From the Principal

Newsletter 2 2023

Dear Members of the St Andrews College Community,

It has been a very positive start to the first few weeks of Term 1 with classroom learning in full swing, Information Evenings already occurring in Year 7 and Year 11, Public Speaking auditions have finalised and our representatives have been chosen, and sport training happening and competitions starting. I have noticed the level of enthusiasm and participation is high which sets us up for continued success. Keep up the enthusiasm.

‘It’s All About Learning’

Gospel Reflection: Matthew 5: 38-48

We see in the Gospel passage today, what is important for us as Christians to do with our lives is essentially to love, to be filled with God’s love, which in itself is already obeying God’s Law and commandments. The Lord Jesus Himself in another occasion, before the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had summarised the Law as a whole into two main commandments, that is to love God first and foremost with all of our hearts and strength, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters in the same way, just as much as we love ourselves. It is our Christian calling and vocation for all of us to be always grounded in love, in our every words, actions and deeds, so that by our love everyone may truly know God’s love and that we truly belong to the Lord, and hopefully more and more people may be inspired to follow our examples and believe in the Lord as well.

We have to love sincerely and generously, and as the Lord mentioned in our Gospel passage today, we should not just love because there is something in it for us, or that we stand to benefit from loving that person, as that kind of love is not the kind of true, Christian love that we are called to show. We have to show what the Lord Himself has shown us by His own examples, that in loving us all so greatly, all of us who have often hurt and betrayed Him, abandoned Him and rebelled against Him, He chose to willingly embrace His Cross, bearing upon Himself the whole burden of the innumerable sins of the world, of all mankind, past, present and future, so that by loving us that way, He may bring us all to eternal life. Christ Himself has shown us how we ought to live our lives with genuine Christian love, as He Himself had done, and now, the question is, what are we going to do then, brothers and sisters?

College Swimming Carnival:

We are all looking forward to our first whole school Swimming Carnival since 2019. Some of our senior art students were so keen that they decided to decorate the Senior Learning Centre with their House Colours. Wishing everyone a great day today. The weather looks great for swimming as well.

Building Works:

At present we have the new portable classrooms on the Junior Campus are almost complete. They look great and the feedback I am getting from staff and students is that they are great for learning. Once all six are online we will take offline the last three and fully renovate them as well.

Primary School Visits:

Thank you to all the students who accompanied me to our Primary Feeder Schools over the past two weeks. We only have Good Shepherd Plumpton to go next week now. So far we have visited St Andrew’s Primary, St Bernadette’s Lalor Park, Our Lady of Lourdes Seven Hills, St Michael’s Primary Blacktown, St Patrick’s Primary Blacktown, St Francis of Assisi Glendenning, and St John Vianny’s Doonside. Thank you to the Principal’s and staff at each of our feeder schools for the warm welcome. It is appreciated.

Enrolment for Year 2024 NOW OPEN

We have already accepted many applications for 2024 so please get them in soon.

Fidem in Christo

Dr Stephen Kennaugh
Principal