Christian Brothers College Newsletter
Senior Campus 214 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000 P 08 8400 4200 F 08 8400 4299 Junior Campus 324 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000 P 08 8400 4222 F 08 8400 4220 CBC Community 178 East Terrace, Children’s Centre Adelaide SA 5000 P 08 8223 5469 F 08 8223 7803
A Birth-12 Catholic College for boys in the Edmund Rice Tradition
Email enquiries@cbc.sa.edu.au Website www.cbc.sa.edu.au
Term 1, Week 8
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Friday March 23, 2012
From The Principal Dear Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers,
Harmony Day - Internationalism of the Heart Some years ago I read Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie’s second novel, Midnight’s Children. One phrase which particularly resonated with me was the term ‘internationalism of the heart’. This is a particularly respectful and apt description for the multicultural diversity of our CBC community. On Wednesday, as part of National Harmony Day, the College celebrated our rich cultural diversity by recognising that our students represent 42 different countries across the globe. If we include their parents’ origin of birth then we represent over 68 different nations. Students from Reception through to Year 12 constructed a single chain of paper with each link representing one student’s simple yet profound positive statement about the creation of a peaceful world. This message of love will proudly hang in the College during Harmony Week. Harmony week reminds me to be prayerfully grateful for the precious and unique gift of life which is authenticated in the robustness of diversity. Michael Morwood in his novel Faith, Hope and a Bird Called George – A Spiritual Fable writes: “I approach the years ahead of me with a deep appreciation for the gift of life in this beautiful world and for the wonderful privilege of being aware of its beauty. I am so grateful that I finally learned how connected I am with this world, this universe, with God, and with all that is. I believe my human way of being “the heart of God on earth” will give way to being in the heart of God for billions and billions of years – and beyond.” This week let us give joyful praise to God for the gift of life, articulated in so many unique expressions through multiculturalism.
Students celebrating their diversity on Harmony Day.
Welcome to Japanese Students It is very fitting that in Harmony Week we welcome the following students and staff from Mejiro Kenshin High School, Japan: Mio Nishimura, Ryota Makinouchi, Akihiro Muto and Kazuma Yamaguchi. Our exchange students will experience life in the Year 9 classrooms during their stay at CBC.
Letters from the Public Last week I received a call commending CBC students who travelled on the 167 Bus on Pulteney Street. One of our boys helped an elderly lady off the bus at Richmond and she was most impressed by his manners.
Justice and Solidarity
We are committed to justice and peace for all, grounded in a spirituality of action and reflection that calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalised and the Earth itself.
Faith Excellence Community Compassion
One of our parents also wrote to me commending staff and students on the recent Year 5/6 trip to Canberra: Dear Mr Mifsud, I am writing to give you some feedback as a volunteer parent regarding the recent trip to Canberra. I have been amazed at the amount of energy and effort the staff has contributed to this exciting excursion. At a time when school camps seem to be declining, our students are given the opportunity of a lifetime to visit their country’s capital city! This is a very brave and ambitious effort. …