Principal’s Message | Dr Michael Carroll

Dear Members of the Terrace Family,

Tomorrow, we say thank you and farewell to our Year 12 Class of 2018.  They have been an outstanding group of young men whose spirit, passion and support of Terrace and each other has been their hallmark.  ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ they have stood together and have been outstanding ambassadors of our College.  I wish each of them all the best for the next stage of their journey and thank them for all they have done over the years.  Thank you and good luck.

Similarly, I say thank you to all the families that leave us at the end of the year.  For many of you, the journey has crossed many years and multiple sons.  To all our departing Year 12 families, I say thank you for all your valuable contributions to the Terrace Family over the years.  Remember that you will always be part of the Terrace Family and are welcome to stay connected.

Tomorrow night also marks the Year 12 Valedictory Mass and Dinner.  These two special events, along with the Farewell Assembly, are important rituals in saying thank you and farewell to our Year 12 students and their families.  I wish to thank the many staff who have assisted in organising these events and making them so special for all of us.  Thank you to all involved.

With our Year 12 students leaving, it also marks the time for exams for all the remaining students in Years 5 to 11.  It is very important, with only two weeks remaining until the end of the year, that all students are focused on their revision and preparing for their upcoming exams.  The hard work now will pay dividends at exam time.

This is my first newsletter article for Term 4.  I returned to work last Monday following time off recovering from knee surgery.  I am pleased to say the surgery has been very successful and my rehabilitation, whilst still ongoing, has been going very well.  I do wish to thank all those who offered their good wishes during my rehabilitation time.  Thank you for your kind thoughts. I do particularly wish to acknowledge a number of staff who took on new and additional roles in order for me to have this extended time off for surgery and recovery.  To Mr Chris Ryan, Mr Damien Fall, Mr Damien Cuddihy, Mr Steve Hohn, Mr Dwayne Hoy and the CLT, my deepest appreciation for what you have done over the past five weeks.  It has meant a lot to me.

The building works continue, and for the remainder of the year there are further restrictions to space and movement in the middle area of the College.  These restrictions will be in place until the start of the 2019 school year.  I again thank people for their cooperation and patience.

A reminder that the Conor Tweedy Long Lunch is scheduled for Saturday 24 November.  A small number of places remain, so don’t miss out on what will be a fantastic day and a wonderful way to support Conor.  See you there.

Finally, on behalf of all within the Terrace Family, I again congratulate our Year 12 students and wish them the very best in the next phase of their journey.

At the Assembly tomorrow, I will pray an Irish Blessing for them. So, to all the Year 12 students;

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And may the rain fall soft on your fields,
Until we meet again,
May you be held in the palm of God’s hand.

God Bless.

Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal