Pastoral Focus

The very essence of a village

The role of schools in our lives seems to grow year on year. The adage that it takes a village to raise a child seems to me that the village is now families and school. 

Last week, we held a very successful gathering of both in the annual Mandela House Parent Sundowner – and it was wonderful to see so many of our families spending time with the staff who look after their children.

Tonight, the Anglicare School Sleepout at Optus Stadium will see hundreds of students from various schools, accompanied by teachers, spend an uncomfortable night on cardboard beneath the concrete slabs of the stadium and the stars, to raise money for youth homelessness. This event is inspiring and provides a true sense a community through making a small sacrifice to support others. Many thanks to Mr Ryan McBride, Ms Cristi Jonas and Father Gift for braving the cold once again this year in support of our students.

Next week our Year 10 cohort will head off to camp. A huge thank you to Mr Brad Cotterell for the time taken to plan and organise this event. He has certainly made a significant impact in his new role as Head of Year 9 and 10. A big thank you also to the staff attending this camp. The round-the-clock care and support they provide is yet another indicator of the strength, and togetherness, of our very special St George’s community.

For a community to stay strong and continue to flourish, it needs strong leadership. So, the process of finding the student leaders for 2025 has begun. This will take most of Term Three to complete and requires a significant commitment from the Year 11 cohort. Early applications have provided us with a very strong field, and I look forward to being part of this journey here at St George’s for the first time.

So, if it takes a school, and families, to raise a child then the closer we work together the better. From everything I have observed since my first day at the start of the year, we are on the right path.

Parents, please pencil in Wednesday evening, September 4 – the new date of our next Guest Speaker Series. Booking details will be released soon.

Mr Ian Thompson

Head of Pastoral - Student Wellbeing