From the Principal

Dear Members of the St Andrews College Community,

Congratulations to both staff and students involved in the Year 12 Graduation last week and well done to the Year 12 group on the start of their examinations. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Congratulations to Years 7-11 on the positive start you have made to Term 4. Year 11 are concluding the Preliminary Course while Year 10 are leading the way with the New Draft Religious Education Curriculum as well as finalising their choices for their senior schooling. We are moving into Student Leadership Team elections for Years 7-11, and the Student Leaders Retreat which will lead us into the new school year. We are looking forward to seeing the fruits of the many learning initiatives that we have in place this Term. Enjoy the Term.

‘It’s All About Learning’

Gospel Reflection:

The Great Commandment is a Great Framework (Matthew 22:34-40)

Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day often fought over the relative importance of commandments. Some held the view that observing the Sabbath was the most important of all commandments. Others valued circumcision over all else. Still others would have believed, as many modern Jews do today, that the most important commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

So when a lawyer asks Jesus to weigh in on the question, “Which commandment  in the law is the greatest” (Matthew 22:36), he might be asking Jesus to pick sides in an already contentious debate.

Yet Jesus plunges into a new area of insight by answering not only which commandment is the greatest, but how people might go about fulfilling it. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” Jesus says, and then he adds a second commandment, from Leviticus 19:18 “love your neighbor as yourself,” which he joins with the first commandment by saying it is “like it.” Through Jesus’ logic, loving God is linked inextricably to loving other people. John echoes this statement when he says, “If anyone says he loves God but hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4:20)

Work is a primary way through which we love other people. Our workplaces are often the places where we encounter the widest diversity of people, and their nearness to us day after day gives us the unique challenge of loving people who are different from ourselves. We also love others through our work when our work meets the important needs of customers or other stakeholders. For more examples see “Our Work Fulfills the Great Commandment” (Mark 12:28-34) and “The Good Samaritan at Work--Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself (Luke 10:25-37).”

But Jesus not only commands us to love others but to love others as we love our own selves. What does this look like in the workplace? It looks like a cook double-checking the internal temperature of a hamburger after someone says “Does that look all right to you,” because that’s what she would do if cooking the hamburger for herself. It looks like a sales clerk calling over a more-experienced colleague when a customer asks a question he is not sure he knows the answer to—rather that giving an answer he thinks is right—because he would want that information himself before buying. It looks like a mechanic stripping apart the brake job he just completed because he heard a strange noise and that’s what he would do before driving his own car. It looks like a businessman asking his colleagues, “Is it possible we’re not taking her seriously enough because she’s a woman?” knowing that he would want a colleague to stand up for him when he’s being misunderstood.

These are small examples, yet each of them may come at a price—a lost commission, an hour of non billable time, a short night’s sleep, access to the inner circle of power. All of our labor has the potential to serve, and therefore love, our neighbors. But to love a neighbor, as yourself, may require taking risks that we would surely take in order to serve our own ends, but which loom large when undertaken only for the benefit of someone else. It is truly a high bar, and perhaps that is why Jesus joins “love your neighbor as yourself” with “love the Lord” in the Great Commandment.

New Religious Education Curriculum Year 10:

Parent Survey Results: Draft New (Religious Education) Curriculum

In week 8 of Term 3, all parents of students involved in the Term 3 “Test Runs” of the Draft New Curriculum in Religious Education, were given the opportunity to share their feedback and insights. Thank you to all parents who were able to do so. Below is a summary of the responses from across the Diocese. You will see that it has been a positive response with the majority of parents agreeing to each of the statements listed below:

• My child has been enabled me to think about their faith
• My child has connected what they have learned to their life
• My child has responded positively to their lessons
• My child has spoken about their lessons at home

Important insights and points of feedback were also provided which, along with feedback from students and teachers, will be read and reflected on by Mission leaders as they continue to refine the Draft New Curriculum. 

Congratulations Mikayla Garland (Year 12 Class of 2020):

Mikayla Garland, of Year 12, has been successful in gaining an offer to The Academy Global Leaders Program at Western Sydney University. This program prepares students to compete with the world's best and become a leader of tomorrow.

The program is a pathway for students with exceptional potential to receive an early offer and a premium experience. Students receive:

• Access to a world-class leadership program
• A university sponsored overseas academic or leadership experience 
• Advanced study of global citizenship, democracy and social change
• A $2,000 "Smart Start" scholarship

Mikayla had been working hard for much of her senior studies both academically and with her extra-curricular activities to ensure that she had a competitive application and I am so glad she was successful. Great work Mikayla.

Macquarie University Leadership Program Early Acceptance:

Congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into the Macquarie University Leaders and Achievers Early Entry October Round.

Ayomikun Ajayi - Bachelor of Business Administration

Brandon Azari - Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Information Technology

Phoebe Bibon - Bachelor of Arts

Maria Victoria Cabral - Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce

Kual Deng - Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Information Technology

Peter Fakhoury - Bachelor of Science

Monalisa Rafiq - Bachelor of Business Administration

Rubens Yu - Bachelor of Marine Science

We are very proud of you.

Congratulations Gerardo Pareja Delgado (Class of 2019) on having his research project published:

Gerardo completed an outstanding research project in Year 12 as part of the Science Extension course. As a result he has had this research published in a Scientific Journal. Please see the link below to view  the article. We are very proud of the achievement and the fact Gerardo is a product of our great College. https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5558/1/2/14

Congratulations Vishishta Ramanathan (Class of 2019):

Vishishta is currently studying the Bachelor of Security Studies and Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University has recently been offered a  2021 New Colombo Plan Scholarship.

The New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship aims to lift knowledge in Australia of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region. 

The NCP Scholarship Program provides scholarships annually to a diverse range of Australian undergraduates. Scholars are encouraged to undertake study, Language Training and an Internship and/or Mentorship for up to 19 months in 40 Indo-Pacific locations.

Vishishta is planning to go to Taiwan, where she will be doing an exchange at the National Taiwan University, a language traineeship and a mentorship at the Australian Office in Taipei under the Australia Ambassador of Taiwan and an internship at the Taiwan Centre for Security Studies.

Vishishta aims to use this experience to pursue a career with the Department of Foriegn Affairs and Trade as a subject matter expert in Maritime Law and Security.

Enrolment for Year 7 2022 NOW OPEN

If you have a friend or family member looking to enrol for Year 7 2022 (students currently in Year 5) please contact the Office ASAP for an enrolment pack to avoid disappointment. We have a substantial waiting list already for Year 7 2021.

Acceleration Science Program Year 9:

Congratulations to all the students who have been nominated for the acceleration program in Science for Year 9. This is an additional program added to the existing Mathematics Acceleration Program. We are always looking for ways to extend our student learning and meet the student learner where they are at in their learning journey. 

Debating:

Congratulations on a wonderful 2020 Debating season. We were the most represented school in the Finals which is something that we should be very proud of. We were unlucky with a few of the final debates but that’s how it goes and we will come back better for it next year. Thank you to our student debaters, helpers, supporters, staff, and ex-students who were adjudicators. Your enthusiasm and support was appreciated. Thank you to Ms Pett who is the driving force behind the success.

Art Room Renovations:

I hope the Junior Students are enjoying the Art Room renovations on the Junior Campus. They were completed in the holiday period and serve to increase space to display and store artworks.