As another year ends, I pause to reflect upon the memorable events of this school year. Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank Ms Lucy Swan who did an outstanding job as Acting Principal, whilst I was Principal at Thomas Carr College Tarneit for Semester One, and during my long service leave periods in Term 3 and 4. Lucy led the College with confidence and poise and ensured the College continued to flourish under her leadership. I would also like to thank the College Leadership Team and Dr. Brendan Jackson (Acting Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching), for the great work they did in my absence and continue to do in their respective senior leadership roles. I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of the College community, to thank our teaching staff for their efforts as they have been extremely diligent and generous with their own time to enable these significant events to take place. I would also like to thank the I.T, maintenance, counselling, learning diversity, library, support, administration, and finance staff who have worked diligently to ensure the College runs so effectively and smoothly.

This year we have continued to have quality learning and teaching occurring onsite, every day in the classrooms. We have also participated in many co-curricular activities, including SACCSS sporting events and competitions, camps, excursions, incursions, faith development days, whole school assemblies, masses and liturgies, music and drama concerts, Year 10 formal social, student leadership days, Live Fully Act Justly feast day and a particular highlight was the performing of the College musical ‘High School Musical’, to sell out audiences.

I thank and congratulate the increasing number of students acknowledged as Student Leaders. I would particularly like to thank Zalaika Farrugia, for her outstanding contribution to the college in her role as College Captain and College Deputy Captains Alyssa De Bono, Charli Nugara and Nyankat Deng, for doing a great job in their roles and for being outstanding role models for all our students. Each student leadership role continues to evolve and extend the student leaders’ responsibilities.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge the College School Advisory Council. I would like to particularly thank the SAC Chairperson Mr. Jason Kok and the Custodian of Mission Fr. Richard Rosse, parish priest at St. Catherine of Siena parish. The SAC have met regularly to discuss important information regarding the day to day running of the college as well as future developments, including master planning and finance.

We are filled with excitement and anticipation as the construction on our new triple storey building has now begun. The new building will encompass modern classrooms, and versatile spaces designed to inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation. This building will accommodate a new College entrance, administration reception office and foyer, conference room, meeting rooms, offices of the Business Manager and Finance Team, a second Staffroom and additional Staff Offices and associated spaces.

Additionally, this building will allow for two Food Technology rooms, with an adjoining dining room, two large collaboration spaces, four Art classrooms, three Music rooms and a recording studio and five general classrooms. This three-storey building will not only meet the urgent needs of the College for specialist classrooms and administration offices but will also future proof the site and ensure additional land is available for future building projects to meet projected enrolment growth.

We continue to build on the very positive relationships that has been established between CRC Caroline Springs and St Luke’s parish as well as our sister school St Francis primary school in Kizinga Uganda.

"In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is incomprehensible how there can be so many hungry children, so many children without an education, so many poor".

By reaching out in friendship and solidarity with the community of St Francis, Kizinga we have given hope to hundreds of children and their families who otherwise couldn’t access education. The support of our families has enabled the construction and furnishing of two brick classroom blocks; a food program; the refurbishment of the church with a concrete floor; and soon the installation of water tanks. Compassion, empathy and love for one another are the cornerstones of our teaching at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs and we are immensely proud of our community for continuing to embrace the Uganda Project.

In the very busy lead up to Christmas, we often miss Advent's power because these December weeks are full of Christmas shopping, parties and other end of year events. Each year, the business of this month serves to distract us from having an Advent season that truly prepares us for the celebration of Christmas, with all its meaning.

This Advent let us all remember; it is the feast that sings of the gift of life. The birth of a child moves us and causes tenderness. It is a stimulus to discover the warmth of simplicity, friendship and solidarity. Christmas can become an occasion to welcome, as a personal gift, the message of hope that emanates from the mystery of the birth of Christ.

As the 2023 year concludes, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs. I continually feel blessed that I work in a school environment where the College motto of Live Fully Act Justly is lived, breathed and enacted each and every day.

College Captains 2024
I would like to thank our 2023 College Captain Zalaika Farrugia, once again her College Captains address at the Yeasr 10 Graduation, which was absolutely outstanding and truly inspiring, as have all of her speeches been this year. She has been an exceptional leader and role model for all students. I also thank our 2023 Deputy College Captains Alyssa DeBono, Charli Nugara and Nyakat Deng for their great work as leaders in our school.

It is with great pleasure that I can now formally acknowledge and congratulate our School Captains for 2024:

College Captain – Rita Youssef
Deputy College Captains – Tomasso Corrente, Luca Previti, Tileah Tabone

These students will be formally acknowledged at the investiture ceremony at the start of next year. We eagerly look forward to working with these student leaders in 2024, and we wish them all the best in their roles.

Farewell Year 10s
The Year 10 Graduation Mass and Assembly was held in the College Hall on Thursday 30 November. It was wonderful to again gather as an entire school community on-site with students’ staff and families present.

During this evening we celebrated Liturgy together as a College community and formally acknowledged our Year 10 students who over their four years with us, have been guided by our motto of ‘Live Fully Act Justly’.

I ask our Year 10s to always remember the four relatively simple words of our College motto. Paradoxically these words are also very complex, deep and spiritual. Over their time at the College they would have heard them hundreds, if not thousands of times. These rather unobtrusive four words are truly reflected in their time at the College and we hope they are also forever etched in their mind and more importantly etched in their hearts. At the Liturgy we gathered together as a Catholic community to celebrate the wonderful gifts and talents of our students and we formally farewelled our Year 10s. We hope that they take the ‘live fully’ and ‘act justly’ aspect of our motto with them on their next journey and truly achieve fullness of life.

I would also like to wish all the best to our departing, Year 10 students. This group of students is an extraordinary and eclectic group of young men and women, both collectively and individually. They are scholars, athletes, narrators, engineers, musicians, mathematicians, artists, comedians, politicians and men and women of intense faith, devotion and spirituality.

Pope Francis recently said that:

"School not only expands your intellectual dimension, but also the human heart. In a particular way, Catholic schools are attentive to developing human virtues such as loyalty, respect, faithfulness, commitment."

When I look at you our departing Year 10 students, I have a genuine, optimistic hope for your future and for the future of our Catholic church. I feel certain, that your futures are bright, exciting, and positive. Through an active focus on our College motto ‘Live Fully, Act Justly,’ you our students have embraced a community in which faith is a 'hands on' experience in which you seek Christ in each other and in the world in which you live.

I would like to thank Father Gerard Keith parish priest at Resurrection parish Kings Park for leading us in celebrating the Graduation Mass. Thank you also, to all the staff and students who have been involved in preparing the Year 10 Graduation Liturgy and formal presentations. Firstly, our Head of Faith and Mission Mr Paul Sammut and his Ministry team and the Year 10 student leaders for overseeing the Graduation Liturgy. I also thank our Deputy Principal Wellbeing Mrs Katie Murray Fawcett, Year Level Leaders Dawn Rogers and Xavier Hayes for overseeing a whole team of staff involved in organising the Graduation ceremony. And a special thank you to the College maintenance and I.T teams who were actively involved in setting up and ensuring that all the technology components of the evening ran smoothly.

Presentation Evening: A Celebration of Excellence

Our Presentation Evening: A Celebration of Excellence will be held on Monday 5 December. This event will be an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of our 2023 Award recipients. Throughout the course of the evening, students will be presented with Academic Achievement and Excellence Awards, College Service Awards and other Major Awards for students in Years 7 through to 10. Celebrating together, the Presentation Evening gives us time to pause and take note of what we have achieved, individually and collectively, to honour and respect those who have excelled, and to give thanks. Congratulations to all Award recipients.

I would like to thank our Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching Lucy Swan, the Learning and Teaching team, the administration, I.T and maintenance teams and all staff and students involved, for meticulously overseeing the planning, preparation and implementation of the Presentation Evening: A Celebration of Excellence.

Wishing you all a happy, holy and safe Christmas.

Jamie Madigan
Principal