Deputy Principal

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

At this week’s assembly, I had the great pleasure of announcing our Year 7 Captains for 2024. In doing so, I acknowledged all of the candidates – there were 37 students in all, which was fantastic. This speaks volumes about the way the Year 7 students have found their place at Mount Alvernia, and the pride they have for the College and their House. 

The Raise the Bar Leadership Program is a rigorous one, and all of the students submitted strong applications, which were shared with their Heads of House, who have come to know their students well, and could sign off on the students and check they meet the criteria. There was a voting system too, in which students and staff could cast their preference for the leader in their House, and this was taken up by practically every student in Year 7 along with some staff.

It is important that the students we appoint as leaders are walking the walk, and I know our school community could see this is the students that were selected. As well as being a leader in their House group, these students will form part of the newly established Student Representative Council (SRC), which is made up of students from each House in Years 7 to 11 along with the 14 Year 12 Captains. So far this year, the Council has met to start planning certain initiatives, and to discuss issues of importance or concern at each year level. They are essentially the voice for the wider student body.

I congratulate the newly appointed Captains are:

Belle Prairie House Captain: Caitlin Fasano

Greccio House Captain: Olivia Fields

Perugia House Captain: Lottie Gregory

Rieti House Captain: Yemi Robinson

Spoleto House Captain: Ava Morey

Villa Spada House Captain: Jemma Mammarella

These Captains have already undertaken their first task in attending an SRC meeting yesterday at which they were warmly embraced, and during which they spoke out bravely and with confidence. Wow!

At the assembly, I also acknowledged the appetite amongst the wider student body for leadership and the development of leadership skills. I flagged with the students that I will be running some leadership workshops in coming weeks, during break times, which will explore different topics geared at honing these skills. 

On that note, it truly is the season for leadership. Later this month, we have our six Year 9 Captains along with six other Year 9 students chosen by their Heads of House attending Altitude Day, which is an annual leadership conference. In addition, our Year 11 students are currently undertaking an “Ethical Leadership” unit in their Personal Best lessons, which will culminate in certain students applying to be Year 12 Captains in 2025. Exciting times!

WELLBEING NEWS

In other news, may I share with you some of the other initiatives that are currently taking place in the wellbeing area. Recently, Dr Catherine Swanson addressed our Year 12 students around the topic of sexual health. Dr Catherine is an experienced General Practitioner and a past pupil of Mount Alvernia College. She brings a deep understanding of health education and preventative measures to the topic of sexual education, empowering our young people with the knowledge and tools to prioritise their sexual health and overall wellbeing.

Dr Swanson is also delivering a four-week program to our Year 9 students entitled “Oubaitori”, which is a Japanese idiom meaning “We all grow and bloom at our own pace”. This program aims to provide students with accurate scientific information about their bodies and being healthy. More specifically, the topics include regulation of emotions, mental health first aid, womanhood (including sex chromosomes, puberty, menstruation, general principles of fertility and breast health) and getting the best out of our bodies (including sleep, nutrition, exercise and sun protection plus education around alcohol and smoking/vaping).

Additionally, our Year 10 students have had the opportunity to opt in to a program being run outside of school hours around Respectful Relationships; this is a combined initiative with Padua College. This program kicked off with a presentation entitled “Consent and Healthy Relationships”, facilitated by Dr Abby McLeod. The second session ran yesterday and was focused on “Youth Mental Health” and was facilitated by Mental Health Nurse Vanessa Tate. Dr Swanson will close the program on 16 May with a session on sexual health geared toward this age group.

On the parent front, this week the Mount Alvernia Parent Partnership Panel and the Padua College P&F Association hosted Dr Justin Coulson, well-known speaker on the topics of resilience and parenting. Nearly 500 parents/carers across the three schools (including St Anthony’s) signed up for this presentation, which saw Dr Coulson share strategies for assisting our young people to accept that adversity is a part of life and the importance of being able to bounce back from difficult situations.

OPEN DAY

I did want to take this opportunity to commend the nearly 150 students who have put their hands up to be Tour Guides at this year’s Open Day. This is a huge number of students, approximately 50 of whom are in Year 7. This is such a crucial job on the day as it frontwards facing for our prospective families. I know I get a lot of comments from parents about the students who take this job on, the obvious pride they have in the school and the way they can articulate what sets Mount Alvernia apart from other schools. These students have given a lot of their own time already in planning meetings and so I do want to say “thank you” in advance. Parents/Carers, can I ask that you please attend to the permission for this event.

UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS

Lastly, I did want to touch on uniform. From time to time we do find that students become more lax in terms of their uniform and around other expectations. I have identified these expectations in a letter home to parents/carers at the start of the year and from time to time in the newsletter, and I have certainly spoken to the students on many occasions. In coming weeks, we will be conducting a number of “blitzes”, focusing on particular items.

Further I would like to remind you of the expectations associated with mobile phones and students making contact with parents/carers during the day. Mobile phones should be stored in lockers for the duration of the day. Contact with home should be made via Student Services, and not via mobile phone or email at the student’s instigation. Most notably, this is a safety issue; it is important that we know where students are at all times and that they are safe.

Lastly, can I also remind you that we track attendance as well as punctuality to school and class. If there are concerns around your child’s attendance, the Homeroom Mentor Teacher will have reached out to you; in addition, they are your first port of call for any concerns. The Head of House may have also made contact with you. It is important that students are at school, and engaging in the learning program, undertaking sport and/or extra-curricular activities and socialising with friends. Any ongoing and persistent attendance issues will be addressed later in the term in more formal communication.

ENJOYABLE MOMENT

In closing, may I share with you an enjoyable moment. When I arrived at school one day recently, a little tired and facing some difficult situations, I was greeted with some beautiful music – it was a contemporary song that I knew well and liked, and it was being played on the piano outside of Main Reception. I immediately brightened and decided to go and tell the student how happy it had made me. I was even more happy to see it was one of my Year 9 English students, who is such a motivated and positive young person. I didn’t know that she could play the piano! And so well! It was a great start to the day and assisted in my rapport building with a student in my class, and let’s face it, we become teachers for the classroom experiences and the great joy our students bring us. I want to thank this student – she knows who she is 😊

Kathryn Dendy

Deputy Principal Student Development and Wellbeing