The role of women in families and communities and in the Catholic Church is the focus of this year’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, to be celebrated on July 1.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Because of her, we can” – which is shared with the theme for NAIDOC week, to be held from July 8-15.

In its annual message, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference praised the role of women, especially mothers and grandmothers, in the life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It also spoke of the role model of the Virgin Mary in the life of the Catholic Church.

The message says that in the face of injustice in various ways, Indigenous women have “battled, and largely succeeded, in holding Indigenous families together”.

In a video that shares the bishops’ message and images of Indigenous life and worship, Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome explains that the experiences of many Indigenous women are captured in the iconic Marian image of the Pieta – depicting Mary holding the broken body of Jesus.

“The Pieta is a prayerful image of motherhood to be nurtured, supported and prayed for in our community. The loving care that this masterpiece portrays cannot be separated from the sorrow of the reality it represents,” Bishop Saunders said, quoting from the bishops’ message.

“And yet mothers, like Mary, the Mother of the Church, in their maternal mission assist others to rise above the tragedies and tribulations of life in the knowledge that greater moments await us when in hope and in faith we are brought out of darkness into His own wonderful light.”

John Lochowiak, chairman of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, said the 2018 theme is a fitting tribute to Indigenous women.

“The phrase ‘Because of her, we can’ is relevant to both our culture and to the Marian tradition,” he said.

“Women form the backbone of communities across Australia. This is particularly true for Aboriginal and Islander Catholic ministries. Women are at the forefront of these community-driven organisations designed to meet the spiritual and physical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics.”

Mr Lochowiak said the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics has grown by 7 per cent since the last Census. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, which has been on the Church’s liturgical calendar for nearly 30 years, is a chance to celebrate the contributions and gifts of Australia’s First Peoples.

“It is an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Catholics to sit side by side in churches across Australia in a gesture of practical reconciliation,” he said.

A number of resources have been prepared to help celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday.

Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday:

• Bishop Christopher Saunders video message – Letter from the Australian Bishops
• PDF of Bishops’ message for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
• 2018 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday home Page 
• Resource Kit
• Youth Activities
• Bishop Columba Macbeth Green’s message to youth for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
• NATSICC and ACBC Welcome to Country guide
• Liturgical Resources

Read Less

Advice to a new principal for what it's worth 

Written by Michael Lee who has been principal of Mt Carmel School, Yass, Hennessy Catholic College, Young and St Mary MacKillop College, Canberra.

My career as a school principal began in 1999 and in a few months I will be making a pitch to a principal appointment panel for five more years. Apart from four years at the Australian National University as an undergraduate, my life has been in or about schools student, teacher, head of department, principal.

University employment as a bar manager, door-to-door salesman, debt collector, cleaner, and taxi driver opened windows into other careers but I've had few regrets about a career in education. I was, however, an excellent salesman and I did love the cabs!

I have commenced each of my three principalships at schools experiencing a time of crisis or community confidence marred by growing debt, falling numbers, and internal dissent. Each of the schools were in far better shape than was widely believed. The path towards turning a school around is not a complicated one but it can be arduous and it is never trod alone.

Except for rare cases, you have been trusted to lead the school to a better place than it was at your appointment. Given the age of many of our schools, yours could represent a community's contribution to Catholic education over many generations. For those leading new or greenfield schools, there is a general inheritance of an idea, vision, and purpose to which your school will belong.

Whatever else it is and becomes, yours will be a Catholic school serving its community, either a suburb or town or wider network of families drawn to what your school offers. My experience has taught me that an authentic Catholic school offers an atmosphere or culture based on the life of Jesus Christ, Gospels that are His story, and the teachings of the Church He gave us. Your school's charism, story, and ethos will flavour this.

Given who Christ spent time with, the values of faith, hope, and love which bedrock the Gospel and the universality of our Church, it seems to me that any inclination towards selectivity, elitism, or discrimination is to limit the opportunity for those excluded to know Jesus. I believe your job is to agitate for equity of access and to lead your community of colleagues, students, families and alumni in this direction.

You are leading a school, not a pastoral parish council, monastery, employment centre, a centre of wellbeing, or indeed a retirement village! The quality of the classroom experience is central to the work of your school. The relationships of trust, engagement, and academic care you and your staff build with the students and their families are keys to a climate of educational opportunities and success for your community. How quickly we can be sidetracked!

