Deputy Principal

Forming Responsible & Reflective Young Women 

At Mount Alvernia College, our commitment to fostering the holistic development of young women is deeply rooted in Gospel values and our Franciscan charism. Central to this mission is teaching students the importance of responsibility, accountability, and respect for themselves and others. These principles underpin our Code of Conduct and guide our responses to significant breaches of it.

One such response is our weekly Friday after-school detention, held from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm. While it may be viewed as predominantly punitive, it can be seen as a restorative process too. Detentions are assigned after a conversation between the student and the staff member involved, ensuring that the student understands the impact of their actions and has the opportunity to reflect on making better choices in the future.

A recurring concern raised by families is the inconvenience that Friday detentions can pose to after-school plans. While we empathise with the challenges this may bring, the disruption to a student’s routine and potentially their family’s schedule is part of the natural consequences of their choices. It serves as a tangible reminder of the broader implications of actions, highlighting how individual choices can ripple out to affect others. For this reason, we are unable to accommodate requests to re-schedule detentions unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

We hope that, as partners in your daughter’s education, you will see this approach as part of our shared commitment to nurturing her growth into a responsible, reflective, and compassionate young woman. By supporting the College in this process, you are reinforcing the values we seek to instil in our students and helping them to navigate life’s challenges with greater wisdom and maturity.

In addition to upholding these values on campus, we have a shared responsibility to extend them to our community interactions, including how we use public transport. Many of our students travel to and from school on the Brisbane City Council buses, which are arranged based on data collected from student travel patterns. This data is largely determined by the number of students tapping on and off with their Go Cards or EFTPOS cards.

Unfortunately, we have become aware that some students are not consistently doing this, which can contribute to issues such as overcrowded buses or a reduction in allocated services. We ask for your support in reminding your daughter of the importance of tapping on and off every time she uses public transport. This simple act not only ensures accurate data collection for a fit-for-purpose service but also reflects our shared commitment to ethical leadership and respect for the community resources we are privileged to have.

As we work together to instil values of responsibility, integrity, and service in our students, I thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our shared mission. By upholding these principles at home and in public, we empower our students to become spirit-filled, resilient individuals who contribute positively to the communities of which they are a part and the world around them.

Every blessing,

Michelle Licina

Deputy Principal: Student Development and Wellbeing