The picture below is just a part of our Shalom representation at the ‘Walk for Awareness’ last Friday.  Lots of Bundaberg residents attended and there was a  great roll up from our schools.

 

At last week’s Assembly, I pointed out to students that we have so many people from all walks of life gather and march on ANZAC Day.  I posed to them that the effort we have to make to reduce family violence might need to be the same or greater.  This is our war – now.   So far this year, one person, mostly women and children, have lost their lives to family violence every four days in Australia.  With more than 50% of police work hours devoted to responding to Domestic Violence, is it any wonder that police resources are so strained and that they find it difficult to respond to other crimes?  Treating people with respect and demanding that respect, shouldn’t be an extraordinary thing.  It should be a very ordinary thing.  I listened to an interview recently with the coordinator of a therapy program that works with male domestic violence offenders.  The interviewee works with men who have been guilty of violence towards a partner in an effort to get them to put their lives on a better trajectory.  The two most common ‘explanations’ those men give for the reasons for their offence is:

 

1. “My partner / spouse / friend, made me mad”

2. I was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

 

Neither of these is good enough.  I am the only one responsible for my emotional responses just as I am the only one responsible for what I put in my body.  I hope that our young people are becoming more aware of this problem and will be better equipped to not tolerate poor behaviour when they hear or see that happen.  It’s up to each of us.

 

Parent ‘Plays of the Week’ – I usually reserve these highly sort after awards for students but I’m happy to expand it this week given some outstanding parent performances.  Sue H, mum of Gabe, Will & Evie, did 18 Parent Teacher interviews on the trot recently! Outstanding determination!  Last Friday, MacKillop House put on a Bake sale for their House Charity.  mother of Lana, donated ten dozen of the most amazingly decorated Cup Cakes & Purple Toffee Apples. It was a crime to eat them but we had plenty of criminals on the day.  Mrs Moller was blown away by the number of parents, grandparents and students who baked and donated.  MacKillop House made over $1000.

School Fees & Federal Funding – I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the funding mechanisms for Catholic schools are changing.  Whilst I hope that these changes won’t bring the pain for Shalom they may for others, parents should keep abreast of the changes and what they will mean.  Please click on the link to see a couple of easy to understand graphics.