In these challenging times for many of our schools, we will prosper if we embrace diversity. Out strong Catholic culture will not be diluted by welcoming difference into our schools. Our schools must reflect the best of the wider community, not bits and pieces of it. Worrying about percentages of Catholics in our enrolment is poor energy. Families of faith traditions other than ours need to be integrated into our school communities with respect and dignity and have open to their children all the opportunities our schools can provide.

In terms of personal qualities needed for the job, the selection panel should be aware of what is required in the next principal. I suggest the following are generic for any school: visibility, availability, authenticity, and trust. Your community will forgive a lot if their children like going to school and talk in a fond, trusting way about you.

Bus stops, car parks, corridors, and school events are so important in giving people access to you. A talk with a colleague can as easily take place in the yard as it can in the office and regular visits to staff rooms, sickbay, and libraries always help. In my first two schools, I published my mobile phone number every week in the newsletter. Follow this example with extreme caution! When Essendon lost a game, I received many, many texts. When they were victorious, almost none!

I can be followed on Instagram, but avoid Twitter I'm not convinced it is a serious organ of record or communication. The 45th US President's reliance on Twitter confirms my judgment. Sit on every panel to appoint a staff member and do as many enrolment interviews as you can. A powerful message is sent to people about what you value.

As we look at the history of Catholic schools in Australia, and your school will belong in part to this, few would disagree that they have been remarkably successful in moving generations of Australians from material and social disadvantage into the professions, the trades, the public service, onto High Court benches, and captains of industry. Along the way, it seems to me that Catholic education has become populated by a lot of people who I would describe as socially conservative. We have become too adverse to risk, materially comfortable, and have not always brought energy and advocacy for people who are unlike ourselves.

There is nothing particularly wrong with this, but I wonder if this is what we are for. While many pray for the poor, fewer educate them; too many of us are pro birth rather than pro life; and some of us talk more about overseas missions than mandatory offshore detention.

Rightly or wrongly, this is where many of us find ourselves. There is an argument that some of the above impedes our journey to be closer to Jesus, His Gospels, and His Church. Our students point the way through their powerful commitment and enthusiasm for works of social justice. Indeed, in many ways, they are our inspiration as well as our purpose.

My first school was Mt Carmel School, Yass a K-10 central school with Catholic education going back to the 1830s. Our 150-year-old splendid bluestone buildings emerged to house boarders, nuns, day students, and teachers. Early in February each year, I walked kindergarten onto the rickety verandah of the disused boarding house and got each of them to put their arms around the wide old wall exposed through the open door. "Feel how strong and safe the wall is," I encouraged them. "Feel its age. This was built by your great, great grandparents, sometimes with their own hands, often after a day's work or after Mass on Sundays. The stone was quarried over there by the church. It was built for their children and their children's children. They knew that they would never know you or your children or the world that you would grow up in, but they built this school for you because they knew it would be important to you. We live in their gift." God knows what kindergarten thought of it, but they'll remember the age and width of the stone.

Australia has evolved over 200 years and Catholic schools have played a mighty part in that evolution. It is a great story and you and your school are part of that story. What is required of each of us as principal is to leave our school in a better place than where we found it. If we do, we have done all that was required of us. Your school will be in your debt and you in its.

Case Study Source: CASPA 

Read Less

St Bernard’s Primary School Batemans Bay teacher Jeni McCarthy is one of more than 300 teachers nation-wide that are helping to transform the teaching of mathematics in Australian schools as part of the reSolve: Maths by Inquiry national program.

Executive Director of reSolve Dr Steve Thornton said that Jeni had been selected because of her dedication to ensuring students have the best possible maths education and her commitment to sharing knowledge with colleagues.

“We are delighted that so many passionate and committed teachers want to be part of this exciting initiative and are eager to take the work of the reSolve team across Australia now and into the future,” Dr Thornton said.

In her role as a Champion of reSolve, Jeni works with colleagues at her school and in the local region to trial reSolve resources, conduct professional learning and promote a spirit of inquiry in school maths.

