Dear Members of the Academy Community,

The term is racing away. It is difficult to believe we are almost halfway through the term and heading towards mid year. It has been a very busy term with many events taking place and the examination period looming.

The Mothers’ Day Mass which took place in our Chapel last week was appreciated by the mothers and daughters who attended. The music was glorious and was commented upon by all present. Many thanks to Mr Mark Hyland, Director of Faith and Mission, for his organization of this annual event and thank you to Ms Mirelle Morris, Ms Marsali Slocombe, Ms Alison Hocking and Ms Mina Yu for their support of our musicians and also for their ability to bring out the best in our students.

Last Tuesday I was privileged to attend the VCE Drama performances. Both performances which focused on asylum seekers and refugees, were extremely moving, showcasing the depth of talent of our students but, more importantly, bringing to mind the plight of asylum seekers and refugees. The performances focused on the real life stories of a number of refugees and the realisation that some of the women were actually present, added a level of poignancy to the evening. Many thanks to our VCE Drama teacher, Ms Grainne O’Boyle for her wonderful work.

Many thanks to the parents who availed themselves of the opportunity to discuss their daughters learning at the recent parent-student-teacher conferences. Feedback from the online meetings was very positive and the vast majority of parents availed themselves of this opportunity to hear about their daughter’s progress.

Next week our Year 10 students will undertake their Community Action Reflection Day to prepare themselves for the Community Action week scheduled for the last week of Term 2. It is very pleasing that we are able to offer this week of service in 2023, the first time since 2019.

I would like to thank Mrs Anne Marie Allan for all her hard work in preparing our students for their placements. We trust that the Year 10 students will discover in a special way the joy of being of service to others and we sincerely thank the organisations who will support this very important program.

Excitement is building as our much awaited College musical Legally Blonde Jr draws near. Rehearsals have been taking place, ensuring that the College is a hive of activity during the weekends. Tickets are virtually sold out and we look forward to welcoming a number of our primary schools to view the performance next Wednesday. A very big thank you to Ms Olivia Hamilton and Ms Alison Hocking, for all of their hard work putting this production together. Thank you to the many students who have rehearsed on Monday evenings and on Sundays for the last few months.

Our students have also deeply appreciated working with Mr Bentley and the students from Simonds College.

The College Leadership team will be participating in a leadership day on 25 May conducted by Mercy Education with the topic being ‘Synodality as expressed in and through Mercy Education’. Days such as this are important, not only for the presentations offered, but also for the opportunity to network with leadership teams at other school.

A reminder to parents that if you have a daughter in Grade 5, the closing dates for applications for Year 7, 2025 is 18 August 2023. It may seem far away but this date will be here before you know it. Please ensure you enrol your daughter prior to this date.

The below reflection was written by Sr Mary Wickham, a Sister of Mercy and a Poet.

Every blessing,

Sr Mary Moloney rsm

Principal

A Reflection on the Academy of Mary Immaculate

It was a first in time, and proud of that prize of history,

begun by one of the first in time of a long line,

connected in Spirit with the Irish Mercy beginning.

This is a tiny space of ancient bluestone and modern glass,

where the mind and spirit, encouraged, have limitless room.

We keep up with the times, but we hold the history.

Pause for a moment and consider what really matters here,

what makes us what we are.

Academy esteems the uniqueness of each person,

its people are its most important asset.

This is a community of care:

where care for each other is more important than competition,

where concern is favoured over criticism, a place of nurture.

If care is the fabric, then our gift for diversity creates the threads,

threads rich in colour and texture.

We welcome and enable variety:

the academically excellent

and those who struggle to find academic success,

We welcome and enable variety:

embracing the new arrivals to this city

who have journeyed to escape war and poverty.

We are truly, wonderfully, multi-cultural.

We welcome and enable variety:

honouring diversity in our learning,

attending to the wholeness of the person:

music and maths, friendship and finance,

the social and the spiritual.

Our students leave here as resilient, vibrant beings.

This is a space for all to flourish,

where students are the primary citizens,

neither defined nor limited by gender.

At its heart this is an arena of Mercy

where all who belong, whatever their role, learn

to recognise the goodness of God,

the call to act with goodness towards others,

and the life task of inspiring the goodness in oneself.

So, in this time, your time,

Be grateful, be glad:

Honour the past, embrace the present,

Trust the future.

You are Academy.

Mary Wickham rsm

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