Prayer for the HSC Class of 2019
God we ask that our students feel your closeness during the HSC Examination period. Give them calm hearts and quiet confidence in the knowledge that you hold them in the palm of your hand. Bless them with keen understanding and retentive memory. Give them the ability to grasp things correctly, be exact in their explanations and an ability to express themselves clearly. Point out clearly the beginning, direct their progress and help them in the completion of each of their responses. Holy Spirit send them your gifts of wisdom and knowledge.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
As a community we keep our Year 12 students warmly in our thoughts and prayers as they move towards their first week of the HSC. Our prayer and wish is for all of their efforts to be richly rewarded in producing their best over the next four weeks.
Summer Uniform
The Summer Uniform consists of a blue (Year 7 – 12) short sleeve shirt with a crest or a non-crested shirt with a tie. During summer boys are required to wear a tie at assemblies and at all formal gatherings. The College blue trousers (Years 7 to 12 only) are worn at the waist supported by a belt. Footwear must be black leather lace-up shoes that take a shine.
I was very pleased in addressing our young men at this week’s leadership assembly and then being in the classroom and around the playground, to notice that our boys are in great spirit with a polished appearance in their Summer Uniform. We continue to encourage them in this regard as they have now begun in earnest and vigor to embrace all the College has to offer them.
I would like to thank parents and boys for a smooth start to Term 4.
Parents should be assured that our high expectations will be in place until the final day of term, 4 December.
How well are you running your son’s life?
Over the break, I read a book by John Marsden, called, The Art of Growing Up the book provides us with a self-test to see how we are travelling as parents, knowing full well we are far from perfect.
Marsden’s ideas are challenging and even controversial. Marsden makes no apologies and admits to having ‚ ‘strong views’ that he expresses‚ ‘directly and forcefully’. I have included here a summary of the tips he provides for parents. Have a read and see how you are travelling. As a parent I know I am not always tracking on a ten.
Tips for Parents:
1. Give children space: let them roam. Let them be bored. Don’t over plan their lives. Cut back on the afterschool activities.
2. Keep away from all those ghastly, soulless, sterile playgrounds. Keep away from shopping malls. Look for real places. Wild places. We are blessed to have a school on the doorstep to Sydney’s beaches, Harbour and Centennial Park.
3. Be an adult: say no to your children at least once a day. If the role of the adult in your family is vacant, then one of your children will fill it. And it won’t be pretty.
4. Don’t take up all the space: if you are dominating and loud, your children are highly likely to become passive, lacking spirit and personality and/or sullen.
5. Believe about 40 percent of the dramatic stories your children tell you of the injustice, corruption and satanic practices happening at school.
6. Teach them empathy: when they win a sporting match, remind them that their jubilation was only possible because someone else, ‘the losers’ have been made to feel awful.
7. Help them develop language skills: do not finish sentences. Don’t correct them if they mispronounce a word. They’ll work it out sooner or later. Ask open-ended questions.
8. Make sure they have regular jobs at home: and that those jobs are done to a consistently high standard.
9. Don’t whine about the miseries of your adult life: a lot of children now are fearful about growing up because their parents paint such a grim picture.
10. Teach them to be very wary of people who know absolutely everything: the colour of truth is always grey. Extreme positions are for the ignorant.
Have a great start to the Term!