“Not only do I get to team teach with amazing, dedicated classroom teachers who have committed with me to use these engaging and challenging lessons, but I also get to witness the 100% engagement of students,” she said.

“Students are in the classroom enjoying Maths and applying their problem-solving skills to real challenges that involve them working cooperatively and developing their efficiency and reasoning strategies,

“Students can enter and exit at varying levels of the lesson, but all students are achieving, consolidating and applying new learning to their mathematical journey.”

St Bernard’s Principal Jacqueline Heffernan said that Jeni is a wonderful ambassador for the teaching profession and the school, which has been trialling reSolve resources in Years K-6 sincy July 2017.

“Jeni’s passion for teaching makes mathematics rewarding, enjoyable and engaging experience for every child at St Bernard’s," said Jacqueline.

“Our teachers have welcomed the implementation of the reSolve resources and are really enjoying the collaborative approach to teaching and peer mentoring.”

Here's what the students have to say about their reSolve Maths by Inquiry lessons:

“We use all the things that we have learnt from Kindy to Year 3. It’s not too hard or too easy, everyone gives it a go. We try and find as many efficient strategies as we can to solve challenges”. –Lincoln Dell

“Ms McCarthy has made Maths fun and it’s like a game”. – Angus Blythe

“It’s a challenge, but we get to work with a partner”. – Elliott Quinn

St Bernard’s is thrilled to be part of this great initiative and looks forward to continuing with the reSolve project throughout 2018. As part of the reSolve project Jeni McCarthy and the St Bernard’s staff are excited to share their reSolve experience with others.

Jeni can be contacted at St Bernard’s jeni.mccarthy@cg.catholic.edu.au or contact Dr Steve Thornton steve.thornton@science.org.au for more information on the project.​

The ReSolve Mathemative by Inquiry is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, managed by the Australian Academy of Science in collaboration with the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers.

 

 

Read Less

Trinity Primary School in Murrumburrah are enriching students with an out of school hours Book Club held at Terracotta Café each week where the students assume the role of the teacher in a leading dialogue on what has been read.

Students meet weekly at the local café to study a novel using a technique called Reciprocal Reading. Using this teaching model, students learn to guide group discussions using six strategies: summarising, visualising, making connections, question generating, clarifying and predicting.  

The positive response to the Book Café has been overwhelming, with over 90% attendance from the Year 5/6 students last term and 100% voluntary attendance from the Year 3/4 students this term.

The staff at Trinity have seen a shift in student attitude about reading since implementing the Book Café and have been encouraged by the support from families who have backed the program.

Classroom Support Coordinator Penny Lucas said that students are starting to believe that reading is a fun, relaxing and social activity rather than a task set by a teacher.

Mrs Lucas is planning to run the sessions again in Term 3 and 4 and is currently seeking funding from local organisations to ensure that she can provide good-quality, engaging literature to deliver the most worthwhile experience possible for Trinity’s budding young readers!

Students are currently reading ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell that has proven so popular that all local distributors had run out of copies.

Here’s what the students have to say about Book Café:

“I love Book Café because we can eat and learn at the same time!” – Poppy

“I would really like to read a Number 2 of that book!” – Tylerr

“We get to hang out with each other and chat about a really great book!” – Archie

Read Less

Garreth Wigg (St Gregory’s Primary School, Queanbeyan) and Luke Mooney (St Thomas the Apostle, Kambah) are two regular teachers on the quest to find and share ideas, new insights and approaches to enhance the teaching and learning in the classroom through the creation of the Innovation and Technology Network. This is their story, and they invite you to be a part of it:

Within the areas of STEM, Digital and Design Technologies, project and inquiry-based learning and innovative design approaches, there are many success stories across the Archdiocese and other school systems in our area. However, there are still many pathways untraveled about how to develop a STEM culture within schools. We recognised this and began sharing our ideas with each other, via both Google Hangouts and informal in-person meetings. Between us we developed a dialogue focused on critical feedback and solutions. Recognising that others teachers have many successes to share, we decided to cast our net further. As a result, The INNovator’s Network was born out of a need to reimagine, create, foster and extend opportunities for teachers to share their innovations and hear about the wonderful things happening in other schools around them.

The INNovator’s Network, nicknamed The INN, invites teachers from around Canberra and surrounding areas to share their ideas in an informal setting. Meetups are based on a particular topic and teachers are encouraged to share their experiences.

