Year 9 Pastoral Guardian
With the end of the year fast approaching, there surely is a lot to celebrate. At the start of this term, we attended the Celebration of Excellence Awards Ceremony. This is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of students throughout the year, in all aspects of college life – academic, cultural, sporting, and Home Room. It was lovely this year to have the entire Mount Alvernia student community together to celebrate this event. Congratulations to all Year 9 students who received an award.
Over the last few weeks, I had the pleasure to review Year 9 student applications for the Raising the Bar Leadership Program, as well as attend interviews for these positions. All students showed a genuine commitment to developing their leadership skills and shared their personal vision for leadership. The successful applicants will be part of a team of students who will lead Clare School in 2021 in a variety of portfolios. Congratulations to all girls who have taken the opportunity to apply for this program and show their dedication to being part of the Mount Alvernia community. It is a time to celebrate your continued hard work and determination to reach for your goals. Congratulations to Eden Cook, Lily Ryan, Alice Kelly, Tia Kinghorn, Sophia Papantoniou. and Erin Winstanley who together will make the Clare School Leadership Team for 2021.
You would have recently received an email outlining the last day of the term celebrations on Friday 27 November. This is a compulsory school day, where girls will celebrate together an incredible year.
Congratulations to the Year 9 students on a wonderful, yet busy, year. I am sure the Year 9 cohort would agree that Year 9 has been unpredictable and challenging at times, however, overall enjoyable and rewarding. It has been a pleasure to watch the girls flourish in their social, academic, and personal development over the year.
As this is the last Parent Corner for this year, I would like to wish all girls the best of luck for their final assessments and the remainder of the term. It has been an absolute pleasure to be their Pastoral Guardian for Year 9. I have watched each student grow into a mature and resilient young woman by embracing new experiences and challenges, with a confidence and determination to achieve her best.
I hope that you and your family have a happy, healthy, and relaxing Christmas and break. See you in 2021 for all the excitement that Year 10 brings.
Teena Christofis
Student Reflection on the Year
Positives and Negatives of the year
Although this year is perceived as a generally messy and negative year, there have been many positives riddled throughout 2020. COVID lockdown and online learning was difficult to transition into, but I found that I came to be so grateful for my friends and teachers, and all the hard work they endured to support us under such unusual circumstances. My friends were dearly missed; I came to appreciate their presence when I came back to school and I’ve decided to make the most out of my time with my friends during my high school years. Despite everything, this year has taught me much more than how to properly wash my hands; I’ve learned that the decisions we make have a ripple effect on our community, and that our freedom, our parks, and the ability to shake hands and give hugs should not be taken for granted.
What I'm looking forward to over the break and next year
Over the holidays, I am looking forward to catching up for lost time with my friends, as well as getting that part-time job that I was intending on applying for in Term 2 this year… oops. I am so excited for the next year, because I chose subjects that I find very interesting, and I’m looking forward to joining in all the school activities that were put on hold this year, such as choir and musical. I missed my school community so much, especially the friends and teachers that I saw every week at cocurricular activities.
What I’ve learned about myself this year
I learned that I’m actually a lot more extroverted that I thought. This affected me greatly in lockdown. However, I now appreciate every social setting in which I find myself.
My 2021 goals
My 2021 goals are to:
- do my best in school; and
- be more connected within my college community.
Jessica Chripczuk Morales
