The Give Write group provides school supplies to kids who cannot afford to buy their own. Give Write takes donations of new and pre-loved stationery and recycles, repackages and redistributes to kids in need so they have the tools to feel engaged and inspired to learn.

On Friday of the EXEAT weekend, Year 7 student Noah Sachse and his younger sister spent a few hours of their own personal time to put together stationary packs for children from all around WA. Noah wrote “it was really good and I enjoyed it knowing that every pack I made was helping another kid somewhere”.

It is these little acts of kindness that makes every day at Aquinas a better day for others!

On Thursday 26 May 2022, Aquinas students Tre Healy and Tremaine Baxter-Edwards attended the Perth College Sorry Day Assembly to give a speech.

"They delivered a powerful, moving and emotional speech and they should be proud of themselves, their school and the Indigenous people."

“Tre and Tremaine were super compelling, and I found the whole Sorry Day Assembly meaningful and moving.“

“What a credit they are to themselves, their families, people and Aquinas.“

"The boys were phenominal yesterday. Thank you for allowing them to come and share the deep meaning of Sorry Day for them. I felt an honour to MC the assembly with such strong role models."

On Sunday the 15^th of May, three students from Aquinas College attended the 2022 Schools Chess League Competition. Students were invited from the Year 4-6 Chess Club that takes place every Thursday in the Junior School. The students that represented the College were Jamie Lim, Enrico De Santis and Spencer Whitfield. The boys achieved an incredible result, managing to secure 4^th place out of 22 schools. The boys were gracious in victory and defeat and represented the College with pride. We are excited for the next competition which will take place on the 12th of July.

Over the break, myself and three of the other captains attended the UWA Young Leaders Council Event. This event took place on the second Friday of the holidays and involved various workshops which discussed ideas relating to inclusivity and accessibility, as well as the correct language to use when referring to people of different social groups/backgrounds. Partaking in these workshops were many student leaders from schools across Perth, and the format of the event allowed for insightful discussion to take place amongst these student leaders. Ideas were shared regarding specific student led events which have taken place so far, as well as events which we are planning to hold in the future. Personally, I gained a great deal of knowledge from the event in terms of how other school leadership groups are run in comparison to ours, as well as the best way to run events in an inclusive and accessible manner. The Young Leaders Council will meet again in the term two holidays where workshops will be run regarding mental health. I look forward to the important conversations which will be had at this event.

Ashton Teixeira
College Captain 2022

During the April school holidays, Year 7 Noah Myers completed some service hours at Foodbank. This is his small reflection:

"Foodbank provides food at discounted prices for people who are struggling financially. They also send food boxes (they call them hampers) to people who do not have the best of home cooking skills or facilities to cook with. With other volunteers, we first made the boxes up. We then unpacked the food that was to be put in the box at each station from the pallets. Once we had our stock ready to go, we then worked in a production line scenario. One person would put 2 items in the box, before pushing it down to the next. At the end, someone else sealed it up and loaded onto a pallet for the trucks to take away.

We did hundreds of boxes in the 4 hours I was there. The ones I helped with were all going to centres that were north of Perth. It was really busy as we had to constantly restock so we didn’t stop the flow of the hampers being completed. I volunteered alongside other people who were very friendly. I was the only young person there, so they were happy to help me and show me how to do everything. I agreed to go back and help again as it was very rewarding to know my small contribution would make a big change to someone’s life."

Earlier this year, a Year 12 student asked me if he could tag along for one of our weekly Breakfast Patrols in the city so that he could put together a portfolio of photographs of homeless people living on the streets. I’m not a fan of ‘poverty tourism’ but on this occasion, the request was accepted because I think he will have a story to tell.

I have come to know many of these people on a first-name basis and they know all the team leaders and volunteers who have been serving them breakfast every weekend since mid-2020. As expected, there was no shortage of smiling faces for the portfolio and along with that came the usual banter and stories that make these patrols so worthwhile. I have often asked myself "What could we do to give these people back their livelihoods?", "Why don’t they just sign up to get a job at Centrelink?", "Aren’t they sick and tired of sleeping on pavements and eating the same food that is given to them day in and day out?", "Aren’t they tired of starvation, the cold, the heat, the physical and verbal abuse and the hard floors?"

The solution is not as simple as one would think. It never is. On one morning a young patrol officer took an interest in what we were doing. He too, asked the same question "There are so many jobs, why can’t they apply for them?"

The people I see have fallen through the cracks because they have been abandoned. There is no cure for abandonment except belonging. Everything else is just a band-aid to help them get through another day. But band-aids are important!

Getting them to a point of even wanting to work, after possibly years of rejection, depression, anxiety or low self-esteem is simply not possible. When you add the comfort they find in alcohol and drugs (not always), they often wake up to days that are just a blur and it gets worse after that. Then, in a moment of sobriety when they do feel like taking control of their lives, they find they have no paper-work, no resumes, no clean clothes to wear to an interview, no transport and no-one to remind them about appointments. Adding to that, a possible criminal record (30% of people leaving prisons are frictionally homeless for months) or a mental illness, makes some people practically unemployable. And finally, in 2022, we are seeing more people who cannot afford to put food on the table for themselves and their children or pay their rent. They take to the streets because they have no choice. They may be waiting for their first Centrelink payment or their next pay cheque. For the many I speak to, it’s the waiting that’s killing them!

Many people will rely on the charity of others this winter and beyond.

Our Aquinas College community has been incredibly generous with its Winter and Advent appeals. Even during the lockdowns, people brought their donations via the drive-thru program. I want you to know that your donations make a difference! There are so many ways to help and so many ways we can help others feel like they belong somewhere.

John Richards
Director of Christian Service-Learning

This week, Aquinas College will be acknowledging Anzac Day through a variety of smaller ceremonies which are appropriate given our Term 2 COVID-19 protocols. These ceremonies will honour the lives of all who served during war, as well as the remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations; including those who have served through recent conflicts and on peacekeeping missions. To commence these ceremonies, College Captain Ashton Teixeira and Year 6 student Lachlan Harney joined Mr Brendan Chapman in laying the wreath.

Congratulations to Matthew Cox and Nathan Mahney (Class of 2021) whose artworks are on display in The West Australian PULSE exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA (AGWA) until July.

Matthew and Nathan’s artworks are amongst 49 artworks by 2021 Year 12 graduates from 32 school across WA.

The artworks on display were chosen from over 300 entries, selected on merit, creativity and individuality. The artistic vision and talent on display is inspiring and provides an insight to the social concerns of our younger generation, a visit to the Art Gallery of WA for this exhibition is highly recommended.