We love the phrase “the wisdom is in the room” and value the input of others. In an effort to approach professional learning from a different angle, conversations are allowed to flow between topics, depending on the interest and needs of the group.

We believe firmly that much of the success of our school STEM programs at St Gregory’s Queanbeyan and St Thomas the Apostle Kambah is attributed to this professional learning and collaboration model, as well as the support and encouragement of our principals, Clare Frazer and Ursula Jamieson.

To gain a wider network we decided to put our conversations ‘to tape’, so to speak, and there our podcast was born. The INN podcast has led to some great recordings, particularly our recent interviews with Deputy-Director Angus Tulley on School Leadership & Innovation and US Marine Gary Slater on Critical Thinking. We have also created an official presence online with our Twitter account, which in conjunction with our personal accounts, has led to a lot of really great professional dialogue with educators locally and internationally.

We are still really forming the core of our INNovator’s Network ‘tribe’ with other great teachers and leaders from across CE, however, we are always keen to connect with more people. We have some great professional learning workshops coming up throughout the year and some excellent interviewees scheduled for future podcasts. Keep your eye on the bulletin board for upcoming TeachMeets, professional learning opportunities and collaborative workshops.

Written by Garreth Wigg and Luke Mooney AKA ‘The Innkeepers’

Follow The INNovator’s Network on Twitter: @inn_network

Subscribe to the Podcast: bit.ly/theinnpodcastsubscribe

 

 

 

Read Less

On a recent visit to St Mary's Primary School Crookwell, Catholic Education Director Ross Fox personally congratulated valued staff member Nicola Spackman with a 20 years of service certificate.

Nicola has worked in the capacity of Casual Teacher, Executive Relief Teacher, Classroom Teacher and Classroom Support Teacher.

School Principal Sarah Lowe said Nicola’s caring, patient and respectful manner has touched the lives of countless children, and their families in the Crookwell District.

"Her passion for literacy, numeracy and inclusive practice inspires her students and colleagues."

Read Less

“To me it is just a part of my life.”

“I was so humbled and blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people in that room, all doing work with vulnerable marginalised people.”

ACT Volunteer of the Year 2018 Natalie (Nat) Wright reflected on the awards evening that recognised her as a profound influence, inspiring hundreds of Canberra kids to be social justice advocates and to take action through volunteering to enact social change.

She was a self-proclaimed apprentice Religious Education coordinator at her previous school Good Shepherd (Amaroo) where she transformed a 25-strong mini Vinnies in toe 125 members, the country’s largest, ahead of implementing a whole-of-school model including students from Kinder to Year 6. Her efforts have had a ripple effect on Mini Vinnies programs throughout Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn. Nat says as young as Kinder children can be involved in social justice and humanitarian work and learning about human dignity and how to care for vulnerable people.

Nat is also a Night Patrol Team Leader with St Vincent De Paul Society Night Patrol having served on more than 300 night shifts over 12 years.

Nat shares her story …

“I first signed up for Night Patrol in my second year of my undergraduate degree at ACU.  I can honestly say that back then I wasn’t entirely sure of what I was signing up for but after listening to a brief presentation from a volunteer I felt a desire to give it go.  As a child, I experienced many volunteer opportunities, my mum was a nurse and I often helped her with outings for the sick and elderly. Also, many of my mum’s colleagues were struggling financially in single parent or low-income households and so we would often go their houses with food, clothes and toys for their children.  In fact, giving other children my belongings and seeing the joy it brought them is some of my most distinct childhood memories. Although I had to laugh when my mum years later asked if I remembered going to visit these families and often been asked to literally hand over the doll or teddy in my arms that another child was shyly eyeing off, I said I do, why? My poor mum thought perhaps it was a little mean to expect such a thing of a 7-year-old, and admitted to feeling a bit guilty for doing this.  I have since assured her that these visits and outings were the first of my volunteer experiences and I am so grateful for them because they were so genuine and authentic to the cause.

