thank you to all who attended and to our school choir for their outstanding performance. It truly was a special occasion,” he said.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about the shared histories, cultures and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It encourages people to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Students across the Archdiocese participated in a number of different activities centred around this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme:

‘More than a word. Reconciliation takes action’.

At St Mary’s War Memorial School, West Wyalong, students were encouraged to reflect on and remember the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and homes. They made ‘Sorry’ flowers and placed them in the school garden. Each class painted Aboriginal animal totems that now hang in each of their classrooms.

Local Aboriginal artist, Jackie Kennedy, from Sariel Art, visited St Vincent’s Primary School, Aranda, to hold an art workshop and teach students about the importance of a totem animal. During the workshop, students had the opportunity to paint their own totem animal. Year 6 leaders organised games of buroinjin on the school oval. Buroinjin is a running and passing ball game that is played by the Kabi Kabi people of south Queensland. While traditionally the ball was made from kangaroo skin, sewn with tendons and stuffed with grass, the students played with a soccer ball.

The school community at Carroll College, Broulee, came together to acknowledge National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. In their Pastoral Care groups, students and staff created ‘Sorry’ hands with handwritten messages outlining their individual commitment towards Reconciliation in Australia. As the hands were planted into the ground, students were encouraged to reflect on their connection to Country in which the school is built upon.

Aboriginal students at St John Paul II College, Nicholls, participated in a guided cultural history tour of Reconciliation Place in Canberra. They spent time at the National Portrait Gallery, where they viewed portraits of significant Aboriginal Australians. Annie Daley, Aboriginal Contact Teacher, said it was an inspiring and educational way to end the College’s Reconciliation activities.

Secondary teachers from across the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn, participated in a High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) in Action Masterclass at Merici College, Braddon.

The Masterclass is an initiative of Catalyst, a System-wide, evidence based professional learning program, based on the latest research and best practice teaching methods. Catalyst aims to further enable teachers to transform students’ lives through learning.

The HITP in Action Masterclass series is comprised of five professional learning classes, designed specifically for secondary teachers. The professional learning series is founded in the Science of Learning and Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction.

All participating teachers have now completed two of the five practical sessions and are actively implementing new key teaching methodologies in their classrooms.

A key concept discussed during the Masterclass was the Daily Review – a teaching practice where students recall information learned previously in a short three to five minute session.

Natalie Fairfax, teacher and Head of International Baccalaureate at Merici College, has successfully implemented the Daily Review in her senior Sociology class.

“I was super excited about the lesson and my students were positive about their experience of the daily routines,” said Natalie.

Renee Taylor, Deputy Principal Learning at Merici College, said she was incredibly proud of the Merici teachers participating in the program.

“I am blessed to work with some phenomenal teachers who make Merici what it is – a dynamic, effective and caring community,” said Renee. “As a teaching community we are excited about what Catalyst can do to help us improve as educators.”

Teachers from St Bernard’s Primary School, Batemans Bay, have been implementing instructional teaching practices to improve the literacy outcomes of students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Using programs such as ‘Spelling Mastery’ and ‘Let’s Decode’, teachers have been delivering evidence-based reading and spelling instruction to help their students learn specific language skills and grow their understanding of phonics and spelling.

After participating in training with Associate Professor, Dr Lorraine Hammond, St Bernard’s staff have been collaborating and sharing resources to ensure all classrooms are working from the same knowledge base.

Teachers have been using a specific technique to check for student understanding, known as the TAPPLE method.

TAPPLE requires teachers to:

Teach first.
Ask a question.
Pause, then pair-share.
Pick a non-volunteer.
Listen.
Effective feedback.

This method, combined with a Daily Review process (the high impact practice of retrieving previously learned content), has seen students at St Bernard’s further develop their literacy skills.

Kindergarten teacher, Sarah Davis, planned an interactive noun lesson that involved using tone and connecting body gestures to the definition of nouns to aid students’ memory and recall. She used the TAPPLE method to teach the concept first, then asked her students to name the nouns without instruction.

Similarly, Year two teacher, Jane Hardman, used the TAPPLE method to teach compound words. She instructed her students to sound out sentences before testing them individually on the definition of compound words.

Principal Johanna Wain, said the teaching approach has already delivered improved learning outcomes and active participation - with a noticeable uplift in student engagement.

