Driven by our Lasallian values of Faith, Service and Community, St Bede’s College holds the lessons of Jesus and John Baptiste de La Salle at the centre of College life.
As the Religious Education (RE) curriculum addresses many justice, moral and life issues, all students from Years 7 to 12 take RE as a timetabled subject.
While other subjects learn from and contribute to the Catholic identity and culture of the College, it is in the Religious Education classroom that students explore dimensions of the Catholic tradition.
The curriculum aims to support students in developing their skills by investigating religious beliefs and characteristics, examining sacred texts and analysing contemporary issues. Across Years 7 to 10, we use an inquiry approach to learning and taking the Bible and primary text, To Know, Worship & Love series, we focus on five principle areas:
- Scripture and Jesus
- Church and Community
- God, Religion & Life
- Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments
- Morality and Justice
In Years 11 and 12, students are assessed on their understanding of religious concepts, skills in responding to set tasks and exploring sacred texts.
Faith, Service and Community beyond the classroom
As a Catholic College, we extend our values across various events, Masses and retreats throughout the year. We do this in two particular ways, through Service to God and Service to Neighbour.
Service to God
Prayer, times for reflection and reception of the sacraments are essential elements of student life at St Bede’s College. Opportunities include:
- Annual retreats for all students
- Prayer, reflection and dedication
- Community and Family Masses
- Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Ash Wednesday and Easter prayer services
- Year level and House prayer services
We begin our prayers at the College with the Lasallian motif “Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God”. We conclude our prayers with “Live Jesus in our hearts forever”.
Service to Neighbour
We take care of each other by responding to the needs of our peers, teachers and families.
Respect underpins how we speak and treat others, and being generous of heart is how we can be of service to each other.
Among the many opportunities for students to become involved in social outreach are:
- Lasallian Youth Leaders
- Indigenous Immersion Experiences
- Mission Action Day
- Community Service
- Donation drives for St Vincent de Paul
“RE has given us insight into equality, empathy and diversity, recognising that meaningful change begins with understanding and dialogue. As we prepare to graduate and begin our lives outside of St Bede’s College, I’m sure the class interactions will be reflected on and remembered with enrichment into not only our education, but into our lives.”
Kobe H – Year 12
“The RE electives give us a chance to learn more about religion in a way which we all can be interested and included. I personally enjoyed RE elective classes as they have allowed us to learn and direct our religious interests into specific areas of society. This opportunity has also overall developed my interest in religion as the class is posed in more of a discussion format. The Rite Journey gives us the opportunity to learn about relationships, feelings, and other many life skills. We get time to relax and reflect on how to live life as a kind and caring individuals.”
Thomas R, Todd H, Angus L, Kingston G & Tom D – Year 9
“I was privileged to be a part of this Indigenous Immersion Experience. We first stayed in Broome, where we got the opportunity to be shown aspects of coastal Aboriginal culture and the influence of the Catholic Church in the community, along with Broome’s fascinating multicultural history.
Upon arriving in Balgo, we stayed at Luurnpa Catholic Primary School in spare classrooms. We met and interacted with the Elders, and joined children on a field trip to a sacred site. During our stay, we noticed a large increase in school attendance, which resulted in more learning and the intellectual growth in the students; this strengthens their potential in the future.
One evening, we went out to ‘The Pound’; under the stars, in the open sky. We indulged in some homemade damper, kangaroo tail and frog. It was at this point we began to realise that Balgo’s Indigenous peoples – who in comparison to all of us – live in such poverty, and are yet so happy with what they have. It just makes you think to yourself, how much do I really need?
The experiences and interactions we had with the students collectively broadened our perspective – not only on how much we impacted these children’s lives – but how much they impacted ours. Our trip was enormously fulfilling and will stay with us forever.” Flynn S – Year 10
