News

Remembrance Day – Saturday 11 November
Remembrance Day is an opportunity for us to pay tribute to those men and women who have given their lives in the service of our country. As part of the College tribute, our Year 7 students will attend the Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial in Canberra, and our 2018 College School Captains, Evangelia Wichmann and Daniel Ker, will lay a wreath at the Mount Gambier service at Vansittart Park. 

Such commemoration helps us reflect on events that have shaped our history and on the lives that have been impacted by the will of others.  As we reflect on those who have offered themselves for the cause of freedom, let us not forget the part our faith can play in bringing peace to our world.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Ever Patient Teacher,

show us the ways of tolerance, teach us the ways of justice.

 Draw us all in heart and mind nearer Jesus Christ your son,

Prince of peace. Amen

Feast Day of Venerable Catherine McAuley, Saturday 11 November
Our College draws inspiration from four founders, one of them being the Venerable Catherine McAuley. From her “House of Mercy”, which opened in 1827, to the founding of the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1831 through to today where there are more than 12,000 Sisters of Mercy worldwide, running 200 health care facilities, 19 colleges, 58 schools and provide many other services that help people of every age, their mission has remained constant. Catherine knew that to be a real help to the poor and needy, she needed to be among them so that she could see the realities of the struggles they faced on a daily basis.

Known in Ireland as the “walking nuns” because they spent so much time in the community helping people, the Sisters of Mercy gave, and still do, give voice and hope to many in our world. Catherine died in 1841and Pope John Paul II declared Sister Catherine McAuley “Venerable” in 1990. This is the first step on the path to sainthood.

Catherine always said that “proof of love is deed”. For Catherine McAuley, ‘stepping up to the potential of one’ was her daily endeavor and it is an inspiring example of how we can let our empathetic and caring deeds be the proof of our love for Jesus and others.

2018 Trainees
I am delighted to inform you that the following students have been appointed as our College trainees for 2018:

Georgia Williams        Education Support / OSHC Trainee

Jordan Gould              Sports and Recreation Trainee

Lauren Holmes           Front Office Administration Trainee

Molly Taylor                Public Relations and Events Trainee

Connor Clark              Information and Communication Technology Trainee

Riley Thomson            Grounds and Maintenance Trainee

We congratulate these students and thank all those students who applied for positions with the College. Thank you also to staff who conducted the application and interview process for the College. Their efforts and diligence have been appreciated.

The trainee program is a significant initiative for the College because it validates the students who leave our learning community as graduates, ready and well prepared for the workforce, and also underlines our commitment to training and development as an authentic learning community.

Principal’s Performance Appraisal
I enclose a note from Sue Kennedy Branford, Principal Consultant with Catholic Education South Australia.

“Sue Kennedy-Branford, Principal Consultant from the Catholic Education Office and two Principals from other Catholic colleges are currently facilitating David Mezinec’s appraisal. The appraisal panel would like to extend an invitation to any parents/carers to provide feedback via email regarding David’s leadership of the College.

There may be feedback about particular initiatives or innovations David has lead, and/or observations about some of his strengths and challenges as Principal of a large, complex school.  The panel is keen to hear about David’s impact in the following general areas:

• Leading Teaching and Learning
• Promoting a strong Catholic Identity
• Leading Improvement, Innovation and Change
• Leading the Management and Administration of the College
• Engaging and Working with the Community

It is David’s desire that this process be open to all who should wish to contribute and he is very keen for everyone to have a voice in this appraisal.

A number of individuals will be interviewed by the panel as part of this process. While the panel cannot meet with more than a selection of community members, it hopes anyone who would like to offer feedback will do so by forwarding any comments to Sue (sue.kennedy-branford@cesa.catholic.edu.au ) by Friday 17 November 2017.

Please be assured that the information shared will be treated in strict confidence. No individuals or their responses will be identified to anyone other than the panel members, and only summary information will be shared with David.

David would really appreciate your support with this process. It aims to celebrate his work so far, as well as to offer the opportunity for community feedback of any nature for him to reflect upon as he continues to exercise his leadership.”

Mount Gambier Christmas Parade
Tenison Woods College is a very busy place with many opportunities provided for students. As such, I inform families that it has been discerned that the Junior School and Early Learning and Community Centre will be entering a float in the Christmas Parade on a bi-annual basis, therefore this year we will not be entering a float. It is anticipated that this approach will enable more families and children to be involved, not only on the float, but also with the deliberate and elaborate preparation and planning that is required to facilitate a quality-type experience for our young.

Parish Facebook Page
Check out the parish Facebook page, ‘like’ and ‘follow’ it at www.facebook.com/mtgambiercatholicparish

Satisfaction Surveys
We at Tenison Woods College are constantly reviewing our offerings and approach, refining as required, with the aim of ensuring that we offer our young the best possible opportunities and outcomes.

To this end I invite our parents/carers to participate in a Satisfaction Survey that will offer us data to reflect on the type of learning community we are creating and the type of issues we need to consider to make the College the best possible.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could take the time to complete the Parent Satisfaction Survey by Thursday 16 November. The link is below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C3CK6NW

BYOD at Tenison Woods College
For more information about the BYOD program, obtaining free Microsoft Office software and device options, please visit the Portal@TWC help site www.tenison.catholic.edu.au/portaltwc

It is a wonderful resource prepared and curated by our committed ICT Support Team.

God Bless,

David Mezinec | Principal

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