Local Aboriginal knowledge holder and teacher Trish Ellis grew up in the local area (Yuin country) and with her family, revived the Dhurga language that is now taught to students and teachers.

Trish liaises with the school’s Aboriginal Contact Teachers, Rebecca Brady and Karen Hadley, to maintain the authenticity of the culture and to build relationships with the local Aboriginal community.

Principal Johanna Wain said it has been wonderful to see the growth of knowledge and understanding of Indigenous culture in the St Bernard’s community since Trish joined the school.

“Language is such an important element of any culture, and Trish works to build knowledge and respect of the Dhurga language and culture behind it,” she said.

Trish immerses Kindergarten and Year 1 students in Dhurga through storytelling and games. In Year 2 – 6 students learn a deeper understanding of the language through symbolism and hands on experiences.

Students are introduced to the language with phonics, animals, body parts and greetings. All the while Trish works closely with teachers to integrate authentic Aboriginal culture across the curriculum. 

Rebecca Brady said that the introduction of Dhurga as a language has been a positive experience for St Bernard’s students, staff and parents. 

“We live in a community rich in Aboriginal culture and history. It is so important to embrace and respect this culture,” she said.

As an outcome of teaching Dhurga, Aboriginal students are taking pride in identifying their heritage. Staff have embraced the lessons and Aboriginal families are becoming increasingly involved in the school community.

Students look forward to their language classes and often greet each other with “Walawaani”, which translates to ‘Safe journey’ and ‘I hope you had a safe journey here’. 

St Bernard’s will be working closely with South Coast schools St Mary’s, Moruya and Carroll College, Broulee to create authentic celebrations when the schools meet together.

As Dhurga filters through St Bernard’s, it is clear that it is not just a language, but a culture that is being respected and revived on the path towards Reconciliation.

During the first week of May Mother Teresa Primary School, Harrison and Good Shepherd Primary School, Amaroo unveiled new and refurbished buildings achieved through generous Federal Government funding.

Monsignor John Woods officially opened the blessed the new buildings at Mother Teresa with special guests Senator, the Hon. Zed Seselja, Catholic Education Director, Ross Fox, Block Grant Authority members David Holmesby and Penny Freestone, and representatives from Munns Sly Moore Architects.

Mother Teresa Principal, Peter Hughes, said that due to increased enrolments, the refurbished staffroom and administration facilities have been an important and much needed step in the development of the school.

 “We now have 28 primary classes in the school, which was built to accommodate 14, and we have five classes in the Early Learning Centre,” he said.

“The new facilities provide more room to accommodate all staff, offices for executive members, a larger sick bay and enhanced administration area.”

On Tuesday, 7 May Monsignor John Woods blessed the construction and redesign of new and existing classrooms at Good Shepherd Primary School with prayer and holy water.

The school community was joined by Senator the Hon. Zed Seselja, Catholic Education Director, Ross Fox, Alistair Coe MLA, James Milligan MLA, Father Mark Croker and Chairperson of the Community Council Erin Burrows. 

During the event the names of the two reenergised buildings were unveiled. The McGrath and Ryan buildings pay tribute to two people of great significance to the school - Good Shepherd’s first Principal, Patrick McGrath and Parish member, Sr Genny Ryan.

Along with the Parish team, Patrick (Paddy) McGrath was responsible for deciding on the name and colours of the school prior to opening on 31 October 2002. Patrick also initiated a special ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon’ school greeting that continues to be an ongoing tradition today.

During the initial development of the school, Sr Genny Ryan designed the school emblem to symbolise the Shepherd leaning towards the family to shape the heart of God in Amaroo. Sr Genny was also responsible for designing the stained glass in the Church and the banners that hang at the back of the altar.

St Michael’s Primary School in Kaleen has a long-standing tradition of hosting a Community Breakfast during Catholic Schools Week (CSW) to celebrate the hope, joy and wonder of Catholic Education.

School Principal Patrick Ellis said that the Community Breakfast is an important event that showcases the school and provides the opportunity to network with local political leaders, businesses and organisations.

“It is a way to say thank you to everyone who supports our school each year, including Catholic Education staff,” he said.

The breakfast is a tradition spanning 10 years, in which Patrick is the third Principal to keep the tradition alive.

