From the Principal
Samantha Jensen
Dear Parents and Carers,
I think the month of March, 2023 will definitely go down as one of my ‘highlight reels’ for life! A big call, I know.
Mt A really is the place to be in 2023 and this month more than any other, has provided me with moments of awe and wonder. I don’t think I could feel any prouder of what we have achieved together as a College community this year. The SBS series “The Swap” concluded this week, and our stars of that show; Eliza and Martina were exemplary in the way in which they honoured and represented themselves, their faith, their families and our College. On assembly this week, Eliza and Martina were kind enough and brave enough to engage in a Q&A on their experiences throughout the experiment. To us, they are true changemakers and peacemakers in our Franciscan tradition. It is my hope that the courage and authenticity that both Eliza and Martina have personified, in the most public way imaginable, will encourage all of our students to follow their lead.
I invite you to watch an interview we conducted with Eliza and Martina during Assembly this week.
Last Sunday, in the spirit of International Women’s Day, we were thrilled to launch the Mount Alvernia College “Literacy Society” with our keynote of all keynotes; Australian of the Year 2023 – Taryn Brumiftt. What a truly inspirational and uplifting speaker she was – inviting us into a space of ‘polite persistence’ and ‘judging less and loving more’ – particularly when it comes to our relationship with our bodies. There continues to be much to unpack from her presentation, and as a College, we look forward to continuing to work more intentionally with our students in this area. I extend my sincere thanks to Helen Stower, the iCentre Team and Emma Velthuis for their incredible organisation and tireless work in curating such a transformational event for our community.
On the 21st of May we held our P&FSN AGM. It was wonderful to have so many parents attend in person and online. The largest quorum in 3 years, at least! At this meeting, the parents and carers in attendance moved to support the new “Parent Partnership Charter 2023-2024” and in doing so, ratified a new approach to parent partnership in the college. This re-imagining, was the result of months of discussion, engagement and consultation with Catholic School Parents Queensland and feedback from our parent and carer community. In this year of transition, it is our hope that parent partnership and engagement within the college will be more sustainable and purposeful in relation to the strategic aims and goals of the College which are already underway. We know that there is an enormous wealth of wisdom, insight and expertise which the college can tap into from our parent community. I shared with the parents present on the evening and will do so again; as a Principal and College we are fervently committed to parent partnership at Mount Alvernia College.
At the conclusion of our AGM, we paid special tribute and thanks to the unending work of our outgoing P&FSN executive; President Lidia Ranalli, Treasurer, Jo Galvin and Secretary, Sheryn Neal. These ladies have been a powerhouse of 3, and over a number of years have ensured that important connections between parents and community were forged and that meaningful and purposeful resources for the College were procured. These significant contributions include; the Laser Cutter, San Damiano ceiling fans, Outdoor Gym, the Carceri Altar, Thermomix for La Cucina and most recently installed; the shade cloths on our rooftop terrace. The P&FSN under the leadership and oversight of our executive has also included initiatives such as Sony Camp, Enabling excellence grants, the Frank Blanchard Bursaries and more recently our Year Level Social Coordinators and Wednesday afternoon Coffee Van! Once again we thank, Lidia, Jo and Sheryn for all they have contributed on behalf of our parent community.
If you are interested in being a part of the next generation of parent partners, we welcome you to place an expression of interest using the link below. Further information regarding this new model can be found below.
Expressions of Interest can be submitted here.
We would ask that all EOI’s be submitted by COB on the last day of Term One, Friday 31 March.
We look forward to working together with our new Parent Partnership Panel in 2023 and will share further information with you all in Term 2.
Finally, in the spirit of “The Swap”, a bold experiment in peacemaking, tolerance and understanding, we look this week to Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace.
Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… our efforts have been in vain.
Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say: "Never again war!"; "With war everything is lost". Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.
Amen
We look forward to our final week of Term 1 together.