Tena koutou katoa At Assembly this week I spoke with the students about why Verdon is a special community, about caring for each other and about living our values each day, not just occasionally. The environment that our young people experience as they grow up has many messages that are contrary to what might be considered "good old fashioned values", or indeed the values of our Catholic community. I have asked students to continue to focus on respecting themselves and others by reflecting on their actions towards each other. I have asked that they consider how their actions can have positive or negative consequences on themselves and others in our community depending on the choices that they make. I have seen many examples of our students caring for each other that have made me extremely proud in the last few months. However, it is important in the busyness of the school day for all students to spread this in small ways each day and that this is an expectation of the College as a Catholic community. Verdon College is continuing to move our educational environment into the 21st century with further improvement to our IT infrastructure. We have upgraded our wireless network so that students are able to bring their own laptops and tablets to the College. Depending on the type of device, and software on it, students can access the school wireless through a relatively simple process. Already some students are taking advantage of this innovation and we look forward to more students being able to access wireless learning opportunities in the future. I would ask that you keep in your prayers those members of our community that have lost family members recently. We pray for those that have passed and for the families that they receive the love and support that they require at this time. God Bless Jarlath Kelly |