Our commitment to the wellbeing of our students at Corpus Christi is drawn from the teachings and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the gospel. In addition to this, our curriculum at Corpus Christi prepares our students for global responsibilities in the context of a Catholic understanding of justice, peace and ecological sustainability.

Our students live in a world and experience a curriculum of learning where they are increasingly aware that there are injustices, near and far. Our social justice initiatives strive to develop in students a sense of purpose and being able to make a difference, no matter how small. We also promote a sense that together we can do more as a community than we can do alone.

At Corpus Christi, we believe that Jesus Christ is at the Heart of Everything and we aim to support students in a creating a deeper awareness of social justice issues facing our school and the wider community. We recognise also that we have been called to teach our students beyond their academic areas. As such, our school Social Justice program, including our Mini Vinnies Team, aim to ‘take up the cross’ and lead the whole school in helping those in need. Examples of organisations that we support include the Lenten CARITAS Appeal, St Vincent De Paul Appeals (winter and Christmas) and Catholic Mission.

Social Justice Fundraising

Term 1

Caritas Global support – In the form of Project Compassion Money boxes for each family and collection points around the school. There are often raffles and Guess the Number of Easter Egg competitions run by Mini Vinnies members at this time.

Term 2

Vinnies Winter Appeal - Supporting locals – Collecting food and winter clothing items for local families in need. Students wear their winter woolies for the day, share in a hot chocolate and gold coin donation. All monies and items collected are given to the local St Vincent de Paul organisation.

Term 3

Catholic Mission - Global support – A Mission Day organised by Year 6 students concludes the term and is supported by a presentation from Richard Cootes from Catholic Mission.

Term 4

Vinnies Christmas Appeal - Students and families are asked to support the local appeal through donating non-perishable goods, money or presents, which are then distributed to needy locals at the festive time.

Other Fundraising activities – often a particular event that has an impact on the lives of others can motivate a one-off fundraising event, including our school’s response to the Tongan Cyclone at the start of 2018 and the NSW Drought Appeal in Term 3 of 2018.

Other Social Justice Initiatives

Nursing Home Visits

Often social justice actions are more about relationships than the money we might raise. Our Mini Vinnies regularly visit the nursing homes in Waratah and connect with members of those communities. There are one or two games of bingo and a cup of tea shared. Students sometimes share what they are learning with the residents and at Christmas, there are always carols.

Ecological Sustainability

One of the closest injustices that we see, and are sometimes from daily absentminded actions, is the injustice to the natural environment from the impact of human use. At Corpus Christi, we have launched an eco-warriors initiative that seeks to minimise waste and increase sustainability of the school environment. We challenge our members to do the same at home and in their local communities. Examples of initiatives in place at our school include solar panels, water tanks, composting, vegetable gardens, waste sorting stations in every classroom and waste free lunches, especially on a Wednesday.