No. 8 of 2008 – Thursday 29 May

PASTORAL ISSUES  -  Mr Darren Flood

“Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”   2  Corinthians 9:7.  We are all intensely perplexed and disheartened, to say the least, by the recent senseless violence in our country and direct community.  I  have, however, experienced a taste of being part of the “Body of Christ” in all of this turmoil.  Although God certainly does not send pain and hurt, He is indeed in the pain and hurt, bringing His touch while experiencing the hurt with His children.  It is said that God has no hands but ours—we are part of God’s touch to those in pain when we reach out to those in need!  It has been heartwarming for me to see how folk in our College community have reached our to those in need.  The culture of giving is simply extraordinary—from parents, staff and indeed our boys all giving so freely  “Freely you have received, freely give.”  Matthew 10:8.  This desire to give has not only been during the recent crisis but over the past few years.  I believe this culture of giving has enabled the College to respond to the current situation in the positive way that it has.  Without asking, folk have responded so generously.  On behalf of the many in need whom God has touched through your generosity, THANK YOU!  I know that those who give (many on a continuous basis) wish to remain anonymous in line with what Jesus teaches.  “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret.”   Matthew 6:3-4.  Many trips are being made with all kinds of items to shelters in our community,  many litres of soup are being made to feed the hungry without congratulations or recognition—you are angels in disguise, the touch of God!  As much as they wish not to be mentioned, I believe a few very special people need to be mentioned for their consistent passion for bring Christ to those in need—Mrs Stoop, Mrs McCallum, Mr Wermuth and The Edmund Rice Society Boys—thank you for your constant dedication.  Let us continue to pray for peace in our land.   Live, Jesus, in our hearts forever.

HIGH SCHOOL – Mrs Pat Fitzsimons

SCIENCE EXPO

All science students from Year 8 to Year 12 will be taking part in a Whole School Science Expo on Thursday 12 June 2008.  Many of them have been working very hard on their exhibits and we expect the expo to be quite spectacular this year.  Different grades are dealing with various themes and will be displaying models, research and other gadgets or gizmos.  Parents and other guests are invited to view the exhibits from 17h00 to 18h30 on the day.  Who knows, you may just meet a future “Einstein”!  Best of luck to all our science students!  We look forward to a day of fun and excitement with you!  “The outcome of any situation is the direct result of a decision you made. You can determine the outcome of a circumstance with one choice—choose wisely” .  (Unknown)  Many of our young men chose very wisely over the last term, they chose to apply themselves to their studies, they chose to work hard at their sport and cultural activities, they chose self discipline and to be part of their College and support its values.  These choices have let to good circumstances for many.

ACADEMICS

Congratulations to the following boys who attained Academic Badges based on their 1^st Term results.

Year 8  -  75% + 4 A’s

Year 9  -  75% + 4 A’s

Year 10  -  75% + 3 A’s

Year 11  — 75% + 2 A’s

Year 12  -  70% + 2 A’s

Also thank you to the teachers who work so hard with the students and to their parents in supporting them and enabling them to achieve to this level.

SPORT

This continues to be a very busy term for all of our teams and their coaches. The 1^st team hockey in particular have been very busy in these past weeks, playing in the Aitken tournament and in the Edmund Rice Week over these past two weekends. I congratulate them on winning the Edmund Rice trophy and also congratulate those 7 boys who achieved their S.A.C.B.C. Colours. [See hockey report in the sports section.]

Our squash teams continue their winning streak and are un-defeated this year.  This Saturday sees another1st XV home game, it is compulsory for all boys to attend, we also invite parents to come and enjoy the match. The game will begin at approx 11:00 am.

HOME RUGBY FIXTURES   (Mr N. Askham)

As is the case with many all-boys schools, our school has a long and proud tradition of full attendance at all home rugby fixtures.  In the past, it was required that all boys wear their full school uniform.  (Obviously this did not include the players).  However, since most of our boys are involved in fixtures prior to the 1^st team matches, we started to allow the wearing of the full school tracksuit and golf shirt instead, as a practicality.  We are very blessed that most of our CBC families support our traditions and arrangements.  Sadly though, we experience difficulties from time to time with boys who simply don’t (or won’t) honour the commitments they have to this College, which are part and parcel of the privilege of attending this school.  This frustration is compounded when the guilty parties are senior boys who, quite frankly, should know better.  We have addressed the issue with our boys internally.  My intention here is to appeal to all parents, first of all, to ensure that your sons attend these events and secondly, to ensure that they all have the full school tracksuit and white CBC golf shirt.  In the interest of adequate communication, I would like to re-stipulate the arrangements and procedures regarding Saturday Home fixtures so that there can be no confusion:  All Saturday home 1^st team rugby fixtures are compulsory for all high school boys.  Please keep an eye on the  news letter for the dates.  Times may vary, but 1^st team games generally start at 11am.  Specifics will be communicated to the boys during the week preceding a home fixture.  All high school boys are required to be seated in the designated area 10 minutes before kick-off.

Boys must remain on the stands for the duration of the match.  They will be dismissed once the traditional “shuggie” (our war cry) has been completed and the litter cleared.  Boys are not permitted to make purchases from the tuck shop or trips to the toilets during the match.