Principal's Message Week 7 Term One

International Women’s Day

The growing awareness, and celebration of, International Women’s Day is something that I have maintained for some time should be particularly marked in a boys’ school. We will celebrate at our assembly on Tuesday this week and recognise the women in our college community whose contribution is vital for the success of our school.

I offer my gratitude to all women at our school who work in a wide array of roles. Thank you for your commitment to Catholic education; thank you for your leadership, modelling and witnessing to a Gospel message of inclusion, welcome, liberation and with a commitment to justice for all.

This year’s theme of Balance the Scales encourages us to look to equity, and equality for women in the workplace, in society more broadly, and in relationship with all humanity. The theme also is a call to action: to move from words to making a tangible difference. We are called to make the world a safer, more just, and equitable place for women. In a school setting, our responsibility is to be explicit about what this looks like, and to teach as well as model respect, dignity, and advocacy for women. It is so important that the voices of women are heard and responded to.

Our school must be known as a place where women are respected, heard, and are equals. There is no place here for anything less. We all share in the business of helping parents grow good men, men of faith and courage. The role women play in this noble task is integral to the education we provide.

A belated, yet heart-felt happy International Women’s Day to all the women in our community.

On Camp

I have not been in a school where nearly the entire community scatters to the four winds and goes “on camp” simultaneously. What a mammoth organisational feat this is! I offer my thanks to the many staff who have given up nights with their own families, made alternate childcare arrangements, and shuffled their own lives to be with our boys so they can enjoy experiences that are both challenging, and fun! I offer a particular vote of thanks to Jason Sepetauc for his juggling of this mammoth puzzle of staffing, and student organisation.

In many places, and other states in particular, these experiences are fast disappearing. As schools look at the inherent costs of replacing staff, weighing the risk, and ensuring that compliance and governance requirements are met, the decision is often taken nowadays to cancel any overnight experiences. It is a shame because the outcomes of a camp and retreat are of course potentially enormously beneficial to our students. They get to try something new, that challenges their worldview, maybe even challenges their physical endurance, and perhaps, their patience!

Experiences away from home, and the school campus, provide a new lens, a different opportunity for growth, and even, the uncovering of new passions and gifts. They are places where independence is fostered; deeper friendships are formed; and teamwork, decision making skills and executive functioning are all required. For some boys, even having to manage their personal belongings, be organised without a parent helping, are all part of the fun.

We are fortunate that these camps and retreats are still on offer here at ATC. I expect that many young men will return home at the end of the week exhausted yet exhilarated.

Dr Craig Wattam

College Principal