As we seemingly race to the end of Term 1, the change over of units of study is a common theme in Religious Education.

The Year 7 cohort, fresh from their Camp, are finishing the building of their understanding of the Kilbreda community through their unit on Beginning and Belonging, while the Year 8s are getting ready to move into Stewardship of Creation after looking at the person of Jesus in the Scripture.

There is some excitement at Year 9 level (and that is just from the teachers!) about the imminent move from the core study of Mary – The Mother of Jesus to the four electives – Mission in Action, Living Justice, Culture in Context or Women Can Shape the World. In completing the Mary unit, students have undertaken a pilgrimage – a spiritual journey discovering the different devotions of Mary – where they have looked at some of the many and varied ways that Mary is venerated around the world, including in some surprising and unexpected places. The next step is seeking their feedback on what they have liked about their Term 1 study, and practical steps to enhance the new units at this level.

At Year 10 and 11 levels, the first VCE assessments are in progress, and at Year 12, Catholic Social Teaching as it links to some of our social justice goals have been investigated and discussed.

It is so wonderful to see engagement in such varied areas of study being undertaken in Religious Education study, which looks not only at our identity as a College, but also the world around us and how we can positively impact our community.

I hope the Term 1 break allows all our students to ‘re-charge’, ready for the challenges and resulting successes of Term 2.

Jane Watkins

Learning Leader: Religious Education