After signing up for Night Patrol at ACU and completing some training in communication skills and Occupational Health and Safety, I was assigned to the first Tuesday of the month team, who proudly call themselves the ‘Tuesday Terrors.’  A few years later I decided I wanted to have-a-go at being a Team Leader. My role as a Night Patrol volunteer is to be present in the moment, to be friendly and approachable, to offer practical assistance, and a sympathetic ear. My role as a Night Patrol Leader is to do these things as well as to build a positive and supportive team atmosphere, guide the team in the set-up and pack-up of resources, to be aware of the conversations each team member is engaged in, to be prepared to make the call to leave if any member feels unsafe, and to encourage a healthy debrief of the evening at the end of the shift.

A typical night out in the Night Patrol of course involves firstly preparing the van for the evening with supplies, but that is about as much predictability as you can expect.  One aspect of the van is to offer refreshments, clothing, toiletries and guidance in locating other support services, however what most people really approach the van for is conversation, and you never really know what conversations you are going to be invited to participate in, some are light-hearted chatting about the weather, sport, movies, music, news etc… others though are deeply personal stories involving heart ache, suffering and survival, with no censorship or filtering.  It is in these conversations that you learn so much about what it means to be human, to honestly reflect on our inherent human dignity and the impact you have just by simply acknowledging another’s story. I have been deeply moved by many of these conversations. Inevitably after a Night Patrol shift you ‘take stock’ of your own life on your drive home – you think about your family, your home, your job, and the opportunities that you are presented with to help you reach your full potential.  I am so grateful.

For me personally, being a Night Patrol volunteer is part of my vocation as an educator and how I continue to nourish my faith.  A large part of how I understand my faith is that we are all made in God’s image. How we come to know God is through our relationships, as it is through our interactions with others that we discover ourselves.  It may seem difficult at first to have a conversation with a stranger, but I don’t believe that you get any closer to knowing your true self by having lots of comfortable interactions. At the end of the day we are just all walking each other home, and we must make the most of the journey.

My main motivation to continue volunteering in the Night Patrol program is my desire to be a part of social justice reform. Over the years I have tried to use different aspects of my life to be a ‘soundboard’ for this change; through my professional life as an educator, through my postgraduate studies in Moral Theology, through the life of both my school and local parishes, and within my personal life amongst my friends and family.  I am extremely blessed that in all these parts of my life there are people who support me in pursuing my vocation. I was taught by my mother that to be compassionate is to offer more than just a token gesture, to act in compassion is to have a genuine experience of empathy. The person I see in front of me is someone’s son or daughter, maybe even someone’s brother or sister, or mother or father.  What if this person was my mother or my brother?

What can be quite challenging as a Night Patrol Volunteer is that you need to be in a calm state of mind to participate in the evening, leaving any personal problems and worries behind to be fully present to your team and the people you serve.  Sometimes this may mean that you need to make the call to not volunteer for the evening because you must self-preserve yourself both emotionally and spiritually. Seeing the raw emotion of a person whilst they tell their story of violence, loneliness, heartache, abandonment, suffering or survival can unsettle you and feel emotionally heavy.  On these nights talking to your team members to debrief before you go home is so important, as is speaking to a loved one at home. Another challenge is on some occasions there can be violent behaviour due to amphetamine drugs or excessive drinking. It can become a bit frightening but we are well supported by the police and the Action Bus supervisors who always make a point of checking in with us each night.

Through my experience in the Night Patrol program I have observed how the issue of homelessness in Canberra has changed quite considerably over the years.  When I first joined Night Patrol the people who visited the van were mostly middle-aged and elderly men. The choice of drugs of choice were depressants such as alcohol or heroin.  And most of these people were in public housing, rarely were we approached by someone who was ‘sleeping rough.’ As time has past we have seen a significant increase in the amount of people accessing the van for support, both men and women of all ages.  And of course, with poverty comes mental illness, and it is often obvious from our interactions with people that they are experiencing very poor mental health and are unable to take care of themselves properly. The choice of drug these days is amphetamines, which means that the people who are approaching the van are often highly agitated and irritable.  Many people are sleeping rough or couch surfing due to the inadequate amount of public housing and crisis accommodation. Even young families now regularly approach the van for food, toiletries and clothes. Although homelessness in Canberra is on the rise, one positive initiative that has come about is the joining of many community out-reach services to be filtered from one place called ‘First Point,’ this means that those who are experiencing any level of homelessness can be guided to access the services relevant to them from the one location.

