Then Jesus told this parable:

‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard;

and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 

So he said to the gardener,

“See here! For three years I have come

looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still, I find none.

Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” ‘

Lk 13:6-7

Many years ago, a priest told me that God never waters a dead tree. It took me a long time to work out what on earth he meant, but finally I realised that to God, a tree is never dead. There is always hope, and the promise of new life, a belief that is redolent of the new life we are looking forward to in this Lenten season. The ultimate hope of life when all seems lost is of course the ultimate theme of Easter, brought into sharp relief in our troubled world of war and suffering.

This message is also ultimately the inspiration for all that we do at Kilbreda, especially in the Wellbeing space. There is simply no such thing as a student who doesn’t deserve our care and support. Every student is worthy of grace and forgiveness, and this inalienable right is at the core of our business. Whether she is watered by our forgiveness, the reinforcement of our boundaries or our counselling support, no student is a dead tree.

Many Year 8 students this term have watered Kilbreda’s metaphorical garden, have flourished into leadership roles, and have embraced opportunities to be people of strength and kindliness. One example of this is the Foreshore program. In Foreshore, Year 8 students work alongside the City of Kingston Foreshore and Coastal Management Group on the management and conservation of the Mentone beach foreshore and recreational areas. Under the wise leadership of Ms Emily Aherne, students explore the relationship between Kingston Foreshore and Port Phillip Bay and participate in pollution control, propagation of indigenous plants and revegetation.

The following girls successfully applied to be part of the Foreshore program in Semester 1:

Katherine Athaide	Aoife Cahill
Chloe Carnegie	Ava Gellie
Alice Green	Mikayla Hill
Camilla Hutchison	Elizabeth Moulang
Zoe Palmer	Oriarna Papa
Amber Peel	Amelia Sheppard
Ruby Swan	Mia Walter

In our Pastoral lesson on Tuesday 11 March, the Year 8s were blessed to have a guest presenter from “This Is Your Body” who spoke to the students about positive body image, developing a healthy relationship with food, and explored the malignant impact of social media on their sense of the world, and most importantly, on their sense of self.

Below is a Student Reflection about the session, which was led by Angelica Pupillo. More information about the work of Angelica’s company can be found at https://www.thisisyourbody.com.au/ .

In this Kilbreda year of Hospitality – Welcoming All, let’s not forget that as much as we rightly invite students to make others feel welcome, sometimes the real challenge is for them to welcome themselves – to be brave, and not try to be perfect. May God guide them in this journey.

Student Reflection

On 11 March, Angelica Pupillo from ‘This Is Your Body’ came in and took the Year 8s through a presentation about body image, diversity and strategies to be comfortable with the way we look. We learned how deeply societal standards and media portrayals influence our perceptions of ourselves and others. Angelica told us her own story of growing up and the obstacles she faced with her own self-love and body image. This was eye opening and how she overcame them and got to where she is today was so inspiring. We had many discussions and left the session with a better understanding and motivation to embrace our individuality and practise self-love.

Viola Merakis

Year 8

Bill Fitzsimons

Level Leader: Year 8