KINDNESS

Now that we have settled into the new school year, it is a timely reminder that kindness plays an important role in everything we do as a community founded on the story of the Sisters of Mercy and Edmund Rice Education Australia. We often talk about our College values of Wisdom, Justice, and Humanity. We also reinforce our Catholic Social Teachings of Human Dignity, Stewardship of Creation, Community and the Common Good, Subsidiarity, and Solidarity. At the heart of all this must be kindness.

Kindness cannot be shown off, you cannot be graded on it, and there are often few rewards for it, though we are all judged by others based on it. It is what made Jesus stand out from the crowd, it is what makes leaders different from managers, and it is what all good employers are searching for in their workers. Kindness is a personal trait that we must continue to work on each and every day, as well as constantly remind ourselves to focus more on lifting others than lifting ourselves. This is what makes a safe community – where people intentionally dedicate time and effort to helping others over themselves.

We could all do with the reminder to be more kind.

Because of this, all teachers will be discussing this in class with their students and reminding students of kindness as we continue through this term to reinforce this critical worldview that every person needs. This is because at OLSCC, our primary purpose is to Grow Great People, and ALL great people are kind. 

Kindness is a hard trait to master. A human’s instinct is to act selfishly, to do whatever advantages the individual, and at times of survival, this needs to happen. However, when we focus too much on our own wants and needs, we develop an unreasonably high sense of our own individual importance. This is at the opposite end of the scale to kindness, and when we realise, we are at this point, we must turn the dial back to kindness in order to be a valuable member of the team, class, school, and wider community.

• When all else fails, be kind.
• If you are unsure, be kind.
• If you are in a rut and don’t know what to do, be kind.
• If you need to help a friend, just be kind.
• Everyone needs kindness, and kindness always comes back around.

FACE COMMITTEE

Last night we couldn’t form a quorum to have our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is a great shame for our community. Without FACE, the following does not take place any longer at OLSCC:

• Saints Race Day
• Parent Engagement Evenings such as Dr Justin Coulson or Ms Madonna King
• Heads, Hearts and Hands
• Christmas Carols BBQ
• Book club, Pie Drives and general fundraising
• Grant submissions for facilities improvement
• Financial support for the ongoing development of the College

Seeing these things evaporate from our College would be very disappointing for Parent engagement and College support.

The challenge we face is simply perspective. Many people have their perspective skewed due to being on other committees in the past where excessive work was required for the duration of their engagement. The structure of FACE (under a P&F constitution) is not this intense, if we get a positive group of people to gather and take on responsibility for one or two items each. 

What are the responsibilities? These are outlined below. The greatest challenge with all of this is we need diversity and input. When there are only a few who will commit to the group, the workload can become large. When we have many, each is required to do little.

Roles in FACE:

• President, Vice President and Secretary – Come to 4 meetings a year (including the AGM) and generally ensure the other people are on track and supported. Organise opportunities for parent engagement (such as special guest evenings) and liaise with the College Leadership Team.

These are the only roles that are required to attend FACE meetings each term. Other roles are welcome to attend or provide a brief update regarding their portfolio.

• Treasurer – This role is undertaken by the Business Manager of the College – Sarah Hall
• Heads, Hearts and Hands – Nicole and Bec already have all of this under control, though would welcome others if they wanted to help gathering food and treats to provide to families who could do with a little hand at times.
• Saints Race Day Co-ordinator – engage a team to put together the event of Saints Race Day on an annual basis. It doesn’t always have to be bigger and better than previous years (after all if we have no FACE, we have no Race Day, and it will disappear off our calendar altogether!) Last year FACE booked a professional MC/speaker - great idea to reduce workload and engage the audience! Other roles the co-ordinator would oversee:
  • Raffle Prizes
  • Auctions Prizes
  • Sponsor Engagement
  • Design and decoration
  • Entertainment (MC / Music etc)
  • Set up, pack down and clean up

The ‘Saints” Group would most likely have sub meetings or maybe communicating with a specific app so that the event can be co-ordinated effectively.

• Book Club Co-ordinator
• Fundraising Co-ordinator
  • Pie Drive & Other ideas that both help the community and raise funds for FACE
• Carols BBQ Co-ordinator
• Grants writer

If we have a group of around 14 people to undertake these tasks, with a couple of helpers each, our FACE can run in a sustainable manner to continue supporting the College, engaging parents, and ultimately, supporting students in their holistic education at OLSCC.

If you can lend a hand, please come along to the second attempt of the Annual General Meeting on Monday 10 March at 5:30pm in the Library. It’s important to note that the College will not be allocating staff to perform the duties of FACE. 

If FACE cannot be formed, the above functions will cease to exist. Please talk to a friend and find one thing that you could do to assist. If you are unable to make the meeting, please send an email or contact the College Office with your interest.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal