ERC Updates

From the Director of Identity

People of Honour
This week we gathered as a school community today for the first time in nearly two years. We took time today to consider the kind of men and women each of us want to be by reflecting on God’s word, acknowledging our reliance on God’s strength, and considering whether we are living up to our potential.

Sometimes, it is easy to be caught up with the things that are important to us and to ignore what does not impact us directly. This is a human thing. In this season of Lent, we are called to reassess our commitment to practices that can lead us in the right direction in our quest for honour, away from selfishness and towards the true happiness found in being a man for others. Our Pastoral Care themes reflect the stages of growing in faith and life. As we progress through each step, we are given opportunities to become all that God intends us to be. One of those steps is to be a Man of Honour and we are all on that road.

Because we are a school for boys, we considered the example of St Patrick, St Joseph and Blessed Edmund Rice as role models who each had very different vocations but who honoured God by their lives. We can equally look to women who model these very same virtues. IN fact, our local parish, St Therese West Wollongong featured the feast of Gertrude of Nivelles on their social media! “She was born around 626 in present-day Belgium into a well-connected noble family. When she was 10, Gertrude reportedly refused – loudly and angrily —to be married to the son of a duke. In fact, she insisted that she would never marry at all. When her father died, Gertrude and her mother, Itta, moved to Nivelles (south of present-day Brussels) to set up a monastery, where she became an abbess.

She became known for her devotion to scholarly and charitable works, and for taking care of orphans, widows, and pilgrims. She was also visited by spiritual visions and said to know most of the Bible by heart. She is the patron saint of travellers, the recently dead, gardeners, the mentally ill and also cats!! It is worth looking up how this venerable lady became their patron!”

Finally, during Lent, we consider whether we are living our best lives. Today, each of us as students, staff, parents or friends of this community can consider if God is part of our lives? How can we look to examples of men like Edmund Rice and women like St Gertrude as models of what it means to be honourable?

Missions & Charities – Project Compassion Appeal for Tonga – $1758 so far!!
Instead of daily collections for the missions, we have moved to a collection each Friday. All of the money we are collecting this Term is going to support Caritas Project Compassion and their Tonga Relief Project. So far, we have raised $1758 And thank each student, staff member and family who has made a contribution. You can also donate through our College BPay system in this link, just choose ‘Mission/Charity in the dropdown box and write the Student’s name and Pastoral Care class in the form.

The theme this year is ‘For All Future Generations’ and we are encouraged to consider how the decisions we make each day impact others and even the future. Our advocacy focus through ERA for Change is on ensuring we understand our impact on the acceleration of climate change. While there is no doubt that climate change has always been a fact of life in God’s creation, the acceleration of climate change since the advent of the Industrial Revolution is undeniable and has been impacted by human activity. In Week 10 students will participate in an activity to learn more about the facts and to use their voices to ensure that we are speaking up for God’s creation and the poor and vulnerable who are most impacted by climate change.

Sustainability Prefect – Marcus Stevanoski – Tread Lightly Campaign
Next week on Tuesday 22 March, all boys are encouraged to bring in as many pairs of old, unused shoes as they can for EcoERC’s Tread Lightly campaign. The Australian Sporting Goods Association will be running a collection from schools all around the country to recycle these shoes, turning the materials into gym mats and playground equipment.

Pairs will be collected in Tuesday’s pastoral care period and counted, for the College to go in the draw to win one of eight prize packs, valued over $12,000. The best part? If our school wins, all the boys who donated shoes will be entered in the draw to win one of these great prizes. Students will receive one CSL hour for each pair of shoes they collect (max. 5 hours) as well as a point for their house. So now’s a great time to go through the shelf at home and clean out any old sneakers, thongs, slides, footy boots, golf shoes and runners and trainers for a sustainable cause!

Please note we can not accept: business shoes, school shoes, steel cap boots, wedges, pumps, boots (footy boots accepted) or heels.

In other news, Edmund Rice College is officially a Level 3 school in the Catholic Earthcare Schools Program! The rating is based on the cohesiveness of our EcoERC group, the various environmentally-conscious activities in classrooms, as well as programs such as the waste audit and bushcare program.

CSL for Year 7, 8 & 9

Over the last number of weeks, junior students at the College have been presented about their CSL commitment for 2022. As a College in the Edmund Rice Tradition, CSL is a pivotal way in which we remain faithful to our touchstone and students make their family, school, Church and local communities a more equitable place for all. With the College focus being the touchstone of Justice and Solidarity, CSL is an important way that students participate in this focus in a tangible way.

“Here is the summary of the CSL requirement for Years 7, 8 & 9

“Upcoming CSL Opportunities: Students are invited to donate unwanted pairs of shoes this Tuesday 22nd of March for the Treadlightly campaign. Bring your shoes to Pastoral Care Period and give them to your Pastoral Care Teacher. 1 Pair of shoes = 1 CSL hour (a maximum of 5 CSL are available per student). Also, students are awarded 1 CSL hour for every 20 plastic bread tags collected and returned to Mr Pullella in the Identity Office”

Mrs Hurley
Director of Identity