How sweet it has been to me to be deprived of the delights of a frivolous world! What incomparable joy have I felt after a privation once so dreaded.
-- St. Augustine
HOLY THURSDAY – EASTER SUNDAY
HolyThursday often called Maundy Thursday, is the day we remember the Last Supper, the Passover Meal that Jesus celebrated with the Apostles. This morning students shared in an Easter Liturgy that reminds them of the humility and suffering of Jesus. On GoodFriday the passion and death of Jesus on the Cross are remembered. This day is one of only two days that we are asked to abstain from meat, the other being Ash Wednesday. Saturday is considered to be a day of sombre reflection. On Easter Sunday we truly celebrate Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection gives us all new life and the hope that we too will live again with Jesus. This, of course, is the high point of the Christian calendar and as a symbol of our new life, we give eggs to each other.
The Easter story is one of challenge, hardship, commitment, and new hope. We are invited to think about the standards we set through our actions, and encourage us as Christians to act in a way that is a clear demonstration of our faith.
Perfection is not about how much time we spend in devotion or study, or how often we perform them, rather it is measured by the quality of what is done. Over the Easter break we can look to our faith to forgive and renew ourselves and those around us with joy and hope.
To the young men and staff traveling to the United States with Drama, Italy on the language immersion, and Spain and the U.K with Football – safe travels.
I wish all of our families a wonderful Easter and hope that the time we spend together is valued.
Student Leadership
Max Martin, College Captain
The ticking clock | Exams | Student Voice | Augustinian Order visit | Holidays and tours
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." Robert Frost
The ticking of the clock continues and before I could even look up to the time, we are about a quarter way through the year. The Easter break dawns upon us and provides us with a period of rest. Term 1 has flown by – but just as Robert Frost recognises, life is full of ups and downs, wins and losses, calmness and challenges. But through all this, life continues. What I have found is that in my often-frenetic life, the College and the wonderful people who make this community have helped me to adapt and evolve as we all navigate its twists and turns.
Over the past few weeks, the most dreaded experience known to students has presented itself to us – Exams (shivers go down my spine as I even type the word). As a person who gets quite stressed about certain assessments (exacerbated by this being my second round of Year 12 Exams), I cannot be more thankful for the help of my teachers. The dedication and effort they put in does not go unnoticed, and it really makes me take a minute to appreciate the special people here at the College who just want to help us strive for our personal best. Whether that be my Modern History and Drama teacher who held multiple after-school classes to help us, my Maths teacher who would always be quick on direct messages, responding with solutions to questions that I couldn’t figure out, or my Italian teacher who goes out of her way to find extra resources to expand my knowledge – I want to take this moment to say to all teachers, on behalf of us at the College, thank you.
Now, with that being said, Term 1 has been one exciting start to the year. As a Student Leadership Team, we held a Student Voice Week during the middle of the term with many activities that aimed to empower the voice and agency of boys at the College. It was really great seeing boys from every part of school life, from Years 5 to 12, being sure to ‘get amongst it’. Over the past two weeks, we held a basketball competition in the Brimson for Years 10-12, and once again it was awesome to see the Brimson Hall packed with students who were supporting their friends and Houses. For me, this is who we really are as a community – a bunch of diverse young men with individual talents and traits that come together in unity as one Augustinian body.
Augustinian Order
Expanding on the theme of gratitude, we as a College were extremely grateful that on 27 March 2023 some of the top leading English-speaking Augustinians from all around the world came to visit us. It was a really enjoyable time as many leaders of the College, including the Student Leadership Team and the Student Representative Council, went to the Auditorium to meet with them.
Vice-Captain Charlie Darrow, Head Prefect Hugh Brogden, and I, delivered a speech discussing the prevalence of the Augustinian values of Truth, Love, and Community that encompass everyday life. We informed them about many endeavours that we have undertaken to harness student voice and unify the school as one Augustinian body. SRC Prefect Quinn Campbell followed our speech and talked about the ways in which we foster a sense of connection and leadership that stems from the beginning of Year 5 all the way to Year 12.
We then had lunch with them and learnt about their interesting lives and experiences. My Italian teacher would also be happy to know I attempted to speak my broken Italian with many of the Italian-speaking priests which ended up being a lot of fun.
This was a really eye-opening experience for me because it showed me that as a College, St Augustine’s is connected to an Order and community that extends far beyond the insular peninsula of the Northern Beaches – that reaches all corners of the world as we met people from Kenya, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Argentina, Malta, and the United States. It was great to connect with these people who came from diverse cultures and backgrounds. It helped me to realise that we all have something in common as one unified Augustinian community.
A picture of leaders of the Augustinian Order. Many of the priests in the above photo came to our College on Monday.
Moving into the holidays is a very exciting time for many boys. During this break, the school has been generous enough to support and create multiple tours going around the world. I am fortunate enough to be able to go on the US Drama tour, where we will be going to New York for theatre, Chicago for stand-up comedy and improvisation, and LA for film and screen courses. The countdown on my computer ticks along and the days become closer - I cannot wait. There are other boys also going overseas such as the soccer/football tour to Spain and the UK, as well as the Italian tour. Shout out to all the teachers who have put in endless work to make these tours come to life – we are all extremely thankful for your efforts.
The year has only just begun, and may I say, it looks extremely promising. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday of rest.
Be sure to take a moment for yourself during this break and practise gratitude. Be grateful for the people you have around you because we are all truly blessed.
See you next term,
Max Martin College Captain
Need to Know
Term 2 Uniform and Uniform Shop Holiday Trading Hours
Reminder: Winter Uniform from Day 1, Term 2. View holiday trading hours below...
Uniform Reminder
A reminder that on dry, cool days, boys are to wear the College black jumper, not their raincoats. Parents are asked to please purchase the jumper for their sons in preparation for the winter months.
From Day 1, Term 2, all students must be in Winter uniform, so now is a good time to check if your son's blazer and long pants need replacing before the end of the holidays. See below holiday trading hours of our campus shop and Noone's Chatswood store.
Academic Care
Term 1 Interim Reports
Interim Reports are now available on Seqta Engage (parent portal)...
Access Reports through the navigation panel on the left-hand side of Seqta home page.
Seqta can be accessed through Saints Online from the College Website.
