It has been wonderful to welcome all staff and students back for the new school year. We extend a very special welcome to our new Year 7 students and to our new students in Year 8 to Year 12 who have joined our College community this year. It has been great to see our students enjoying the company of their peers and to set up routines as they settle into the rhythm of the school day.
2025 Student Leadership Team
It has also been a real joy to work with our Year 12 Student Leadership Team as they begin their work in leading students and setting goals for the new school year. One focus of the Student Leaders is to increase student participation in the co-curricular life of the school. Their chosen theme from scripture this year is: ’Don’t be afraid. Go and be …’ (Mark 5:36b). This text from Mark’s gospel certainly challenges us all to push ourselves to move out of our comfort zone in an effort to develop ourselves and serve the wider community. This week, a number of our Student Leaders have been involved in presenting this theme to our families at the Parent Information Nights held through this week. The wisdom of our leaders is clear to see from this passage of their speech when addressing our community at these events:
‘Our hope for this year is simple yet significant: We want every person in this community - students and staff - to feel empowered. Instead of letting fear hold us back, this theme encourages us to move forward with courage. It invites us to step into the unknown, to take action, to be yourself boldly and courageously embrace the potential and purpose that we each carry.
At our school, there are countless opportunities to learn and grow - whether in academics, sport, arts, leadership, or social justice, but it all comes down to one thing - being willing to embrace these opportunities. These experiences are not just about success, they are about embracing new challenges, stepping out of your comfort zone, and discovering who you truly are.
But perhaps, it is also about being present in the moment - in a world where screens and social media are central parts of our days, it sometimes can be hard to stay grounded in the present. Therefore, this theme is about not letting distractions, fears, or external pressures pull you away from what matters most: focusing on you, here, and now.’
Parent Information Nights
Thank you to all parents and guardians who have attended the Year 7 and Year 10 Parent Information Nights this week. It was great to see families support these events and is certainly a clear demonstration of the importance placed on the partnership between home and school. Thank you also to the wonderful Parents’ Association who were present at the Year 7 night to help with the serving of light refreshments at the end of the evening. We look forward to meeting our Year 8 and Year 9 parents this coming Tuesday 11 February.
New Consequences for Inappropriate Mobile Phone Use on Campus
Although our mobile phone policy has not changed, we have made a decision to change the consequences if a student is using their phone inappropriately on campus.
Our mobile phone policy states that if a student chooses to bring a phone to school, they are required to keep their phone in their locked locker from 8.40 - 3.20 pm. The exceptions to this are when a teacher has given permission for students to access their phones for a classroom activity, and when students need to access their phone to make a payment at the canteen.
If a student uses their phone without permission, a staff member will record this on SIMON, our learning management system. If a student has used their phone inappropriately on three occasions, parents and students will be notified and students will be required to hand in their phone each day for a two-week period. Phones are handed in to Student Reception before Pastoral, where it will be kept in a locked locker until 3.20 pm.
Any subsequent recordings of inappropriate phone use will result in another conversation with students and parents, and the student will be required to hand in their phone each day for the rest of the school year.
Why have we taken these steps? We have decided to take these steps to firm up these boundaries around phone use in a determined effort to prioritise opportunities for our young people to connect with their learning and with others without the added distraction of a phone in the vicinity. Recent findings have also urged us to work hard in this area to support our young people. Research that has been conducted by people such as social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt establishes a link between the advent of the smart phone and the increased use of social media, with an increased rate of anxiety and depression in adolescents.
In his book Stolen Focus, author and researcher Johann Hari highlights the importance of mind wandering - those moments through the day when we can daydream. This might happen when we take a walk without a podcast or music on, or when we are staring out the window maybe catching the train. It has become more and more challenging for all of us, including our young people, to find this time, where we can simply imagine and dream. We are often bombarded and overly stimulated with information and images and so too are our young people. However, it is this time, this mind wandering time, that is so crucial if our mind is going to have the space it needs to imagine possibilities and to find creative ideas and solutions.
This is such an important attribute for our young people to develop. We look forward to working in partnership with you as we support each other to tackle this issue.
Whole School Events coming up in Term 1
We know that one element that contributes to an individual’s wellbeing is having a sense of belonging and connection to those around them. A powerful way you can encourage your child to develop a strong connection to OLMC is ensuring they are present for our community events. Swimming Carnivals, whole school masses, Mercy Day - these are special events when we stop and step away from the busyness so we can be altogether belonging. Some of these events that are running in Term 1 are listed below:
- Whole School Opening Mass: Tuesday 18 February
- OLMC Swimming Carnival: Tuesday 25 February
- Holy Week Liturgy: Friday 4 April