From Year 7

Our current Year 7 that stepped into Year 8 last week were instrumental in helping to run our Year 7 Orientation Day. This was a special one indeed, one for the history books! This Year we welcomed a very special cohort, our first group of co educational pioneers.

Erika created a prayer specifically for this group.

People have always used their hands in prayer, to make the sign of the cross, to praise God, and to join as one Catholic community. The 5 finger prayer is a prayer made by Pope Francais using our hand to help us pray for our everyone and helps us not forget about those who need our prayers. Let us follow this guide to become closer to God and to strengthen our relationship with Him.
The first finger, the thumb is the one closest to you. We start by praying for the people who are closest to you. We pray for our parents, guardians, and friends that they give us the support and guidance that we need during our transition to high school.
The second finger, the index finger is for our teachers. May they lead us and give us the education that is needed to follow a good path in our learning. May God bless them and give them the strength and courage to lead us in the right way.
The middle finger, which is our tallest finger, is dedicated to our leaders. Leaders of the church and leaders of the school. We ask God to help them in their decision making and we ask of him to help them when they work.
The fourth finger, which is our weakest finger and cannot move without the help of our other fingers, is used to pray for the sick, poor, and for those who are in pain. We remember those who do not have the simple luxuries in life and we ask God to comfort them and aid them so our community can become stronger.
And finally, the fifth finger, the pinky. Jesus taught us to be humble, so we always pray for ourselves last. We pray that we have faith in God to help us during this scary new year of high school and we ask you to help us learn as one. Please be with us and give us strength as we embark on this journey.
In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

The Year 8s then had the privilege of handing to each new student their “Passport” to life at the College, our new Year 7s were thrilled and delighted to receive such a special gift from the College and their peers.

The Passport is not only designed to orientate the students to life in secondary school it is created to help create a sense of belonging to their new school community. Having the Year 8 Mentors distribute the gift supported that idea of connection and community. I hope our new Year 7s look after their Passports and spend time reading all the important content that can be found inside.