Dear parents and friends, 

‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’  Matthew 25:40 

Earlier this term we began the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. This is an annual charity fundraiser that our College has supported for many years. The Christmas Appeal is extremely important to our community here in Middle Swan as the goods we collect go directly to families in our area who are under significant financial hardships. 

Not only do our donations contribute to the Christmas Hampers, there is usually enough that St Vincent de Paul is able to stock their cupboards well into the New Year. This is vitally important to St Vincent de Paul as they help local families needing assistance over extended periods of time. 

Our Pastoral Care Groups have been tasked with providing a variety of non-perishable food to support our local families.  I have been very pleased to see that some PCGs have been very generous with their collections.

I commend parents and students for their willingness to help those less fortunate in our community and I encourage you to continue your fabulous work so we can ensure that St Vincent de Paul has the necessary food items to meet the needs of our community. 

Celebrating Academic Success 

In recent weeks we have had many occasions to celebrate the academic success of our students, both past and present. 

La Salle College’s Second Rhode Scholar 

I was delighted to be informed that alumni, Jesse Schelfhout (Class of 2016) was named Western Australia’s Rhodes Scholar for 2022.  Jesse, who has a Bachelor of Philosophy with First Class Honours in Physics and is currently completing a Master of Physics (Experimental). He is the College’s second Rhodes Scholar. 

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest (first awarded in 1902) and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship programme, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Jesse plans to undertake a Doctorate of Philosophy in Atomic and Laser Physics at the University of Oxford, where he intends to work on cutting-edge experiments to broaden understanding of fundamental physics. 

Rhodes Scholars are people who have a vision of how the world could be better and the energy to make a difference – whatever their sphere of interest. I have no doubt that Jesse will continue to make a difference through his passion for physics. As a College Community, we warmly congratulate Jesse and thank him for being a role-model to his peers and the current students. Jesse truly embodies that success comes from passion, dedication and hard work. 

Australian Mathematics Competition 

In Term 3, La Salle participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition. This challenging competition is run across Australia and tests a student’s ability to use their Mathematics knowledge to solve difficult problems. This year we had over 70 students across years 7 to 12 complete the competition. Well done to all students that participated and congratulations to the following students who were awarded Certificates of Distinction or High Distinction. 

The following students received a Certificate of Distinction having achieved a result that places them in the top 20% in the nation.   

• Julian Siena   
• Olivia Simons   
• Saransh Vig   
• Kian Cash   
• Gavin Jojo   
• Sienna Croft   
• Marik Gabathuler   

Jude Ryan and Grace Halls were ranked in the top 3% of the nation and awarded Certificates of High Distinction. Grace is to be congratulated for being scoring the highest result within the College and being ranked in the 99th percentile, or the top 1%.  

Presentation Evening Friday 26 November 2021 

Throughout the year there are many occasions when our community recognises the hard work and successes of our students; however, the pinnacle of our celebrations is the College’s Presentation Evening. This event acknowledges excellence across a broad spectrum of College endeavours, but its key focus is acknowledging outstanding academic achievements over the course of the year. Our Presentation Evening will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 26 November commencing at 7.00 pm.

I look forward to seeing all parents and students there to applaud the achievements of our wonderful students. 

Best wishes and God bless! 

Ms Giovanna Fiume | College Principal