“Both teachers and leaders have benefited from this program and are highly motivated to continue implementing high impact teaching strategies in all classrooms,” she said.

Several Principals and Catholic Education leaders joined Director, Ross Fox, at the National Arboretum, to brave the freezing Canberra winter night in support of Vinnies Annual CEO Sleepout.

Collectively, the Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn team raised over $48,000, ranking second in the ACT and twelfth in the country for their fundraising efforts. This equates to 152 individual support programs, 400 beds and 1600 meals, highlighting that one night of discomfort for a few can go a long way in supporting those most in need.

David Austin, Principal of Good Shepherd Primary School, Amaroo, who participated in his fourth sleepout, described his experience as eye-opening. “Throughout the evening we were reminded through presentations of the enormous issue of homelessness in this city, region and Australia and the outstanding work that Vinnies does for those who are in desperate need,” said David.

“I bunked down with my two pieces of cardboard in the herb garden of the Arboretum and was awoken at 4am to a possum peering in making a great noise. That experience got me on my feet and up for the day pretty quickly. I’m proud of my school community and parishioners for their support and donations. I am overwhelmed with having raised over $12,500 for such a worthwhile cause,” he said.

Reflecting on her CEO Sleepout experience, Leah Taylor, Principal of St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, West Belconnen, said that she felt privileged to be part of the event. “Sleeping outside on cardboard for only one night a year, makes me appreciate how lucky I am to have the life I have,” said Leah.

“Vinnies do such amazing work in our community, from helping families to find a home, to feeding people living below the poverty line or on the street. It was wonderful to be able to do something to contribute to this work. I am grateful to the St Thomas Aquinas school community who contributed to the fundraising efforts and for their support,” she said.

Michael Green, Principal at Mt Carmel School, Yass, said that although he didn’t feel unsafe at any stage, he gained an appreciation of just how vulnerable those who have no choice but to sleep rough must feel.

“I had a good, sheltered spot out of the wind and managed to stay warm enough to get a few hours of sleep,” said Michael. “I do want to acknowledge that, even though we don’t see many rough-sleepers in regional towns like Yass, homelessness is still a significant concern. There are too many in our community who find themselves displaced from their own homes in temporary accommodation, couch-surfing or sleeping in their car.”

“Another issue in Yass at the moment is the limited availability of affordable rental properties, which is a significant factor in the financial stress and disadvantage that many families experience,” he said.

Thank you to those who have generously supported Team Catholic Education and this important cause. Your donations will go along way towards helping those most vulnerable in our society.

Year 6 students from Holy Trinity Primary School, Curtin, had the privilege of attending a morning tea for the launch of ‘Plastic Free July’ at Government House.

Sustainability leaders, Lucy, Emilia, Sara, Edie and Jenna, were invited to the morning tea by founder of ‘Plastic Free July’, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. The initiative encourages Australians to take action against the plastic that pollutes our oceans and environment by foregoing the use of single-use plastics throughout July.

Rebecca had heard about some of the initiatives that the Sustainability Leaders had been executing at Holy Trinity and was very impressed with the girls’ work. This year they have implemented ‘Waste Free’ lunch boxes, organised the switch to reusable cutlery in the school canteen, daily sustainability tips at morning announcements and the school’s thriving Gardening Club.

Lucy, Emilia and Year 3 and 4 teacher Caitlin Meany, attended a pre-audience with Their Excellencies the Governor-General David Hurley and his wife, Linda. The girls had the opportunity to discuss the changes in Australia away from single use plastics, their learning in the area of sustainability, their Unit of Inquiry and upcoming Year 6 Exhibition about sustainability.

The Governor General launched ‘Plastic Free July’, reminding students that they are the future leaders of Australia and their efforts reducing plastic in their school community makes a difference.

Lucy was invited to address the audience, sharing Holy Trinity’s perspective on sustainability. She spoke of her passion about reducing single-use plastic waste.

“For ‘Plastic Free July’ at Holy Trinity, we are challenging our parents and teachers to ditch their takeaway coffee cups,” said Lucy. “I believe that just because plastic may be easier, it’s ending animals’ lives and it can be ending some human lives as well. I have a big passion that we need to shift so that our environment can stay healthy,” she said.

