Harmony Week this year ran from 16 - 22 March and is a recognition of our diversity and all that brings Australians from different backgrounds together. It is a recognition that ‘Everyone belongs’. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. At OLMC, we recognise that we are a very diverse community. We are proud of our diversity and strive to make all feel welcome and share in a sense of belonging.
This is the last newsletter of the term and therefore it is fitting to take a moment to celebrate the successes of our community. Firstly, I would like to thank all our families who came to one of the many parent evenings in support of your child and the College. It is heartening to see such strong involvement from families. There is much research that links strong relationships between school and family to positive learning and wellbeing outcomes for students. At OLMC, we are very aware of the strength of the relationships and we are grateful for your time and engagement.
The implementation of our Instructional Model and the enhancements to our Restorative Practices has been enormously successful. We hope that you have been hearing about some of those aspects at home. The newly styled CANVAS subject pages for students have also helped the implementation and support for our students. This will continue to evolve over the course of the year.
In Term 2, we are looking forward to works beginning on the building of our new Music Centre and the Wellbeing Centre. We anticipate that this will cause some minor disruptions over the course of the next twelve months. Students and families will be kept informed as our building works progress. The new facilities will add enormously to what are already outstanding facilities for learning.
We are living in uncertain times. The war in the Middle East is impacting the world and with it has come challenges we may not have anticipated. It is important for us to hold in our prayers all those who have suffered loss, been injured, displaced or live daily with the uncertainty about their safety and that of their children. I am sharing with you a prayer shared with the world by Pope Leo and hope that is it one you can turn to in these troubled times.
Lord of Life,
you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.
We believe you created us for communion, not for war,
for fraternity, not for destruction.
You who greeted your disciples saying, ‘Peace be with you,’
grant us the gift of your peace
and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,
asking that nations renounce weapons
and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,
so we may become instruments of reconciliation.
Help us understand that true security
does not come from control fuelled by fear,
but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.
Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations,
so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,
halt the arms race,
and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the centre.
May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit,
make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:
in our hearts, our families,
our communities, and our cities.
May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,
and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.
Amen.