The Mini Vinnies Program is a school social justice program stemming from the St Vincent de Paul Society.  The purpose of our Mini Vinnies program is to provide our students with authentic opportunities to grow as aspiring leaders in social justice reform.  Although as a primary school we are obviously are restricted in some ways by the age of the students, however with a little creative thinking these obstacles can be overcome.  Over six years our modest Mini Vinnies group of 25 students grew to 120 students, the largest Mini Vinnies group in Australia. This year we have trialled a new whole-school model to include all our students from kindergarten to year six allowing each year level to build a relationship with one of the specific services offered by the St Vincent de Paul Society.  We are the first school to take this approach and it is proving to be quite successful. Some things that our Mini Vinnies students have done are;

• Annual Door Knock Appeal
• Winter Woollies Day: raising awareness, funds and winter woollies for the Night Patrol
• Weekly non-perishable food collection and Christmas hampers for the Holy Spirit Parish Vinnies conference
• Sleep-out: raises awareness and funds for the Street to Home program
• Cupcake stalls
• Attend external volunteering opportunities such as Christmas paper wrapping and Homelessness Connect Day
• Vinnies fashion parade show
• Growing food in our school garden for the Blue Door
• Making ‘Welcome to Canberra’ brochures for our migrants and refugees
• Packing toiletry kits for the Night Patrol Van
• Inviting volunteers to be guest speakers at the school
• Visiting nursing homes to sing songs
• Attending the Mini Vinnies student conference

Each student proudly calls themselves a ‘Mini Vinnie’ and are aspiring volunteers for the Society.

Students as young as five can express a basic understanding of what the issue of homelessness is and describe ways that they can help. These children are in training to be part of the change, telling their parents that when they grow up they are going to be a big Mini Vinnie. The message that these children are giving us is that your action needs to go beyond this evening.  What you are doing tonight is making statement that homelessness in our community is not alright, but we need to also learn and understand from the people who are currently facing this problem and act, share their story and advocate for social change with the aim of long term improvement or else we are being stagnate in our ways. I encourage everyone to spend time to explore the many opportunities to volunteer with the Society to give back to our communities.”

Read Less

Through the ACT Health and Education Department’s innovative ‘Entrepreneurs: It’s your Move’ curriculum program, Year 9 Merici College students are developing and implementing real-life health projects promoting healthy bones and sun safety.

As part of the Global Studies program, students learn problem solving through design thinking, an approach highly regarding in industry occupations particularly within STEM and entrepreneurial industries.

The elective offers an opportunity for students to imagine, ideate, plan and create work with a business mentor and launch an idea that can make a difference to Merici and the wider community. 

This month Year 9 students launched their ‘Healthy Bones’ program. The program aims to raise an awareness of the important role healthy calcium-rich dairy foods can play in the development and maintenance of healthy bones and prevention of osteoporosis.

Students have been working with a range of organisations including Arthritis ACT, ACT Health, Coles and the Merici College Hospitality staff to get this program off the ground. The launch consisted of free slinky apples and homemade flavoured Milk to significantly reduce the sugar content and align their product with the schools Healthy Eating policy.

To promote Physical Activity students were given hand balls and links to numerous Health Bones recipes. The marketing team for this project have also put together a 5-minute promotional presentation for the students at Merici College.

Student Jasmyn Tozser felt that as Merici College is an all-girls school it was particularly important to raise awareness around healthy bones. Her group discovered that the majority of teenage girls at Merici College were not meeting the recommended guidelines of 3.5 serves of dairy intake per day.  In fact, the most recent Australian National Children’s Nutrition Survey revealed that 77 per cent of girls aged 12 to 15 years old are not consuming the recommended daily requirement for calcium. 

A small group of students from this class have also been working with David Wild from the Cancer Council and using their $1000 grant from ACT Health to create a sun smart project. The students have designed a hat and bag with a clip-on sunscreen that will be used for Physical Education classes.

The Merici Entrepreneurs are also in the process of installing several sunscreen pump and dump stations around the school. These stations have been carefully designed to include a mirror and a book rest. The class is looking forward to further exploring social enterprise and creating their own businesses next semester through the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) $20 boss program.

Read Less