“We are incredibly proud of the sustainability leaders for representing Holy Trinity so well at such a important event,” said Caitlin Meany. “We also admire their leadership and look forward to participating in ‘Plastic Free July’,” she said.

Speech given by Lucy Morris, Year 6, at the event

Good morning Your Excellency Governor General and Your Excellency Mrs Hurley, distinguished visitors and invited guests.

My name is Lucy and this is Emilia. We are Year 6 students at Holy Trinity Primary School nearby in Curtin and members of the sustainability team.

Sustainable practices are embedded in our school community both in our words and actions.

Our School Reconciliation Action Plan gives us Aboriginal perspectives on sustainable practices, stemming from respect for the land we share, that has been cared for, for many thousands of years by the Ngunnawal people.

As an International Baccalaureate school, we have a sustainable global perspective with actions on a local level.

For example, we have a green tuckshop that uses recyclable serve ware. We have a kitchen garden that produces food for classes to cook with (such as a delicious basil pesto), for tuckshop use, with extra food going home to the school community families. The kitchen garden is cared for by the gardening club. Our food scraps from lunch boxes are collected and fed to worms. We encourage rubbish free lunch boxes and ‘nude foods’ which is both healthier for our bodies and healthy for the earth.

At our morning announcements, sustainability team leaders share tips for sustainable practices such as encouraging containers instead of plastic packaging, use a jumper instead of the heater or something as small as take a shorter shower to save water.

Our preschool at Holy Trinity is creating a new outdoor play space into a nature play adventure garden to embrace the nature we have around us.

Finally, as a Catholic school we have an appreciation that God has given us a beautiful world to live in and we have a responsibility to care for it.

Thank you for inviting us and allowing us to share our perspective.

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALT) from Catholic Education recently travelled to Brisbane to attend the HALT Summit. Held over two days, the Summit provided an opportunity for our HALTs to work with leading thinkers, develop skills that equip them to lead and inspire other teachers and collaborate with other HALTs.

Attendees heard from keynote speakers, neuroscientist and co-founder of LME (Learning Made Easy) Global, Dr Jarred Horvath; applied social psychologist, Dr Helen Street and; Emeritus Laureate Professor John Hattie.

Dr Horvath discussed the stages of surface, deep and transfer learning and highlighted the importance of giving context to teaching. He stated that students need to practice in a variety of different contexts to improve their transfer of learning.

Dr Helen Street spoke of the need to consider student wellbeing as being more than a program and the importance of developing strong relationships in positive environments to encourage student motivation. She examined different ideas for creating positive spaces including seeking first to understand a student’s point of view, demonstrating safe behaviour, leaving stress at the door when entering the classroom, supporting respectful free speech and embracing mistakes.

The Sharespace session gave participants the opportunity to present their practice to other HALTs in a 15 minute discussion-based seminar.

Kathleen Garvie, Maths Coordinator at Merici College, Braddon, said that one of the highlights of the conference was the discussion held with teachers from all over Australia about best practice.

“Thank you to the Catholic Education Office and to our schools for supporting us so that we could attend the conference,” she said.

Students from Kindergarten to Year 2 at St Mary’s Primary School, Moruya, spent three days participating in cultural and sporting activities - bringing a slice of the Tokyo Olympics to their school.

Over the three days, students participated in dance workshops run by a local dance studio; rugby union sessions with the Brumbies; archery hosted by the local Police & Community Youth Club; table tennis and; athletic events. There was also an opportunity for students to learn how to make sushi and create their own Japanese mask.

“The idea for the K-2 Mini Olympics arose as part of our Conceptual Inquiry Investigations in maths and geography,” said Year 2 teacher, Carla Durnan. “The children spent time asking ‘I wonder’ questions about world records, different countries and continents.”

The Mini Olympics began with an Opening Ceremony where Languages teacher, Lorraine Wilkie, welcomed the students in Japanese. Using a green screen, the students recreated the Olympic Torch Relay, ‘visiting’ countries from all over the world.

The St Mary’s ‘Olympic Cauldron’ was lit by Margaret Croese, Religious Education Coordinator. A former student at St Mary’s whose grandchildren currently attend the school, Margaret ran in carrying the 2000 Sydney Olympic torch to cheering students.

“We worked in partnership with our K-12 Pathway school, Carroll College, Broulee,” said Carla Durnan. “It was great to see some of our previous students take on a leadership role in this way,” she said.

