From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we bid farewell to our class of 2023 who have now officially graduated from Mount Alvernia College. We thank them, and their families for all that they have contributed to our College community these past years. As a cohort, they have demonstrated a kindness and authenticity that will position them well for the future ahead. We hope that the memories, friendships, learnings and values they have forged here with us at Mt A will stay with them for many years to come. At our Evolution Day on Thursday, our Alumnae Panellists shared with our class of 2023 some of their personal experiences, memories and reflections and offered some important advice for the journey ahead. The enduring theme, was to stay true to yourself, hold steadfastly to your values, nurture your friendships and kindness is your currency! Leave behind the cliques the grudges and the self-doubt. Mount Alvernia College remains a second home to you, and we welcome all our graduates back with open arms. 

I would also like to offer my thanks and gratitude to Year 12 parent; Jo Galvin mother of Sally (2023), Samantha (2022), Sarah (2020) and Carla (2019) who has not only made a significant financial contribution to the College with 4 daughters through the College! but who is someone who has made an enormous (voluntary) contribution as a member of the P&FSN executive over many years and who has been instrumental in shaping community and social events, resources and programs for our students, Alumnae Breakfasts and other fabulous initiatives. The Galvin family have been wonderful advocates and supporters of the College and I thank them for all they have given to us over the years.

Staff Shout Outs – Thank you to our Parent Partnership Panel

As we approach the end of the academic year we thank our Parent Partnership Panel for their brilliant initiative in organising the Staff Shout Outs! Sincere thanks to all of the fabulous parents and carers who contributed. It is indeed a wonderful gesture of gratitude for the work that our staff undertake with your daughters everyday. Teaching and supporting students is certainly both a great joy and a responsibility, and I know that the staff are extremely grateful for this simple and affirming endorsement of their work.

Finishing Well

We continue to encourage our students to remain focused throughout their examination blocks fully engaged until the 23rd November. Our thanks go to our Parents and Carers who continue to partner with is in ensuring that attendance until the last day of school is adhered to, and that attention to high standards of uniform, behaviour and conduct remain a priority. Our mantra is for all of our students to ‘finish well’ and we thank you for your cooperation in this. We look forward to celebrating together with the students a wonderful day of connection, house spirit, Christmas celebration and cheer next Thursday!

Announcement - Appointment of our Deans in 2024

It also gives us great pleasure to announce to our parent and carers, 3 key appointments to our Extended Leadership Team at the College in 2024:

Dean of Middle Years (Transitions and Outcomes) – Simone Roche

Dean of Senior Years (Transitions and Outcomes) – Katrina Mansfield

Dean of Administration - Christopher Breingan

In an extremely impressive field of applicants, we are so delighted and excited for our new Deans to join the Mt A team next year. Further announcements regarding further teaching/support staff appointments will be shared at the commencement of 2024.

Additionally, we look forward at the commencement of 2024 to sharing with our parent community feedback from our MMG Survey and Tell them from Me Surveys that we undertook this year in relation to our College operational plan for 2024. As part of this process we have already identified some areas of great strength alongside those areas that we are committed to developing and finessing further. We look forward to another year of ongoing improvement and success in various domains.

Grace, Gratitude and Perspective -  A winning Trio! 

By way of conclusion, I have been reflecting a lot on a collective need for us (as a community and society more broadly) to cultivate a greater sense of perspective. It sounds easy, but it is really quite a challenging undertaking! I have now concluded that at the heart of holding perspective, lives not only a broader empathetic appreciation of the experiences and views of others, but also a deep and abiding sense of ‘gratitude & grace’. 

A more eloquent description of this relationship comes from Fr. Richard Rohr’s recent entry entitled “Gratitude on the Move”.

“Grace and Gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice of an echo. Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning. ……..

Author Anne Lamott writes of the natural movement of gratitude from our hearts in prayer to our lives in action:

Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behaviour…. We mysteriously find ourselves willing to pick up litter in the street, or let others go first in traffic….

You breathe in gratitude, and you breathe it out, too..”

Grace, Gratitude and Perspective are certainly qualities we could all cultivate in our present times. This winning combination may just be the elixir to an enduring mindset of peace! – one of the finest Franciscan values of them all.

May this final week of term be a positive and gracious one for all -  be sure to breathe in gratitude and breath it out (or better still, pay it forward to others!).

Peace and all good,

Samantha Jensen

Principal