Acting Principal’s Message | Mr Damien Fall
Dear Members of the Terrace Family,
With immense pride, I write this article for the first time in the role of Acting Principal. I humbly thank all in our community for the support that I have always been privileged to receive. I look forward to a rewarding and successful time as Dr Carroll takes Professional Renewal Leave over the first six weeks of term. If I can be of assistance in any way during this period, I would welcome your contact. As we commence the new term, I am acutely aware of our southern neighbours who have begun what may be an extended period of learning from home. One of our many lessons from 2020 was how much our young men enjoy coming to school, and the general dislike both staff and students have for remote learning. We hope and pray that Queensland can stay free of further lockdowns and all of us can go about our lives without interruption.
The commencement of the term saw our usual strong uptake of Parent/Teacher Interviews via Teams. Next week, we offer the final opportunity for formal teacher feedback at Wednesday evening’s interviews in a face-to-face forum. Bookings for these will close on Monday next week. We continue to discuss the best model for these interviews in the future, and your feedback after next Wednesday will be extremely valuable for forward planning.
College Assembly on Tuesday saw us formally acknowledge NAIDOC Week with an authentic acknowledgement of country. Three traditional indigenous guidelines were shared with our young men, and they were simultaneously simple and brilliant:
- Do what is right for ‘country’.
- If you have plenty, make sure you share.
- Only take what you need.
These are as applicable in the Terrace context as anywhere else in the world, and our young men are challenged to look after their ‘country’ and its people in a manner that reflects the Edmund Rice Touchstones. Viewing our values through a different lens is an excellent way to recognise and embrace diversity and the needs of those around us.
Term 3 is traditionally an enormous undertaking in terms of co-curricular involvement. This weekend’s Chess, Basketball, Rugby and the Norman Clarke Concert will see the vast majority of our students involved in some way. I wish everyone the very best as they take part and ask that they do so in a spirit of participation, sportsmanship and humility.
This term is one of opportunity for the Gentlemen of Terrace – it is an opportunity to be involved, look after those who need it, and seek personal excellence both inside and outside the classroom. As always, the staff of Terrace are here to challenge and support. It is up to our young men to accept the challenge and make the most of the support. I wish everyone the very best as we commence another busy term at this wonderful College.