At the end of an exhausting Term 3, Mr Mark Bonnici, Mrs Meagan Armstrong, Joseph Hussein, Daniel Pearce, Jackson Robb, Kai Darwin, Aaron Judd, Aidan Davis, Joshua Armstrong and I all substituted a “once in a lifetime” adventure for our normal school break.  This was our school’s annual trip to Kenya to experience the amazing culture and people of this diverse land.Enter leader text here Kesheni is Swahili for “Stay Awake” and this is the hope for not only our team, but all who we now encounter.  That is, to stay awake and aware of the plight of millions of our Kenyan brothers and sisters who live in abject poverty in the Kibera and Makuru slums, both located in Kenya’s capital Nairobi.  The good news is, that there is a growing level of hope that strategies in place are making a difference.  Our school makes an annual contribution to The Mary Rice Centre, located on the periphery of the Kibera slum.  We were privileged to see and experience the great work being done by the locals.  The school caters for the most marginalised of children, coming not only from the slum, but also with profound intellectual disabilities.  Deep-set cultural views dictate that any family with such children is “cursed”, yet The Mary Rice Centre welcomes them warmly.  Teachers, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists cater for these students, mobilising them for employment in the best of cases.  All of our hearts were deeply touched to see the love and commitment of the staff in this place.  It was doubly heartening to note that construction undertaken in part by the Eddies team of 2018 had been added to, and the facilities, whilst modest by western standards, were serving their purpose in a great way. Possibly the other most notable force for good that we partnered with on our stay, were the youth workers from the Kibera slum, led by Samuel Karanja who has an existing relationship with St Edward’s from previous immersions.  For these youth workers, the mission is very personal.  Almost all of them grew up in the slums and have used the power of education to break that cycle within their own lives.  They were now role models for the children of Kibera.  Our seven fantastic Year 11 students collaborated seamlessly with these youth workers to help and inspire the young ones. Other places of social justice that we visited were: The Ruben Centre – an amazing outreach on the edge of the Makuru slum, catering for such needs as maternity, pre and primary school education, micro financing of small businesses, physiotherapy and OT services, workforce skill building and public awareness of corruption within the community. Our students also did some brilliant classroom teaching! The Women for Women centre – helping young women to have a voice in amongst the abuse and misogyny that has infected the community. St Stephen’s informal school – a school located inside the Kibera slum. It was a privilege for the students and I to also teach some classes here. The Advocacy Centre – which advocates for children's rights chiefly through an amazing commitment to educating the community as a whole. Other experiences on this memorable excursion included: Visiting the famed Rift Valley The students being invited to dance on stage in front of an audience at The Kenyan Cultural Centre Seeing baby elephants at an orphanage Dining at Carnivores restaurant – enjoying ostrich, crocodile and ox along the way! Touring the National Park and almost seeing an attack on a baby giraffe by a male lion I think I speak for all involved in heartily recommending this trip to any prospective participants in the future.  It is a perspective challenging, yet fun experience. Mr David Ritchie [smallgallery fooid="22275"]

Following the incredible generosity of the College community, we were able to donate women and girls underwear to three different groups in Kenya. On our visit to the Ruben Centre, located in the Mukuru community, we donated 50 pairs of Modibodi underwear to the health clinic staff who were so pleased to be able to distribute these to women accessing the health clinic for maternity care. On the day of the Edmund Rice Camp for marginalised youth, the young girls were so excited at the end of the day to be able to choose some brand-new underwear to take home – the chatter was a joy to hear!  Then the camp volunteers, camp leaders and cooks were also delighted to be given the opportunity to choose some for themselves and their friends.  They were so grateful! Finally, visiting Women for Women on the final day, Sr Leonida and a wonderful group of women at the centre, were ecstatic to take delivery of over 1400 pairs of underwear to be given directly to the women and girls of the Kibera community.  They were so very humbled and grateful to the Eddies community and personally asked us to pass on their deepest gratitude and prayers to all those who donated.  It was such an honour to be a part of this wonderful moment and to meet such beautiful people in these organisations, making a difference in the world.  In total, we took over 1700 pairs of undies and the impact this donation had on those we presented them to, will forever be in our memories.  Thank you. Meagan Armstrong

Year 12 marked the end of their formal classes with three very special ceremonies this week. The first of these ceremonies was the Graduation Mass. This was the final time Year 12 students  gathered as a group with their parents and family members to celebrate the Eucharist at St Edward’s College. The theme for this mass was Young Men with Purpose, which has been the Year 12 Pastoral Theme for the year. On Thursday, the St Edward’s Old Boys Union provided a breakfast for the Year 12 students to officially welcome them into the Old Boys fraternity. A whole school academic assembly followed this breakfast, where we acknowledged students for their academic endeavours. First and second place in each course and various special awards in leadership and service were presented and the Dux of the 2019 year is announced. Congratulations to all the award winners for their sustained efforts throughout the HSC Year. We wish all of Year 12 the very best of luck in their final exams and look forward to seeing them at the HSC End of Year BBQ on Monday 17 December. Graduation Mass [smallgallery fooid="21584"]   Farewell Assembly [smallgallery fooid="21627"]