“Local political leaders speak highly of our Community Breakfast and ensure that they mark the date in their calendars each year,” said Patrick.

This year’s CSW theme, ‘Engaging Faith, Minds and Communities’, was expressed through an introduction and Acknowledgement to Country by Assistant Principal Damien Webb.

Director of Catholic Education, Ross Fox, Hon. Zed Seselja, Yvette Berry MLA and Alistair Coe MLA each shared their views on the importance and significance of Catholic Schools.

Guests were treated to barista-made coffee and an array of pastries and fruit, while a video compilation of the high-quality teaching and learning at St Michael’s played in the background.

The Community Breakfast organised by the School Community Council continues to evolve as a celebration of CSW and a reflection of the values of Catholic Education.

A number of teachers from Canberra Catholic schools have delivered a variety of innovative presentations and workshops at The STEMEd Conference 2019: Future ImpACT. The two day event designed for P-12 teachers and school leaders in the ACT provided the opportunity to engage with leading and future practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

The conference included keynote presentations from Professor Ian Chubb AC, Centenary Professor Tom Lowrie, and Professor Joan Leach. These influential leaders in STEM stimulated discussion around the place of STEM Education in schools, approaches to STEM and the value of meaningful and contextually relevant learning experiences in STEM.

Representatives of more than fifteen Archdiocesan schools attended the conference, supporting their colleagues and taking away a new array of professional knowledge, skills and ideas for the continued development of exceptional STEM education in Catholic schools.

St Francis Xavier College, Florey teachers Graham Stock and Damian Woods hosted two solar car workshops that highlighted the use of project-based learning to enrich student engagement in STEM. Participants constructed and tested solar cars, and were able to return to their own schools with many ideas for creating engaging student projects.

Graham and Damian shared their strategies for collaborating with primary school educators to develop experience in STEM, and discussed the challenges and opportunities available for students to extend their STEM interests, skills and knowledge.

The Saturday workshops held at the University of Canberra exposed teachers and organisations to further STEM education practices and a diverse range of STEM experts. Several workshops were available throughout the day, including those delivered by colleagues in Catholic Education.

St Mary Mackillop College teachers Perry O’Connor and Amanda Knott led a workshop on the development of coding skills and shared ideas for designing solutions for real world projects. Attendees used open-source electronic prototyping platform ‘Arduino’ to program a solar-tracking flower. Programming language and emitted light was able to determine the direction of the flower. This was an example of a program that draws from the Digital Technologies curriculum and can be utilised immediately within the classroom.

Emma Young from Holy Family Primary School, Gowrie shared the process behind redesigning the school’s Peer Support Program and discussed the benefits of this. The Peer Support Program uses a multi-age and whole school approach to integrating STEM and developing skills for staff and students.

Representatives of more than fifteen Archdiocesan schools attended the conference, supporting their colleagues and taking away a new array of professional knowledge, skills and ideas for the continued development of exceptional STEM education in Catholic schools.

May has been a successful month for many Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (CECG) students in the sporting arena, starting with the MacKillop Winter Trials held earlier in the month. Students competed against four Dioceses for a place in the NSW Mackillop Catholic school team for Rugby League, Football, Hockey and Netball.

Several students were selected to advance to the NSW Primary School Sports Association (NSWPSSA) Championships, which is a considerable achievement.

Congratulations to Nicholas Canellis (St Mary’s, Young) who made the rugby league team, and Bailey Craig (St Joseph’s, Goulburn), George Skelly (St Mary’s, Crookwell) and Isaac Quade (St Joseph’s, Goulburn) who made the boy’s hockey team.   

Six St Mary’s Crookwell students made the girl’s hockey team, including Bella Croker, Billie Skelly, Bree Hearne, Ellie McCormack, Isabelle Galland and Regan Picker. Zali Gibson from St Peter & Paul’s Primary School will also be a valuable player on the girl’s hockey team.

Lumen Christi College student Paige Poso had great success at the NSWPSSA State Championships this month. Paige was awarded with a NSW State Silver medal in the tennis tournament as part of the MacKillop team.

