It’s a busy couple of weeks at Shalom.  This week we will Bless & Open the Coolock building and on Thursday night welcome AFL legend Leigh Matthews to Shalom.  On Friday, Leigh will help us celebrate our new AFL oval.  Tuesday night next week we will celebrate the Academic, Cultural and Sporting success of so many young people.  That is a very worthwhile celebration.  On Friday next week, we will farewell our Year 12s at their Graduation and those young people will start external examinations the following week.  Events like these remind our community of what we value and what contributes to the creation of a positive culture at Shalom.  Culture is what sets institutions and organisations apart.  It’s a point of difference.  What we celebrate and how we do that is really important.  As we reflect on what is important at Shalom, I hope we embrace the best of being ‘Woke’.  Personally, I object to the sense that being ‘woke’ is being used as a derogatory description.  Amongst the many accusations cast at Jesus of Nazareth, could well have been that he was ‘woke’.  The following reflection, from an Anglican Minister, was shared with me recently

ON BEING A ‘WOKE’ CHURCH

So if loving our neighbour makes us woke,

Then we’ll stay wide awake.

If doing justice makes us woke,

then we’ll stay wide awake.

If welcoming the stranger makes us woke;

If feeding the hungry makes us woke;

If proclaiming that God is love makes us woke,

then we’ll stay wide awake.

The opposite of woke is not ‘conservative’.

The opposite of woke is asleep.

and God’s people cannot afford

to be asleep while our neighbours

cry out for dignity, safety and love. 

Rev Dr. Jonathan Chapman

Leigh Matthews will be at Shalom on Thursday evening.  Among Leigh’s career highlights –

• 4 AFL Premiership wins as a player
• 4 AFL Premierships as a Coach
• 8 Best & Fairest Awards
• All Australian Team 1972, 1982 & 1983
• Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
• Player of the Century

Leigh is an Australian sporting icon.  He is being brought to Shalom by our Parents & Friends.  Tickets are $40 per adult and $20 for students – canapes included.  Whether you are a footballer lover or not, Leigh Matthews has a great message about life, success, difficulty and facing up  to reality that is worth anyone listening to.  A great event for Dads and their Sons but everyone is welcome.  Don’t miss this. Tickets are available -https://www.trybooking.com/DCPOK

Awards Night (Tuesday Oct 21) is one of our premier celebrations of the year.  It is an absolute highlight.  We congratulate a lot of very worthy young people.  Parents attending that event to support their child or others are asked to be in their place ten minutes before the scheduled commencement and to stay through until the end.  It is a bit disrespectful to others to get up and leave after your child has received an Award.  It is always a good night and we do our best to make it as ‘efficient’ as possible.

All Schools Touch Teams returned to Shalom tired and happy.  We had 6 teams take part in the event at the Gold Coast.  It was a huge effort from staff and Mr Ben Straneiri who coordinated the whole exercise.  Our young people get so many great opportunities because we have so many staff ready to give up their own time to enable those events to occur.

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal
Daniel_McMahon@rok.catholic.edu.au