Leadership's Letter

Welcome to the start of the academic school year for 2024 an exciting time for Mazenod College where after much discernment a new leadership structure and new positions take effect, along with a new four-year strategic plan as part of the cyclical school improvement plan that the College undertakes. Part of this excitement is the influx of new staff to Mazenod necessitated due to the E.B.A. of a reduction in face-to-face time for teachers along with the creation of some new roles. We welcome their experience, expertise and enthusiasm that they will bring to Mazenod. A key priority is to recruit and retain talented teaching and educational support staff to enable Mazenod students to have every opportunity to experience the best possible wholistic education in the tradition of St Eugene de Mazenod. 

With the excitement of a new year starting there is always some experiences of nervousness and trepidation returning to school especially for our year 7’s transitioning to secondary. While the previous year’s head start, jumpstart, orientation programs and information sessions attempt to alleviate some of this for all students one of the priorities this year is the emphasis on Pastoral Care. As such some simple language and structural changes have been implemented. Previously known as Homeroom Teachers now become Pastoral Leaders a Homeroom Group now becomes a Pastoral Group and at the start of each day and for an extended time on a Friday the Homeroom period/time is now referred to as Pastoral period/time. The aim is to continue to foster mutually respective staff to student and student to student relationships each and every day. 

As a parent and a teacher, I often reflect on a quote from Peter Ustinov.

“Parents are the bones on which children sharpen their teeth. And the same can be said for Principals and Teachers. And of what use are these bones if they are too soft?” 

There will always be a healthy tension between young people seeking to exercise independence and those who feel the young people need more guidance. All parents will feel gnawed at, some time or other, as their children test the limits and feel out the boundaries. At times most parents will be made to feel like an old bone if not a fossil! With freedom comes responsibility. Some young people will demand freedom but may not be ready to accept the corresponding responsibility. Most will be. Sometimes parents have to balance trusting their child’s honesty, integrity and good intentions. The best way is to be ready to talk about it. The partnership between school, parents and students is an important one in the formation of a young person. It is easy to point out what is wrong or the mistake. Young people have more of a need for positive role models than critics. John Paul XXIII summed this up many years ago that still resonates especially today “See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little.” 

Wishing all in the Mazenod Community a great 2024. 

Tim Ford

Vice Principal