Acting Dean of Identity | Mr Terry Thompson
Liberating Education
Last week we were called to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si – Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of all creation. The Pope has invited the global Church to participate in Laudato Si week as a time for prayer and action for a more just and sustainable world. Terrace is putting this into practice through our Outdoor Education Centre. During their camp experience, boys pick veggies from the gardens, collect eggs from the chickens and plant new trees to play their part in building a sustainable future.
This leads me to the touchstone, Liberating Education. Put simply, it enables students to be ‘Free to Be the Best I Can Be’. Edmund Rice Education Australian (2017) defines this touchstone:
We open hearts and minds, through quality teaching and learning experiences, so that through critical reflection and engagement each person is hope-filled and free to build a better world for all.
Through the Outdoor Education Centre, students are invited to be part of the solution in building a sustainable future. Various groups of students have dug out the old gardens and planted herbs and vegetables in spaces all through the grounds. There are pockets of garden and native edible plants growing where the boys can watch the plants' progress over time and literally eat the fruits of their hard work. This is where students of every age can make a connection with what is grown in the garden and what reaches the table. It is a very important connection for the boys to make and a step forward in their understanding of the importance of sustainability. Click here to see this process in action at our amazing site at Maroon.
National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
As we commemorate National Sorry Day (Tuesday 26 May) and National Reconciliation Week (Wednesday 27 May – Wednesday 3 June), we pray for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia.
National Sorry Day is a day when we pause to remember the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The 26th of May is an important moment to reflect on the sad and painful history of the Stolen Generations and recognise moments of resilience, healing and the power of saying 'sorry'. Joining people all over Australia on this day, we remember the hurt suffered by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters and commit ourselves to reconciliation.
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
The theme for NRW 2020, ‘In This Together’, couldn't be more relevant in this time of global crisis. It reminds us that whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, the interconnections of our society mean that we are all unavoidably and essentially in this together.
The Catholic Leader
I want to pass on an offer of a free digital subscription to The Catholic Leader newspaper, which has been extended to Terrace students, families and employees.
The Catholic Leader is Australia’s most widely read Catholic newspaper and regularly includes education features, as well as providing a Catholic perspective on important news across South East Queensland.
You can sign up to receive your weekly digital newspaper here.
Thank you to the Catholic Leader for this generous offer.
Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever.