Faith & Mission: Religious Education

mr Christopher Seeber | Head of Religious Education mr Tristan O’Brien | Head of Religious Education

Learning as encounter is a relational and optimistic teaching approach, one that opens up horizons of hope for the future for the individual learner, our school and the wider community. The Salesian Strenna for 2021 “Moved by hope See I am making things new.” Rev 21:5 has certainly proved to be prophetic this year. Students and teachers had expected to be past the worst of the pandemic, but as the year has progressed we have had to consolidate and refine our learnings and practices from last year. The RE department identified 3 goals at the beginning of the year: • To strive for a cohesive, high functioning team. • To develop and review units of work and assessments. • To develop and refine teaching skills and knowledge. To that end, the RE department developed two teams to redesign the RE curriculum at Year 7 and Year 8 level. The focus of these teams has been to incorporate the elements of Project Based Learning that engages students in authentic learning experiences with real life outcomes. This provides students with the opportunity to participate in collaborative, socially connected and relevant learning. VCE Religion & Society continues to grow and develop; this year we were fortunate to go an interfaith excursion, visiting Buddhist, Russian Orthodox and Muslim places of worship and meet various religious leaders. The Senior VCE students have also been able to engage in incursions from guest speakers to provide depth and diversity to the learning experience. Our showcase of religious artefacts is in position adjacent to the entry to the RUA Resource Centre. The showcase contains artefacts from a variety of religious traditions, including Judaism, Islam and Catholicism. Artefacts on show include The Torah, The Qur’an, a model of the Sanctuary of a Catholic church and a Relief map of Palestine. The aim of the showcase is to make the abstract nature of some religious rituals and practices more tangible, and broaden the understanding of our students. The Reflection Day program opened in Term 1 with the Year 12 cohort spending the day at the Amberley Centre in Templestowe. We were joined by Sam Clear from Walk4One who spoke to the Year 12s of his experience travelling the world searching for prayerful unity among all humanity. In the words of a Year 12 student: “Hearing Sam’s inspiring and engaging story was a highlight of the day.” In Term 2, the Year 11s travelled down to the picturesque Don Bosco Camp & Centre, Safety Beach to join the Yellow Arrow team to discuss identity, relationships and healthy masculinity. The Year 9s were led by their teachers as they visited Don Bosco Retreat Centre, Lysterfield. Immersed in games, discussions and challenging activities, students were able to consider the theme of Identity, Belonging & Service. The Year 10 Reflection Day was combined with the Social Justice Vinnies Sleep Out initiative and drew upon the Religious Education focus in Year 10, building the Kingdom of God and a just society. The Year 10s were called to learn, take action and reflect on the theme of homelessness as an injustice in our society. The Year 7 Reflection Day was the final event in our calendar, and took place in Term 4. Fortunately, the day was held on campus, Whether it was reflecting on their emotional challenges and growth in 2021, or racing around school during the Amazing Race, each student was offered multiple ways to nurture their sense of belonging in our Salesian family. None of these Reflection Days could have occurred without the generous support from staff. To all those who offered time to organise, prepare, lead and support the students I want to pass on my gratitude. A special mention must go to Barb in the canteen, who helped feed the students across all Reflection Days, and to the Year Level Coordinators who supported the programs with their organisation and leadership. A final thanks goes to Mrs Nadia Knight, the Assistant Principal (Faith and Mission) for her guidance and encouragement throughout the year. We acknowledge the efforts of the RE department to engage and inspire students this year. We will continue to strive for success in 2022.