Year 11 Sports Coaching students from Carroll College, Broulee, led St Mary’s in several Olympic sporting events, each with its own twist. For example, rowing became the George Bass rowing marathon with Nippers caps, flippers, googles and scooter boards. Students created their own pool noodle horses to use in the equestrian events and used nerf guns to participate in clay target shooting.

The Mini Olympics concluded with a Closing Ceremony where each student was presented with a medal for their participation. A video featuring photographic highlights from across the three days was shared with the school community on social media.

“It was a wonderful way to finish the Term with COVID-19 restrictions allowing parents and younger siblings to come and get involved in the activities, have fun in the sunshine and share in the event,” said Carla.

Catholic Education, in collaboration with the Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra, have launched the Italian Assistants Program for Canberra Catholic schools.

The program provides schools with access to high quality Italian teaching resources and professional development opportunities. It also sees the placement of Italian Language Assistants in classrooms to work alongside existing Italian teachers.

The Italian Assistants are mother tongue Italian speakers and have been assisting our teachers in the delivery of Italian lessons, developing teaching materials and helping students with learning tasks.

This term, the Italian Assistants have been working alongside teachers at St Clare’s College, Griffith; Merici College, Braddon; St Mary MacKillop College, Tuggeranong and; St Benedict’s Primary School, Narrabundah.

Italian Language students at St Clare’s College welcomed Abreham Mauri from the Dante Alighieri Society. Abreham spent time with Italian classes from Year 7 through to Year 12 giving them the opportunity to practice their speaking skills.

In Years 7 to 10 classes, Abreham assisted students with their Italian pronunciation, language games and activities to consolidate various grammar points and vocabulary as well as conversation practice. Senior students held a question and answer session with Abreham, asking him about his life and experiences in both Italy and Australia.

Lisa Bourne, Leader of Learning Languages at St Clare’s thanked Abreham for his time and assistance. “Abreham has been a great help to the Italian teachers, creating resources, games, activities, conducting research and generating learning materials,” she said.

Students from St Vincent’s Primary School, Aranda, were invited by the University of Canberra and Brindabella Rotaract clubs to fold origami paper cranes for a ceremony in commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The paper cranes will be hung from the Peace Bell Pavilion at Nara Park in Canberra as part of the memorial.

The idea for the origami paper cranes was inspired by the novel, ‘Sadako Sasaki and her One Thousand Cranes’, written by Canadian-American author, Eleanor Coerr. The novel is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a child who was a victim of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sasaki developed leukaemia as a result of exposure to radiation and before her death, she folded 1000 origami cranes in the hopes that it would grant her wish to live.

After the ceremony in Canberra, the paper cranes will be bundled up and shipped to Japan to be hung from the Children’s Memorial in Hiroshima on the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2021.

“Students from St Vincent’s are great advocates for peace,” said Principal Lina Vigliotta. “They are the proud owners of the very first Peace Pole, of which there are now over 100 across Australia. Our school will hold our very own Peace Ceremony later this Term,” she said.

Year 5 and 6 ‘Mini Vinnies’ students at Ss Peter and Paul’s Primary School, Goulburn, have worked diligently to raise awareness of the needs of those less fortunate in the local community this winter.

‘Mini Vinnies’ is a social justice program that seeks to empower primary school students to become advocates within their school and local communities by putting Vinnies values into action. Led by the local St Vincent de Paul Society, students meet regularly to learn about social justice issues and develop leadership skills.

After learning about the importance of having a Preferential Option for the poor and vulnerable, students were inspired to create and enact a plan to help those in need. The group organised a ‘Winter Woolies’ drive, collecting sleeping bags, warm jackets and jumpers and blankets that were donated to the Vinnies Winter Appeal.

“The students were incredibly pleased with their efforts and our local store was extremely grateful for the donation,” said Bradley Brown, Religious Education Coordinator.

The school community was also able to contribute a monetary donation to St Vincent de Paul with funds raised from the school’s recent Feast Day celebrations.

“Our school celebrated the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul with a Mass and activity rotations, run by our Year 6 leaders. We were able to raise over $250 for those in need,” said Bradley.

“The Mini Vinnies group hope that the generosity of our community can help keep people warm this winter and that the money raised at our Feast Day can help the homeless in our town,” he said.