During a solemn and beautiful mass presided over by Father Timothy, the College welcomed the prefect body for 2019-20. Their badges were blessed and pinned on their blazer by one of their parents. At the conclusion of mass the 2019 - 2020 College Captain and Vice Captains were announced. Congratulations to: Captain:  Jackson Robb Vice-Captain: Daniel Brazier Vice-Captain: Joseph Hussein Prefect: Joshua Armstrong Prefect: Lars Cleeran Prefect: Jacob Curcio Prefect: Aidan Davis Prefect: Samuel Dewey Prefect: Johan Fernandes Prefect: Daniel Hope Prefect: Kane Howe Prefect: Aaron Judd Prefect: Ashleigh Palupe Prefect: Daniel Pearce Prefect: Ethan Short Prefect: Jordan Terzian During this moving ceremony, the students performed various hymns, which provided a prayerful atmosphere. Thanks to Salvatore Tropiano and our music staff for preparing the musicians. These items were outstanding and displayed the many hours of hard work that went into the preparation of the songs. Ashleigh Palupe presented an insightful speech about leadership that was inspiring. A big thank you to all who contributed to this wonderful community celebration.   [smallgallery fooid="21084"]   Leadership Speech - Ashleigh Palupe [embed]https://youtu.be/3I0wTeq08S0[/embed]   Musical Performances [embed]https://youtu.be/SIa05DqglwI[/embed]

Last Monday and Tuesday were very exciting for the Music Department. On Monday we had our Year 11 and 12 Performance Evening with approximately 80 parents, teachers and friends in attendance. The boys were a touch nervous, but were well supported and exhibited some truly memorable performances which highlighted the skills and hard work which has gone into their pieces so far this year. Year 12, of course, also gained a valuable rehearsal in front of a live audience prior to their exam in a couple of weeks’ time. As the theatre was already decked out with instruments, amps, lights and smoke machines (courtesy of our amazing Year 11 and 12 Entertainment students), we decided it would be fun to put on a performance showcase the very next day in back to back concerts for our Year 7 and 8 students. Our Year 9 and 10 electives were simply amazing. The selected pieces ranged from Beethoven to Green Day and had our junior students clapping and singing along! Many thanks to Mrs Emmett (and the Entertainment students) and Mr Droz  for their assistance and support with both of these events.   [smallgallery fooid="21007"]   Years 9 and 10 Performances [embed]https://youtu.be/8be4uKnVUC0[/embed]   Years 11 and 12 Evening Performances [embed]https://youtu.be/nnYogC6iZZE[/embed]

St Edward's College stands tall in the sporting arena. The diversity of sports participated in by the College and achievements attained are impressive.  The College would like to recognise the dedication of students and coaches in the sporting arena. Outstanding team accomplishments in 2019 are listed below: Broken Bay Secondary Schools Sports Association Swimming Champions Cross Country Champions Open's Touch Football Champions Under 15's Touch Football Champions Under 13's Touch Football Runners-up Intermediate Football Champions Open's Football Runners-up Under 13's Football Runners-up Open's Basketball Champions Intermediate Basketball Champions Junior Basketball Champions Athletics 12 and 13 years Age Champions Athletics 14 and 15 years Age Champions Athletics 16+ years Champions All Schools Under 13's Rugby League Central Coast Champions Under 14's Rugby League Central Coast Champions Under 15's Rugby League Central Coast Champions Open's Rugby League Central Coast Champions Under 16's Rugby League Central Coast Runners-Up Under 14's Rugby League NSW All Schools Champions Under 15's Rugby League NSW All Schools Champions Open Rugby League Schoolboy Trophy Champions Under 14's Rugby League Cochrane Cup Champions Year 8 Oztag NSW Champion of Champions Semi-Finalists Year 9 and 10 Touch Football – NSW All School Semi-Finalist, National final to be played 17-20 September 2019) Under 14's Futsal Northern NSW Championships Runners-up Under 14's Rugby Union Waratah Cup Grand Finalists (team withdrawn due to clash of dates) Debating successful and will compete at the  National Finals Under 13's Rugby 7's Central Coast Champions Under 15's Rugby 7's Central Coast Champions Under 17's Rugby 7's Central Coast Champions   [smallgallery fooid="20849"]

Year 11 Examinations commence Monday 16 September. Please see the full timetable below, individual timetables are available on the Student Portal. Yr 11 Exam Schedule 2019  

Healthy Screen Time and Problematic Overuse St Edward’s College is holding a very important parent seminar regarding screen addiction. Parents are encouraged to attend this informative talk from Brad Marshall, Clinical Psychologist. The talk will be held in the College Theatre on Wednesday 18 September 2019 from 6.30 pm. Tea and Coffee will be provided from 6.00 pm. Please see the flyer below for more details. Enquiries should be directed to Kellie Atkinson on 4321 6420 or by emailing katkinson@stedwards.nsw.edu.au   Click Here to RSVP