Dear Members of the St Gregory’s College family,
I must say that I do love this time of the year, with the brisk morning and the absolutely glorious weather during the day! There has been plenty happening across our College and in particular within our Senior School this past fortnight with our Year 7-10 exams, Family Weekend, Careers Expo, CSDA Debating, Bill Turner Cup, NSWCCC Trials, and so much more, let alone all the great things taking place in the classes.
LEARNING is not about the Device
Learning is not limited to the classroom. One of the many benefits of the technology is opportunities for meaningful learning outside of the classroom. The device is a learning tool that is an integral part of learning in a St Greg’s Classroom.
We live in a world where information is “all around us”. Our students here at St Greg’s are growing up being constantly connected to the world around them. Sometimes, too connected – I know that this is a conversation in my household on a regular basis! Making sense of this information, time on devices and how we ensure that this connection is positive becomes an important responsibility of us as teachers and parents.
Preparing our students for the world in which they live places particular demands on us as teachers to adapt our curriculum and our teaching methods to facilitate the achievement of those skills. Since the implementation of devices in classes many years ago, it has provided us with opportunities for student choice and facilitates students taking responsibility for their own learning. In saying that, there is a time and place for this technology, balance is key and knowing what is the purpose of the lesson? There is an absolute need for explicit teaching and learning free from devices. This is where knowing your child/student is vital. Here at Greg’s, our teachers and our classrooms are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of students here at Greg’s. To do this, our teachers are continually learning new things. They are professionally developing different teaching and learning methods to accommodate the changes in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). As a result, today’s classrooms are significantly different than they were five years ago. We want our students here at St Greg’s to be able to collaborate, problem solve, think creatively, show flexibility and be able to communicate effectively with one another.
Adolescents, particularly, are drawn to outrageous, scandalous, and negative stories. The more they click on these stories, the more these stories will appear, and the cycle continues. The online world has created a generation of adolescents whose values and beliefs are confused and unsettled, and in some adolescents their view of the world can be quite negative and disconnected with a bigger impact on their mental health.
Technology does not teach students how to be respectful, caring, and passionate individuals that we expect to see at St Gregory’s College, that is the job of both the teachers and parents. As a Marist School we want our students filled with the 5 characteristics of Marist Teaching in their learning. We want our students to be full of presence, simplicity, family spirit, love of work and to do this in the way of Mary.
While the challenges may seem daunting as a parent and as a teacher, I am confident of our ability to respond effectively regarding technology. The device is a tool that is aiding the learning of our students and enhancing their school experience.
Celebrating Student Success
Connor Rose – Year 10
The Cultural Choice program in partnership with the Sydney Roosters have provided our Deadly Artist Connor Rose with a wonderful opportunity as part of the NRL’s Indigenous round celebrations this past weekend to paint up a NRL players boots.
It was a great day to head in and see the players appreciate the works of all the talented artists. I can attest that when Naufahu saw his boots, he shouted out to the boys that he had the best pair.
If you are interested in adding to your collection of artwork these boots are now up for auction and will end in the next 2 days. With the current bid at $150 these boots are a steel, if you are interested please click on the link below or on the first picture.
https://ccai.org.au/.../naufahu-white-roosters-2024.../
Malachi Agoo - Year 12
Another one of our star performances of late, has to be Malachi Agoo.
Malachi has made the NSWCCC Volleyball Team. What a wonderful achievement from Malachi, a fantastic performance and one that he should be extremely proud of!
Lucas Rossi, Lachlan Dooner and Cooper Black – Year 12
Three of our Year 12 students have been very successful in making the NSWCCC Open Rugby League Team.
These boys have represented the College extremely well and we congratulate them for their successes.
Congratulations boys!
Student Successes
Through the newsletter, I will draw your attention to some of the outstanding efforts, successes and ventures that our students achieve that we love to celebrate. Please email any success to me so we can continue to celebrate with your son or daughter to jweekes@stgregs.nsw.edu.au.
Have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing you all back for Week 6!
As our St Gregory’s College motto states, ‘You will reap what you sow’.
Joel Weekes
Assistant Principal/Head of Senior School