Early last week we celebrated the Year 10 and 11 women of the school who connected and shared their stories through the Tomorrow Woman program. Days like these are crucial for our students, as sharing stories and finding common links fosters acceptance and compassion among peers. Extensive research shows that these factors significantly contribute to positive mental health, leading to excellent educational outcomes. We look forward to working with the Tomorrow Woman team again next year.

The nomination speeches for College Captain were truly inspirational. Each candidate is highly commended for their efforts and the pride they demonstrated for the College. Congratulations to Josh and Madi on their election. I look forward to seeing the candidates for House Captain in their interviews later this week and speeches next week.

Last week, I was blessed to attend the Key Leaders Day in Canberra, where leaders from the Archdiocese gathered to discuss the importance of our work in Catholic schools and how we can fully live out our charism. This day is an important time for reflection and sharing strategies within the school and the wider Catholic community about what it means to be distinctly Catholic in our schools. Hennessy Catholic College is particularly proud of Ms. Jessica Buchanan and her incredible work in the Religious Education department. She was awarded the Religious Education Teacher award at the Mass we attended.

The Term 3 Parish Mass and St. Mary's Youth Group will be held on August 31st. It would be wonderful to see as many people there as possible. There are many roles that students can participate in, and the parishioners enjoy having the Youth host this special Mass. Please register your interest here https://forms.gle/8oZbFBTFZJbZ6Ess6

A reminder that we are celebrating our Father's Day Mass on August 29th. We extend this invitation to all the special men in our community and look forward to seeing you there. Please register your attendance here https://forms.gle/8oZbFBTFZJbZ6Ess6

On the 21st of August, Fr Jiss will be blessing the cars of students and staff who wish to have their cars blessed on the Caple St side of the College. Car blessings have a long tradition in the Catholic Church and are an important ritual to remind us of using our material items to honour God. In particular Car blessings invoke protection and also ground us in our behaviour and use of the car. Please see Compass for further details.

Our uniform policy has been updated to provide more clarity around the expectations for hair. Families are reminded that wearing the correct uniform shows pride in our great community and serves as a great equaliser for all students, allowing us to focus on academic ability, sports, and the cultural and spiritual aspects of College life.

Hennessy Hearts was launched a fortnight ago. Congratulations to our two winners so far, Millie Davidson and Joseph Brunton.