Principal's Update
Yet again this year we have had to make changes to the way we learn, teach, work and live with the introduction of Stage 4 restrictions and return to remote learning for all students. On Monday, the last day on campus for our senior students, the girls, while saddened, showed true strength and kindliness by focusing on positives, bringing some lightheartedness into their day and reaching out to others. I believe that we can all benefit from following their example and focusing on these three things in our own lives each day.
While there is much that is outside of our control at the moment, including learning and working remotely and being very restricted in our social lives, each of us has the choice as to how we respond during this time. We can choose not to dwell on those things that are out of our control and instead chose to put our time and energy into those things we do have control over, including our behavior, attitudes, nurturing our relationships with others and being proactive in practising self-care.
The concerns of healthcare professionals about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of Australians has been widely reported. The Black Dog Institute has produced a user friendly ‘Importance of self-care planning during Coronavirus’ resource which outlines a three-step process on how to create a self-care plan. As they state “self-care is often the first thing that gets sacrificed when life is busy and stressful, and people often think that taking time for themselves seems indulgent. But looking after your own wellbeing will help you get through this challenging time, and will help you to better care for others.”
These are indeed challenging times for everyone, and we all need to take the time to care for ourselves so that we can also care for others.
The prayer that I share with you below was written by Mrs Jane Ward, Assistant Principal: Learning and Teaching. It is a prayer for the Kilbreda College community which reflects upon the six core values that we commit ourselves to. These values, along with our College motto, Strength and Kindliness, are even more pertinent during this time as guiding principles as to how we live our lives.
Lord,
As a community we pray that you would provide us with the opportunity to sow purposefully into the lives of all we encounter -
Help us to sow seeds of courage at Kilbreda
Open our eyes to courage shown in different situations
Provide us with opportunities to celebrate moments of courage
Help us to be exemplars of courage
Let us show courage in trying new things
May we never stop being courageous
Help us to sow seeds of hope at Kilbreda
Let us encourage hope in all we do
Provide us with moments to share your hope with the world
Help us to be exemplars of hope
Let us put our eternal hope in you
May we never stop being hopeful
Help us to sow seeds of compassion at Kilbreda
Enable us to demonstrate self-compassion to support our wellbeing
Allow us to be your hands and feet and treat everyone in a way that is pleasing to you
Help us to be exemplars of compassion
Let us demonstrate compassion in our world
May we never stop being compassionate
Help us to sow seeds of hospitality at Kilbreda
May we seek opportunities to demonstrate hospitality
Let hospitality be lived in every corner of our community
Help us to be exemplars of hospitality
Let us welcome all equally and share what we have with grace and generosity
May we never stop being hospitable
Help us to sow seeds of justice at Kilbreda
Open our eyes to the struggles of the vulnerable in our world
Enable us to speak for those who have no voice
Help us to be exemplars of justice
Stir in us the desire to seek justice and be your witness in our community
May we never stop seeking justice in your name
Help us to sow seeds of wonder at Kilbreda
Open our eyes to the wonders of the universe
Encourage us to be curious and inspire curiosity in others
Help us to be exemplars of wondering
Allow us moments of awe and inspiration
May we never stop living lives of wonder
Lord,
May the seeds we sow fall on fertile soil, and may the crop be bountiful
Amen
Nicole Mangelsdorf
Principal