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Message from the Principal We are a people of faith at St Francis College. Our Catholic faith is informed by our Franciscan charism. Our faith, our desire to know Jesus and to work towards living God’s kingdom everyday means we have a special responsibility to ensure that our community: lives the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we are literate in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition so that we may participate critically and authentically in faith contexts and wider society. The Most Reverend Archbishop Mark Coleridge states that in educating our young people we must: respond not only to the facts on the ground, but also respond to the grace of the moment. We are graced at St Francis College with a Catholic community committed to Catholic education. We are also graced with other faith traditions seeking our Catholic college to educate their children. We are open to other faiths and are sincere in our endeavor to learn from and with them in our Catholic context. As Archbishop Coleridge states: An inclusive, excellent Religious Education is a right of every student entrusted to our care. We believe our College Mission and Vision statements indicate that we strive to provide an education that challenges students to grow and learn; and we strive to provide this education in a family environment where students feel safe and supported. Our College family is rich in diversity – we celebrate our rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds but we are united in our commitment to a Franciscan education following in the footsteps of Jesus. Our Franciscan values are important to us. Our teaching and learning and pastoral frameworks endeavour to create a climate where we value each individual in the spirit of hope, care and compassion. We work for justice and sustainability. At the heart of our College is a recognition that faith and education must be in harmony to ensure that our students can take their place in society as citizens with values, skills and an understanding of the complex issues that they will confront in their journey of life. This journey at the College involves a close partnership between students, families and staff. We hope our actions reflect our beliefs. St Francis challenged us to ‘Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words’. We are grateful to our staff who are committed to teaching our young people religion and to working with our young people and families to create an authentically Catholic Christian community. In particular I am grateful for the work of Ms Cathy Barrett and Mr Rob Canning who had the vision to inspire our community to create and implement the Religious Education curriculum. We believe our students are our finest ambassadors. We are excited about the new Religious Education curriculum. We believe it will help us continue to grow in our relationship with an understanding of our God. Tricia Kennedy |