From the Head of College, Graham Leddie
Dear Parents and Carers
This is Holy Week and today we turn our focus to the Liturgy of the Sacred Triduum. These holy celebrations lead us into triumphant Easter Sunday joy and provide the very foundation of our Christian faith. Holy week is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. It is more sacred than Christmas because it commemorates the final week of Our Lord’s life, the very purpose for which Christmas happened. The Sacred Triduum recounts the last three days of Jesus’s life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins.
Let us not forget that the redemption of the cross begins with the darkness of the tomb. Without the darkness of the tomb, we cannot experience resurrection. The tomb is truly a dark place, lifeless, still and silent. Covered in dried blood, Christ’s body lies motionless, bound in a shroud. After such a brutal, crushing death, hope is far beyond anyone’s grasp. Isn’t this true of the darkness we encounter in our own lives? Visiting those dark places within us can be so frightening, at times terrifying, all the while we emit no hope and see no way out.
But within the tomb, darkness does not prevail, because darkness cannot win. The first chapter of the Gospel of John states an eternal truth: “In God was life, and that life was the light of all humankind”. Light always overcomes darkness and in the tomb, light shines as Christ rises from the dead and destroys death forever.
In our lives today, no matter how bleak our situation or deep the darkness in which we find ourselves, if we dare venture into and fully embrace our darkness, light always comes. Unspeakable joy, because of God’s unbelievable act of love. Let us experience the true redemption of the cross this Easter by recognizing that the journey begins in the darkened tomb. May all of our Triduum celebrations be blessed by God and may we all experience true joy of the Risen Christ.
I encourage you to take your son to at least one of the celebrations over the next three days of the Church. Sometimes we don’t see the light until further down the journey, and I believe your son will appreciate it in time, whether in a dark moment or when he becomes a parent himself.
Condolences
On behalf of the College Community I offer our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers to Year 11 student, Noah Glasel and his family. Noah’s father, Ronnie, died earlier this week from inoperable cancer. May we support Noah, his mother, Michelle, and the rest of the family through this and may Ronnie rest in eternal peace.
Congratulations
Fourteen referees were recently selected from NSW as part of a talent identification program run by NSW Rugby Union. The selection process was highly competitive and I would like to congratulate Daniel Andrews and Stephen Davies on their selection. Congratulations also to Mr Richard Chen who coordinates the College’s referee program. To have two selected from only fourteen spots in NSW is a great achievement.
University of Sydney
Congratulations to Luke Harris who received The University of Sydney’s 2017 Year 10 Academic Award for Excellence. Luke will be presented with his Award at a celebration at the University on Tuesday 10 April.
David Kobler
Thank you to over 360 parents that came along to the presentation on Tuesday evening delivered by David Kobler on raising teens in contemporary society; ‘Turning taboo topics into everyday conversations’. Our Year 11 students also spent the day with David and I have heard them talking about issues in the playground which I think is great, as he has them thinking about real issues affecting each of them.
I appreciate there have been a number of parent invitations to Wellbeing topics throughout Term 1 and we will try to space them out better in future. David certainly equipped parents with a toolbag to address issues such as sex, dating, relationships and pornography with their sons. As a parent of a 12 year old boy, I came away feeling empowered to be more of an influential presence in his life on those sometimes overwhelming issues and topics.
Waverley Earth Hour
I congratulate O’Connor House who encouraged the rest of the College to support an hour last week of no power usage. The boys certainly raised awareness and education on climate change and the effects on the environment. We all have a responsibility to help reduce our carbon footprint on the environment and help ensure the long term sustainability of the planet. The College has a new sustainability committee under the leadership of Ms Patricia Alborough. The committee seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of the College and educate all of the benefits and reasons for this action. These Easter holidays we will expand our Solar power installation with the Performing Arts Building being fitted out with panels. This will add to the panels already situated on the Kenny Building. Science classes will be able to monitor and track live updates on the College’s usage and power savings. I would like to thank Patricia and the committee for their leadership in this area. The Council has supported us with a grant of $3,000 and their assistance with the tender process.
Don’t miss out
ARTEXPRESS is currently being exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 25 April. Old Boy (2017) Dylan Quirk’s artwork is on display and still stands out as distinctively creative, unique and impressive. Worth a look even if your son is not studying art in his Senior years.
In Easter Joy,
Happy Easter
