Newsletter 10 2021

Dear Members of the St Andrews College Community,

As we move into the Term 2 School Holidays I wish to thank all staff, students and parents for their efforts this Term. In tracking our Year 11 and 12 students learning Gain we are noticing significant improvements in performance from many students. If I were to put this down to a number of factors it would be hard work, seeking feedback and working on the feedback given, completing extra questions each week and submitting them to teachers for feedback, engagement in class, and good routines around sleep, exercise, eating, prayer, and relaxation. The more we engage in this type of approach the greater success we will have. It is pleasing that many more students are giving this approach to learning and life a go.

Have a safe and happy holiday. I look forward to seeing you all in Term 3.

‘It’s All About Learning’

Gospel Reflection:

Mark 5:21-43 (shorter form, Mark 5:21-24,35b-43)

Jesus heals a woman afflicted with a hemorrhage and raises Jairus’s daughter from death.

Background on the Gospel Reading:

For today’s Gospel, we continue to read from the Gospel of Mark. Last Sunday we heard about Jesus calming the storm, the first of four miracles that Jesus performs in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee. Each of these four miracle stories offers us a glimpse at Jesus’ power. This week we hear about the third and fourth miracles, skipping the second miracle, the healing of a man from Gerasene who was possessed by a demon.

Today’s Gospel reports two stories of healing. One story tells us about a father’s great love for his dying daughter. The other story tells us about a desperate woman who risks much as she seeks healing from Jesus. In each story, the request for healing is itself a courageous act of faith, and yet very different circumstances are represented by the lives of each suffering person.

Jairus is described as a synagogue official, a man of considerable standing in the Jewish community. Distraught over his daughter’s poor health, he approaches Jesus and asks him to heal her. Although Mark doesn’t provide many details, we can imagine that his daughter has been ill for some time and that her condition is deteriorating.

As Jesus leaves with Jairus, Mark describes a second person who seeks healing from Jesus, a woman with a hemorrhage. This woman secretly touches Jesus from behind and is immediately cured. In response, Jesus turns and asks who touched him. Jesus’ disciples, always a little clueless in Mark’s Gospel, help us envision the scene. The crowds are pushing in on Jesus, and yet he, knowing that power has gone out of him, asks who touched him. The woman could have remained anonymous, yet at Jesus’ question she steps forward and acknowledges what she has done. Jesus responds by acknowledging her as a model of faith and sends her away in peace.

At this point, we can imagine Jairus’s impatience with Jesus; his daughter is dying and Jesus hasn’t helped him yet. As if to build a sense of urgency, messengers suddenly arrive and confirm Jairus’s worst fear: his daughter has died. Jesus curiously ignores their message and reassures Jairus. When they arrive at Jairus’s home, they find family and friends mourning the girl’s death. Jesus enters the room of the dead girl, takes her by the hand, and instructs her to arise. Jairus’s faith in Jesus has not been in vain; his daughter is restored to life.

The contrasts between Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage are stark and revealing. One is a man, the other is a woman. One is a public official, an important person in the community. The other is a woman who has lost everything to find a cure to a condition that separated her from the community. One approaches Jesus publicly. The other approaches Jesus secretly. Yet in each case, faith leads them to seek out Jesus in their time of need.

The Gospel concludes with Jesus’ instructions to remain silent about this miracle. This is typical of Mark’s Gospel and is sometimes referred to as the messianic secret. Repeatedly, those who witness Jesus’ power and authority are instructed to not speak of what they have witnessed. These instructions appear impossible to obey, and it is difficult to understand the purpose of these instructions. But in each case, they seem to emphasize the fact that each individual, including the reader of Mark’s Gospel, must, in the end, make his or her own judgment about Jesus’ identity. Each individual must make his or her own act of faith in affirming Jesus as God’s Son.

Unity Day:

What a great day we had for Unity Day last Friday. The standard of performances were extraordinary, the effort that went into planning was excellent, and the students and staff who dressed in their national dress made the day the success it was. To finish the day with ‘I am Australian’ sung by the entire College community was a highlight. Well done.

Business Sim:

Congratulations to all the students and staff involved in the Business Simulation (Commerce Class) day on Wednesday. They demonstrated careful planning, the ability to work under pressure, teamwork, lateral thinking skills, resilience, budgeting skills, customer service, and the ability to survey the market and respond to needs and wants. What a great way to see learning in action. The look of excitement and pride in the students eyes was priceless. Well done.

Debating Successes:

Congratulations to the Year 11A’s and Year 11B’s who had a wonderful season in 2021. They represented themselves and the College with aplomb. Unfortunately both teams lost in the finals to Rosebank College and St Scholastica's on Friday evening after defeating Mercy College and Cerdon College on Wednesday evening. Our Year 10A team still remains in the Finals and we will resume in Week 2 Term 3. All the best. 

Year 7 Camp at Collaroy:

Congratulations to our Year 7 students and staff supervisors who had a great experience on camp last week. In speaking with the Camp Supervisors they all mentioned how engaged the students were in all activities and how well they played and worked together. I witnessed this exemplary behaviour at Dinner on Tuesday evening where our students demonstrated their appreciation of the food and service through good manners, as well as patience and cleanliness. Further photos and details are found further on in the Newsletter.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences:

Thank you to the parents, students and teachers who have taken up either the face-to-face option on Monday evening, or the Zoom option on Thursday evening. We are trialing this combination of methods in order to get the greatest number of parents involved. Please email the College with feedback, as it will be used to examine how we conduct future Conferences.

Building Works happening during the School Holiday Period:

During the Term 2 School Holidays and after we will be completing the renovation of the College Hall on the Senior Campus by putting in wall panelling on both sides, adding more Apple TV’s and flexibility to the spaces, as well as upgrading the Creative and Performing Arts side of the Hall to allow for larger Music, Drama, Dance, Photography, and Art displays and performances.

We will also be totally gutting the Art classrooms on the Senior Campus to allow for both a theory and practical space in the same room. This should be concluded in early Term 3.

The Hall Flooring on the Junior Campus is due to be completed by the start of the School Holiday period and left to cure over the two week break. The line marking should be finished in Week 1 Term 3 for use. This will give us a totally air-conditioned learning facility that will accommodate large gatherings and multiple sporting fixtures.

Enrolment for Year 7 and 11 2023 

NOW OPEN