A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF COLLEGE, RAY PAXTON
Holy Week
On Sunday 20 March, the Catholic Church across the world celebrates Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week and the journey towards Easter. It is a week when we reflect upon the most significant stories and accounts from scripture and attempt to connect these stories with our own lives. The accounts of Jesus’ welcome into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday), the Crucifixion (Good Friday) and the Resurrection (Easter Sunday) cover the full range of human feeling. Through the words of the Gospel writers we encounter joy, brotherhood, betrayal, torture, execution, grief, isolation, loss and confusion. We are challenged to make sense of what Jesus’ Resurrection might mean for each of us. The stories are compelling and the image of the Cross confronting. Each year, I take the opportunity to ask my own children about the relevance of these events to their own lives and to the world today. It is amazing how their responses have changed over the years.
The Waverley College Board
On Tuesday evening, the Waverley College Board met for the first time in 2016. The Board is an advisory body to the Head of College and has a key role to play in the development of the College Strategy, the oversight of our mission and goals, and the review of College Policies. The Board also contributes to the recruitment and appraisal of the Head, the Deputy Head and the Director of Business Services when those processes occur. In 2016, the College Executive will join our Board for two meetings to reflect on our strategic achievements.
On Tuesday night, the Executive Director of Edmund Rice Education Australia, Dr Wayne Tinsey, visited our Board meeting and spoke about the role of the College Board within the Edmund Rice tradition. Mrs Elizabeth Watson, Director of Curriculum presented her reflections on our excellent HSC results. Mr Sam Hardjono (Board Chair), on behalf of the Board, passed on his congratulations and thanks to the Mrs Watson and the staff of Waverley College for their contribution to these results.
I wish to acknowledge the ongoing work of our College Board: Mr Sam Hardjono (Chair), Dr Mark Davies (Deputy Chair), Mr Matthew Faddy (Finance Committee Chair), Mr Richard Gray, Ms Anne MacNamara, Mr Peter McGuinn, Mr Lawrence Fahy and Mr Matthew Parry.
Front from Left: Sam Hardjono (Chairman), Anne MacNamara, Dr Mark Davies (Deputy Chairman). Back from left: Richard Gray, Lawrence Fahy, Ray Paxton (Head of College), Peter McGuinn, Matthew Parry.
Amazing Achievers
Congratulations to Lewis Thompson (1st U17 Discus), Dylan Quirk (5th Hurdles) and Alex Talbot (2nd for NSW in 3000m) who achieved amazing results at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Perth.
I would also like to acknowledge the aeronautical achievement of Finley Lewis (Year 12) who recently completed his first solo flight and achieved his entry-level aerobatic endorsement. Over the weekend he competed in his first aerobatic competition, the Australian Aerobatic Club’s Victorian State Championships in Tocumwal. Finley was the youngest pilot entered and he achieved 1st place in the entry category.
