Cardijn Connect - a source of news and information for the Cardijn community. The blog will be published every Thursday during the school term with past editions always accessible from the menu.

Shrove Tuesday is an important day in the Christian tradition, celebrated worldwide. It marks the beginning of Lent — a 40-day period of fasting and prayer leading up to Easter. Known as 'Pancake Day', it became a time to use up rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar before the Lenten fast, turning pancakes into a beloved tradition that symbolises a final feast before the season of reflection.

All three campuses came together to celebrate, sharing delicious pancakes and embracing this meaningful tradition.

At Galilee, we invited families to cook pancakes for our students. Students learned about the Shrove Tuesday tradition during their homeroom prayer before enjoying a pancake with a choice of toppings. A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful parents and grandparents who volunteered their time and energy — your generosity made the morning extra special! Additionally, YCS students cooked pancakes for families and parishioners on Monday afternoon, serving them during school drop-off.

In light of this special day, our Marian YCS students and some Year 11 Leaders made pancakes for Marian campus. These students stayed back at school Monday night and were able to make close to 1,600 pancakes, meaning every single student could grab a free pancake at Recess!

Over at Marcellin campus, students also enjoyed pancakes as part of the celebration. They kicked off Tuesday morning with freshly made pancakes at Breakfast Club!

These moments of community, service, and tradition made this year’s Shrove Tuesday a truly memorable occasion across the College.

On Wednesday, students and staff across all three campuses came together to mark the beginning of Lent with a meaningful Ash Wednesday Mass. These gatherings offered a powerful reminder of Lent’s significance — a season of reflection, repentance, and spiritual preparation as we journey toward Easter.

Through prayer and the distribution of ashes, we were invited to pause, reflect, and open our hearts to renewal during this sacred time.

This week, renowned poet Luka Lesson visited the Marian Campus to lead a poetry workshop for our Year 11 students.

With 18 years of experience, Luka’s sold-out session aimed to spark a passion for poetry.

Students were challenged to write poems about social issues they care about, using their voices to inspire meaningful conversations.

A group of our Year 10 Marcellin students had an exciting opportunity to dive into the world of construction with the 'Born to Build' excursion.

The day kicked off with an insightful talk by Chris from the organisation, covering everything from apprenticeships to the ins and outs of the construction industry.

Then, we hit the road to Seaford Meadows, where we toured homes at various stages of construction, giving students a hands-on look at the building process.

Earlier this term, our YCS students participated in two key events: Formation Night and Review of Life (ROL) Night. Formation Night helped students establish their understanding of leadership, reflection, social justice, and faith. It featured a panel of three local experts—Ms. Lekkas (First Nations community), Mrs. Moroney (inclusive education), and Jeremy from Green Adelaide—allowing students to ask questions and learn about these important topics. We concluded the night by connecting our insights to the teachings of Joseph Cardijn, Marcellin Champagnat, and Jesus.

During ROL Night, students reflected on their chosen topics from Formation Night and completed the ‘See’ and ‘Judge’ aspects of the Cardijn methodology to finalize their focus areas for the term, which were:

• Disability Inclusion
  Mental Health
  Animal Cruelty 

We are excited to see what student-driven actions are developed this term in our YCS meetings.

Alumna Madeleine Pemberton ('15) proudly represented Australia at the United Nations in New York, contributing to the progression of the Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FFD4).

She has also worked with the International Aid Transparency Initiative, leveraging data for global development, and collaborated with the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) to enhance development effectiveness.

Current teacher Mr Chris Burrows reflects on his time teaching Madeleine, sharing, "I have fond memories of teaching Maddy. She has gone on to pursue her PhD in Economics and has been a remarkable ambassador for Cardijn and Women in Economics. Maddy actively supports the Women in Economics Network (WEN) and generously gives back to Cardijn by attending Careers Evenings and other events to share her experiences with students. I continue to feel incredibly humbled to have been her teacher."

We are pleased to share that Year 12 Marcellin student, Brodie has joined BIC Industries to pursue his Cert III in Engineering (Fabrication). Thanks to Sophie from SYC and Wendy, the owner, for their support in this new step.
We wish him all the best in his training!

We would like to share an important message from Catholic School Parents South Australia (CSPSA) that highlights the critical role that both school communities and families play in fostering respectful relationships and maintaining positive school environments.

Families are encouraged to lead by example, promoting kindness and constructive communication both in person and online. CSPSA remains committed to supporting families with guidance on navigating school grievance processes and advocating for collaborative resolutions.

For more information, please read the full message from CSPSA: Advocating for Safe Respectful Communities

Thank you for helping us build a safe and supportive environment for all students.

This week, the College observed Ash Wednesday as staff and students gathered to participate in liturgies marking the start of the 40 days of Lent. Lent is a time for reflection, repentance, and renewal. As we begin this journey, we open our hearts and minds, embracing the opportunity to grow in faith and compassion. We also launched our Project Compassion theme for 2025 ‘Unite against poverty.’ 

We challenge the Cardijn community over the next 40 days to stop and look for the good in the world every day. It can be as simple as an act of kindness, unexpected generosity, a gesture of help, or a kind word. With time ‘our hearts will light up with hope’ and we will become pilgrims of hope for those who surround us. We encourage everyone to discover the power of giving and the impact that your contribution, however big or small, can have in the lives of others. Let us come together once again in this Year of Jubilee as pilgrims of hope and “Unite Against Poverty!"  

On Tuesday night, we hosted our Term 1 parenting session, focusing on "Navigating Screens and Raising Teens." A big thank you to the parents who attended—it was an insightful evening and a great opportunity for parents to connect and share their collective wisdom on navigating the teenage years. Leaders also shared positive feedback on our Mobile Phone Policy, highlighting the noticeable shift in how students are interacting with each other during break times—there wasn't a mobile phone in sight! 

A key takeaway from the evening was the importance of parents educating themselves to better support their children as they navigate the world of social media. School TV is a valuable platform offering a wide range of resources that is regularly updated—please feel free to use it as a tool to assist your child. 

As always, we remain committed to working in partnership with you, the parents and caregivers, to support our young people in the Cardijn Way!

Kate Bawden
Deputy Principal