Principal’s Message | Dr Michael Carroll

Dear Members of the Terrace Family,

Last Saturday night I attended the College Musical.  What a show!  It was outstanding and certainly reflected the hard work of so many people over the last six months.  The show was a sell out for all four performances and all those who attended know why.  My congratulations to all involved, particularly to the students from both Terrace and All Hallows’.  You should all be very proud of your efforts.  I also want to thank and congratulate the staff and parents who also worked so hard throughout the year.  Well done to all involved.

On Tuesday evening the College, in conjunction with the Old Boys, hosted the Career Expo.  It was again an excellent event and it was pleasing to see so many students in attendance.  My thanks to Mr Paul Iannello and the GTOBA for their coordination of the event and the large numbers of Old Boys who gave of their time at the various presentations.

This week is Week 6 of a 10 week term.  Importantly, it must be noted that exams commence in Week 9.  Therefore, the students have just over two weeks before the start of their exams.  I know many also have a number of assignments due over the coming week.  This stage of the term is a ‘stressful’ time for students (and families). It is important that the students are carefully planning their time and ensuring assignment schedules are being met.  As parents, you can support your sons by being present, by ensuring they feel supported and by ensuring they remain focused, particularly when the due dates are approaching.  It is a ‘pressure’ time for everyone but support, encouragement and commitment will assist everyone.  Good luck over the coming weeks.

One of the encyclicals published by Pope Francis is ‘Laudato Si’.  This document addresses and challenges us to consider the Earth and our responsibility to sustainability.  As an EREA school we have accepted that challenge and have, over the last 18 months, developed and introduced a number of initiatives to address the issue of sustainability.  One initiative was to install solar panels on several buildings both at Spring Hill and Maroon. The solar PV installed at Maroon Camp, at Waterford and on the roof of Westcourt have now generated an amazing 66.5 megawatts of power since November last year.  Even these modest-sized systems have saved the College a considerable amount of money and will continue to do so for decades to come, paying for themselves many times over.  From an environmental perspective, we have already prevented the release of 52.53 tonnes of CO2 – so we are on track to reducing the school’s emission by over 100 tonnes per year. Whilst this is still only a small saving, it will continue to build.  The new building project also has many energy efficient initiatives incorporated into its design.  Over subsequent editions of the Terrace News I will outline some of the other ‘sustainability’ initiatives the College is currently undertaking.

Finally this week, as part of an EREA initiative seeking feedback on reasons why families choose an Edmund Rice Education, families will be sent a link in the coming days inviting you to complete an online survey regarding ‘School Choice’.  For your convenience, the link is also provided below.  This survey will provide valuable information to EREA and Terrace about a range of issues pertaining to school choice, etc.  I encourage you to take 10 minutes or so to complete the survey and I thank you in advance for your support.  Your feedback will assist Terrace and help EREA plan for the future.  Once the survey has been completed, I will, through the Terrace News, share the results with you.

Have a great week.
God Bless.


Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal