Year 9 Pastoral Guardian

Everyone’s Journey is Sacred and Unique

Last Friday, the Year 9 students travelled to the picturesque venue of Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens at Brookfield to be involved in the Year 9 Reflection Day.  The day invited students to step out of the normal classroom environment and to be present in the serenity and stillness of the rainforest gardens.  We began with the cohort learning more about St Clare of Assisi, our patron Saint for Years 9 and 10.  Clare was a woman of great faith, compassion, and light; very attentive to the needs of others and focused on building strong relationships that allowed her to walk her journey of life with God and others.  This then became the primary focus for the day - to be more understanding like St Clare, to be aware that everyone’s journey is different, sacred, and unique, and that God is present and active in all of our lives. 

The day’s program allowed for each student to be involved in three different activities: an Emmaus Walk - while walking along the edge of the creek, students were asked to share their reflection on their journey and who are the people who walk with them; Mount Alvernia staff member Yohannes shared his story of hope and, while being creative with origami, students reflected on being good companions on the journey.

The day concluded with a beautiful Mass in the gardens, led by Fr Mario.  Thanks must go to Mr Richard Rogusz, Fr Mario, Yohannes, and the Religion teachers for all their hard work with the planning and running of the day. 

As the Pastoral Guardian, I was fortunate to spend this time with the students and to witness the power of reflection – to be reflective is a skill we do not practise enough in our daily lives; however, it can provide us with clarity and calmness.  Encourage your child to reflect daily and weekly.  Students were gifted with a journal; this is one tool they can use at home to reflect on their lives.  I also observed the connection they had for the word  Hope.  This is a word you can mention with your child in your conversations as it promotes optimism.  In relation to the Reflection Day, it is vital to have hope in one’s journey.  The key messages from the day will be discussed as a cohort and, as we continue our journey over the next two years, we will draw strength from the Reflection Day to live each day like St Clare. 

Some Year 9 students share their reflections of the day:

The Year 9 Reflection Day was a time for us to take a brief moment to reflect on ourselves and the journey we have experienced so far.  We remembered the positive and negative experiences in life and how it has made our story unique.  I have really enjoyed being able to take the step away from school and just reflect on me as a person and learn from other people’s life stories.

Ella Falzon

Reflection Day was a great time to reflect on our time at Mount Alvernia.  It was an excellent opportunity to hear the individual stories and to interact with those who are not in our friendship circle.  It was also great to have fun with our friends!

Gwyneth McDougall

As a Year 9 student, I really enjoyed the Reflection Day experience.  It was full of fun activities.  We learnt about St Clare, the meaning of hope, what it means to be Good Companions and to listen to the stories of others.  Overall, Reflection Day taught me the importance of trust and love which are two of the key values to being a Mount Alvernia student.

Samantha Alfornon

Our recent Reflection Day gave me an insight to the life of St Clare.  I also gained insight to the lives of the teachers, listening to their struggles and fond memories.  I had the opportunity to get to know someone out of my friendship group.  This gave me a glimpse into her life and what she has found challenging.  I really enjoyed this day; it also provided us with a much-needed break from the normality of school life.

Mia Montey

It was a remarkable day.  Year 9 students were able to spend time to personally reflect, to find out more about their true selves.  I enjoyed spending the day with people in the cohort that I not necessarily always talk to and to find out who has helped them on their journey.  Personally, I am grateful for my family and friends who have helped me through my journey and have helped make me the person I am today. 

Emma Winter

Tamara Richardson