This week's Principal's Message from Mr David Johnston

 
On Friday, 26 September 2025 (Week 10, Term 3), all CBC students will participate in our annual Immersion Park Walk – a meaningful event that reflects our College’s ongoing commitment to social justice and global community partnerships.

This is a compulsory school day, beginning with formal lessons before transitioning into the walk, which supports our long-standing partner communities in the Philippines.

Although we are not travelling to the Philippines this year, the Immersion Park Walk allows us to continue supporting our long-standing friends at Kuya Centre, Anawin Deaf School, Rice Bowl of Edmund,  and Sans Blas Academy,  each of whom provides vital care, education, and hope to vulnerable youth facing significant challenges.

Event Details:

• Location: On-campus and CBC ovals
• Uniform: PE uniform and CBC-branded hat
• Sunscreen: Apply at home (also available on the day)
• Bring: Named water bottle
• Schedule:
  • Morning classes
  • Recess
  • Walk
  • Early Dismissal at 12.45pm – please note this earlier finish time

Students are encouraged to seek sponsorship from family and friends using the form below.

Donations can be made directly via the QKR App by Friday, 26 September 2025.

Mr Cameron Alexander
Executive Deputy Principal

 
The past few weeks at the Junior Campus have been filled with exciting excursions, special events, and community celebrations, each offering our students new opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection.

Our Reception to Year 6 classes have been out and about exploring Adelaide and beyond. The Year 1 students delighted in their visit to the Botanic Gardens, immersing themselves in nature and discovering the beauty of plants and flowers. The Year 2 students enjoyed their trip to the Railway Museum, where they learned about the history of trains and transport, before returning for a 'late stay' filled with fun and team-building activities, finishing with some Just Dance. Our Year 3 students had an unforgettable camp experience at Monarto, building resilience, independence, and friendships in the great outdoors. The Year 6 students explored creativity and culture at the Art Gallery of South Australia, sparking their curiosity about artistic expression and history. To round out our excursions, the Junior Campus also enjoyed the peace and beauty of the Japanese Gardens, a chance to reflect, observe, and learn in a tranquil setting.

Visiting the Himeji Gardens

Back at school, we celebrated our diversity and creativity through Cultural Dress-Up Day, where students proudly wore clothing that reflected their heritage and cultures. This was paired with hands-on experiences in making cold rolls and dumplings, a delicious and practical way to appreciate the richness of different food traditions. These activities provided the boys with a deeper understanding of diversity while encouraging curiosity and respect for cultures other than their own.

Year 6s making dumplings

Sports and school spirit have also been on display with our Wear Your Footy Colours Day. The yard came alive with a sea of guernseys, scarves, and team colours as the boys proudly represented their favourite clubs. This event was full of energy and excitement, building camaraderie and school spirit.

Wear your Footy Colours Day

Our strong sense of community was also reflected in our Father’s Day celebrations. The Junior Campus hosted a warm and welcoming Father’s Day Breakfast, where dads and father figures joined their sons for coffee and something delicious to eat before heading off to work. This was followed by the much-loved Father’s Day Stall, beautifully organised by our Parents and Friends Association, which gave the boys the joy of choosing a thoughtful gift. Both events were a wonderful reminder of the importance of family connections and the generosity of our parent community.

Father's Day Breakfast and P&F Stall

What shines through in all of these activities – from excursions to celebrations – is the commitment to fostering a holistic education for our students. Whether it’s exploring local landmarks, celebrating culture, engaging in creative learning, or sharing special family occasions, each experience contributes to the growth of our students as learners and as young people who value community, culture, and connection.

We are so grateful to our dedicated teachers, parent volunteers, and the Parents and Friends Association for making these experiences possible. Together, we continue to provide our boys with opportunities to learn, grow, and flourish – both inside and outside the classroom.

Mrs Alison Ronoastro
Head of Junior Campus

Father's Day Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our winners of the Parents and Friends' Father's Day Raffle!

 
On Monday 25 August, Year 11 students participated in the Road Awareness Program (RAP), presented by the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS).  This powerful presentation aims to educate students in road awareness, targeting licence-aged drivers and road users at secondary schools across South Australia. The presentation was both brutal and heart-wrenching at the same time with students understanding that you ’choose the risk, but not the consequence’. Not one person was unmoved hearing directly from car crash survivor Brett, who, once a promising footy player now faces life ahead significantly impacted by an acquired brain injury. Hearing Brett talk about having to learn to walk, talk, feed and dress himself over a period of around three years was confronting to say the least.

CBC proudly works with the MFS each year to deliver this Year 11 program, aiming to teach students to take responsibility for their decisions and motivate them not only to practise safe driving but also demand it from their peers. Some comments from the students are below:

'The program allowed me to understand the dangers of driving while taking risks.' – Domenic M

'Coming out of this presentation, I am very moved.  The engaging discussion and actually hearing from someone like Brett gave the presentation a lot of meaning.  It has made me reconsider my actions and strive to become a more responsible road user.' – Nikos P

'Brett – very brave mate, saving lives.  Not all heroes wear capes.' – Eddie G

'I think I definitely needed this presentation, as in less than 2 months, I will get my Ps and will be driving on my own and with friends.  I am grateful that Brett came out to speak to us today to show the reality of driving recklessly and how it's not a joke to be on the road. Thank you.' – Max C

'I enjoyed the program.  I think that road safety is very important and that this was great to make more young people like me aware of how dangerous for yourself and others on the road can be.  Thank you for your speech Brett!  You are very brace for recounting your personal story/accident.  What you are doing is important and you should be proud of yourself!' – Lachlan H

'Brett's story really put it into perspective and was great to hear.' – Ethan F

'Brett is super brave and made me realise how lucky I am to be able to live the life that I do.' – James A

CBC vs St Mary’s College Annual Netball Match

Score – loss to St Mary’s (by a lot – so not going to write the score)

The Year 12 lads once again trained hard to learn the rules of netball and eliminate the basketball techniques to attempt to defeat the always strong St Mary’s netball team. Despite a valiant effort by Thomas Bondza who scored most of CBC’s goals, the girls were simply too strong and the boys (possibly) too polite. This resulted in a score which was ‘respectable’ – well, by CBC boys anyway! However, most importantly, fun was had by all and a positive community connection was made stronger by the way in which students from both schools interacted. Well done, boys!

Ms Debra Withers
Director of Students

 
Outback Immersion – Applications Now Open

Students on the Senior Campus are invited to apply for the inaugural CBC Outback Immersion, a nine-day journey through the Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy (19–27 September 2026).

This experience offers the chance to walk alongside First Nations peoples, share in culture and story, and see life in the outback from a new perspective. Details are in the flyer attached, and students are encouraged to consider this exciting new opportunity.

Hearts on Fire! Year 11 Retreat

Congratulations to the Year 11 students for their participation in the Hearts on Fire Retreat this week. Inspired by the Gospel story of the friends on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), students reflected on their lives, key influences, and sense of spirituality set in picturesque sites across the Fleurieu Peninsula.

A special thank you to the Retreat staff for their hard work, contribution, and presence. We encourage the students to now 'live the retreat' and keep the fire burning.

Year 11 Retreat at Yankalilla

Meditation and Contemplation with Br John

Over recent weeks, Br John has been working with a number of Religious Education classes, inviting students into meditation and Christian contemplative practices. These sessions have begun with the story of the great St Ignatius of Loyola, whose work deeply inspired Blessed Edmund Rice and his vision for education.

Students have embraced these opportunities for stillness, reflection, and prayer. In the busyness of school life, these moments of quiet have offered them a chance to pause, connect with their faith, and explore new ways of experiencing God’s presence.

Sacramental Preparations

Speaking of burning hearts – our Sacramental students are preparing to celebrate their Confirmation and First Eucharist in the coming days. This is a significant milestone in their faith journey, and we keep them, along with their families, in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare for this special occasion.

Community Masses and Sacramental Reminder

A reminder that Mass is held each Wednesday morning in the Senior Campus Chapel, and on the first Friday of the month from 8.00–8.25am in the Junior Campus Chapel. All are always welcome.

Mr Anthony Callisto
Director of Identity and Mission

 
Seven More Sleeps!     

MusicFest 25 is fast approaching, and the boys are sounding fantastic.

Set 1 will be held in the Eastern Yard and will feature Junior Concert Band and Concert Band, JC Rock Band and Rock Band 3, and, most excitingly, the debut performance of the Year 4 Bands.

Sneaking in before Set 2, in the Western Yard, will be CBC’s newest group – Bangers ‘n’ Bash, also known as the Junior Percussion Ensemble, who have prepared a unique soundscape.

Set 2 is the acoustic set, held in the beautiful CBC Chapel. The groups here will be 'in the raw', without microphones, and will include BVocal, Festival Choir, Vocal Project and Vocal Ensemble, as well as Junior Guitar Ensemble and Guitar Ensemble.

Set 3 is the loud one! The Eastern Yard will play host to Sonic Highway (Rock Band 1), Cage Monkey (Rock Band 2), Big Bands 1 and 2, and the Festival Finale.

Between sets, Jazz Combo will keep the food trucks company jamming away in the corner.

We are all looking forward to seeing you there!        

 As always, questions can be sent through to me at any time.

Ms Alexandra Khafagi
Director of Performing Arts

 
The 2025 Winter Sports Season came to a close in week 5, ending what was a fantastic period of sporting excellence from CBC teams. I take this opportunity to thank all those involved in this year’s Winter programs, which yielded not only excellent results but also provided significant development for our players and many moments to cherish. Our dedicated coaches, players, officials, and family members, your support is greatly appreciated.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the notable achievements of our teams and student athletes throughout the Term 2 and 3 period, which included many outstanding successes. I congratulate the following teams and students on their successful seasons:

Championship Seasons

• Middle Cross Country (3-peat – 2023, 2024, 2025)
• Middle Football (defeated Scotch in an unofficial 1^st v 2^nd Grand Final)
• First XI Soccer (4^th Title in the last six years)
• Third XI Soccer (Undefeated Season)
• Middle B Soccer (Undefeated Season)
• Middle A Table Tennis 

Individual Accolades (CBC-associated events):

• Rylan Henke – Oakbank Cross Country State Champion
• Will Hayes – SAAS Cross Country Individual Champion (Middle School)

Other Notable Results

• Open A Basketball - Semi-Final (4^th Place Finish)
• Open B Basketball - 2^nd Place Finish
• Middle A Basketball - Grand Final (2^nd Place Finish)
• Middle B Basketball - 2^nd Place Finish
• Middle C Basketball - 2^nd Place Finish
• Senior Cross Country - 2^nd Place Finish
• Year 12 Soccer - 2^nd Place Finish
• Middle A Soccer - 2^nd Place Finish
• Year 7A Soccer - 3^rd Place Finish
• Open A Table Tennis - 2^nd Place Finish
• Open B Table Tennis - 2^nd Place Finish

We are now in the preparation phase for the Term 4 Summer Sports Season, with many pre-seasons commencing over the coming weeks. If you have not received information regarding Term 4 sport, it is likely that your son did not sign up at the time of selections. If this is the case, please get in contact with Mr D’Arcy Rabbitt.

We are looking forward to finishing the 2025 Co-Curricular year positively.

Mr Adon Cousins
Head of Co-Curricular (Sport)