In Secondary sport, nine CECG students were selected in the Western Rugby league teams. Our players in the Western team then played against the Wollongong Diocese in order to select a Southern Country Rugby League Team. Four CECG students were selected to travel to St Marys Rugby League Club for the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) trials.

Good luck to Jahream Casteo Lole-Ngarima (Carroll College), Thomas Gaffey (Carroll College), Aiden Gaffey (Carroll College) and Tom Jenkins (Hennessy Catholic College) in their bid for the NSWCCC teams.

Year 8 and 9 students from Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn central schools gathered in Cootamundra in April for a fun and faith filled Youth Ministry retreat.

The two day Western Region retreat provided Sacred Heart, St Anne’s and McAuley Central schools students with the opportunity to explore their personal faith and witness other influential young people who have taken up their role in the life of the church.  

Having a retreat outside of busy day to day school life enabled the Youth Ministers to connect with students on a deeper level.

Students enjoyed hearing the faith stories of the Youth Ministers, which in turn assisted in the growth of their own personal faith journeys.

Following the retreat, students were able to launch the Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia (CSYMA) program back at their school.

Sts Peter and Paul Primary School, Garran have collected hundreds of plastic lids to create a large-scale sensory mural in the Learning Support courtyard to assist in the development of sensory engagement.

The Sensory Wall was proposed by Learning Support Officer Maryanne Armstrong in 2018 to utilise a previously unused courtyard as a vibrant, sensory learning space for all students.

The courtyard exposes students to a range of interactive stimuli, including weaving frames, sensory soft play objects, and gross motor activities.

Maryanne said that the courtyard is a safe environment that enables students to explore and interact without risk.

“The multi-sensory environment helps to stimulate the basic building blocks needed to process hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste,” she said.

“Sensory play is important in supporting language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, problem solving skills and social interaction.”

Maryanne said that it was a rewarding experience to see the school project come to life with colour and texture. Students continue to find joy in discovering hidden features within the mural.

Sts Peter and Paul integrates students with diverse needs within classes to enable students to participate fully as members of the school community. Students are able to thrive in an inclusive and supportive environment that is constantly looking for new ways to engage the senses.

Drawing inspiration from National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, St Patrick’s Parish School in Cooma created a ‘Strength in Gentleness Day’ to encapsulate the school motto and encourage students to approach each other with support and kindness to combat bullying behaviour.

‘Strength in Gentleness Day’ involved whole of school discussion and activities around social awareness and the importance of fostering a culture of respect for others in the wider school community.

Students were asked to design and create a petal of kindness based on their individual thoughts, ideas and prayers around the concept of kindness.

Over 200 petals representative of each student’s kind thoughts were turned into flowers of kindness that were then planted on the front lawn of the main building over the school holidays in time to welcome students and staff to Term 2. 

School Principal Frances Robertson said that the garden was a popular and engaging school activity that  is a daily reminder of the school’s dedication to promoting kindness and ‘Strength in Gentleness’.

“At St Patrick’s Parish School, we are striving to make the nourishment of our kindness an ongoing feature of our school, not just a response to a national focus day,” she said.

“We are a school where we grow children with kindness.”

On Thursday, 25 April, hundreds of Catholic school students across the Archdiocese paid their respects to the fallen soldiers that fought for our Country. Students proudly represented their school communities in their uniforms as they marched through local streets holding their school banners.

Congratulations to Hennessy Catholic College student Elisabeth Hall who was announced the regional secondary winner of the Anzac Day writing competition for her poem ‘Coming Home from the Great War to the Riverina’.

A special mention also goes to St Patrick’s Gundagai student Lillian McDonnell who was presented with a certificate for her Anzac Day writing competition entry from Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack and MP Steph Cooke.

As Term 1 drew to a close, schools across the Archdiocese celebrated Holy Week with a range of activities, re-enactments and liturgies that portrayed the true meaning of Easter and the Lenten season.

Students from all year levels participated in the Stations of the Cross and presented their interpretations of Jesus’ last days including enactments of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. 

At St Clare’s College, the Youth Ministry and Music Ministry team created a moving Easter Liturgy. Marist College joined the St Clare’s students in a dramatic performance written by the students.

St Mary’s Primary School, Batlow held a prayer procession in the school’s prayer garden. This was followed by a feast representing the Last Supper where teachers and students broke bread together.