From the Principal

As the last of the Year 12 Principal’s Lunches draws to a close, I am struck by how grateful our students are for the opportunities they have experienced during their time at the College. Our Year 12 students are also very grateful for the relationships they have developed with their teachers; they recognise that their teachers do truly want what is best for them and are appreciative for the ‘extra’ their teachers devote to ensuring their success. Travelling the world is also often woven into discussions about our soon-to-be graduating students’ hopes and dreams; the keen sense to embrace different cultural experiences is very real to many of our students.

When students have the opportunity to engage with peers, ideas, and realities from around the world, they develop critical skills that cannot be taught in isolation. They learn to think more creatively, listen more carefully, and respond more thoughtfully. Global connections in education challenge us to seek the magis, (the more universal good), and given we live in a time of extraordinary global interconnection, we are continually mindful of its importance.

Perhaps most importantly, global education reminds us that we are all part of something bigger. The challenges we face, be they climate change, public health, or ethical technology use, are not bound by geographical borders. Similarly, solutions to these challenges are not bound by geographical borders either. As we seek to develop students as leaders, problem-solvers, and changemakers, we also strive to equip them with a global lens.

It is with this in mind, that as you are reading this Newsletter I am travelling with the purpose of strengthening our College’s global connections. In addition to hosting an Alumni event in London, I will also be visiting two schools, one a Mary Ward school in England and the other, a Jesuit school in Scotland, with the intention of signing two partnership agreements. After many online conversations with the Principals of both schools, we are now in a position to formalise the relationship between our schools. It will be interesting to see how the strengthened relationship between our schools broadens to include closer staff and student ties over time. I look forward to providing greater detail about the two schools in question later in the year, and, considering I will be in transit for the last week of term, this will be my last Newsletter article for Term 3. I wish everyone a safe and restful break and look forward to everyone’s return in Term 4.

Daniel Mahon

Principal