It has certainly been a very productive and busy first 6 weeks of Term 1. It has been wonderful to have returned to a somewhat sense of normal school life with many co-curricular and whole school activities and events being held onsite and some remotely.

As we enter into March and the season of Autumn, it is timely to reflect on some of this year’s key events so far:

• 1004 Students have been engaged in day-to-day classes and learning
• Opening/Ash Wednesday College Mass
• Student Leadership Investiture Ceremony
• Student Leadership Development Day
• Social Justice Leaders Development Day
• Years 7-10 online House Spirit Building activities
• College Swimming Carnival
• Year 10 Premier League
• SACCSS Junior Golf
• Carnevale Day
• Caritas Fundraising Activities
• Year 9 Program incursions
• Japanese Taiko Drumming Performance
• Year 7 Parent Information session was conducted as a live streamed event on MS Teams and was very well attended by the parent body
• Outdoor Education Surfing excursions
• Year 8 Kryal Castle Excursion
• Mama Mia Musical auditions
• Years 7 Camps will take place from Monday 21 March

All these events and activities take planning and preparation to ensure that they are successful events. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the CRCCS community to thank our staff for their effort. They have been extremely diligent and generous with their own time to enable the many events listed above to take place.  Without the support of staff, these activities simply would not take place, so I thank staff most sincerely for their efforts.

Catholic Education Week

Staff, Students and Friends of our CRC Caroline Springs Community, in the week beginning Sunday 13 March, all Catholic Schools in Victoria will be celebrating Catholic Education Week. Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne to celebrate their Catholic identity, the pivotal role they play within their local community and the strength of the sector.

At CRC Caroline Springs, we take seriously our primary purpose of nurturing our students’ faith. Christian teaching is central to our work and the challenge for us is to continually ensure it is included in all we do.

Parents & Friends Association

This year we are looking to further develop our Parents & Friends Association, as we see this as a very important support group for our College. Unfortunately, the last two years due to COVID-19 restrictions we were unable to meet regularly and hold our usual social and fundraising events. Meetings are open to and attended by interested parents/carers, friends of the College, teachers and administrative staff as well as the Principal, or one of the Deputy Principals.

Everyone is welcome to come and meet other parents/carers, to learn more about our wonderful College as well as participate and share in general discussion often relating to significant issues about school events. We are currently awaiting an update to the CECV School Operations Guide to provide further information regarding the health and safety guidelines for these meetings. Further information will be made available as it becomes available.

We would like for interested parents to please email the College at principal@crccs.vic.edu.au

St Patrick’s Day

Thursday 17 March is St Patrick’s Day. It is a global celebration of Irish culture and remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century.

St Patrick is known and admired all over the world as the young slave who became an unlikely hero, the shy boy transformed into a courageous missionary. Patrick came to an alien land that soon became his adopted home, and a foreign people became his friends. He was no brilliant scholar but a man of deep faith tried and tested in the fires of slavery and exile. At first a reluctant preacher until filled with the strength of the Trinity he overcame his fears and limitations to establish one of the strongest Churches in the Christian world.

Patrick was a towering figure. He had a strong biblical faith centred on the Trinity. He was deeply familiar with the Word of God and pondered it day and night. He lived in intimate union with Christ who was always before, behind, above, within him. Every step he took was in the company of Jesus, every word he spoke was inspired by Jesus, every breath was full of the spirit of Jesus.

The faith of Patrick worked its way into every fibre of life. The true Irish faith of which we can be so proud made our forefathers a people of saints and mystics, of poets and scholars. St Patrick was a great saint. May he be our guide and inspiration.

In this prayer he asks for God’s help in various ways:

May the Strength of God pilot us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Salvation, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.