Learning  

Dear Parents /Guardians,

As most of you would be aware, this is my final year at Academy.   My plan for next year is to pursue further studies.  While I am excited by this prospect, I do feel a real sense of loss about leaving this wonderful community.  At our final school assembly, I shared the following thoughts about my time here.

‘As a teacher, I am usually the one watching students leave the school gates for the last time. It feels strange to be the one leaving this time.  My leaving is bitter sweet.  While I am excited about the future, I feel a real sense of loss about leaving this community. 

From the minute I walked through the Academy front gate, my imagination was captured by the story of Mercy, and in particular the legacy of Catherine McAuley and Ursula Frayne. These two women transcended the expectations of the women of their time and in doing so, influenced generations in ways that they probably could not have imagined.  They were women of courage and compassion, generosity of spirit and conviction.  The world is a better place for their influence and the staff and students here at the Academy have a real opportunity to honour their memory and live out their vision. Our world needs more individuals like Catherine and Ursula now more than ever. 

For the last three years, it has been my great pleasure and privilege to observe this community being the torchbearers of this legacy every day, in big and small ways.  I have watched you, our students, take risks in your learning despite being wracked with self-doubt, I have watched you persist with good humour and a resolve you hardly know you possess in the face of challenge. I have watched you support your peers and the wider community with a real generosity of spirit, and be respectful advocates not only for yourselves, but for others, especially the vulnerable and unacknowledged.  I think Catherine and Ursula would be proud.  I have watched too, staff tirelessly work to support students, despite the many challenges of the last few years.  Thank you to staff for your unwavering commitment to the growth of our students and for your collegiality and friendship. 

There are many things that I will miss about the College. I will miss hearing the distant echo of a student’s music lesson from my office, or randomly joining in a PE class activity in the undercroft.  I will miss front gate duty, especially on a Friday afternoon in the sunshine, with the lovely old chapel at my back and your smiling faces bidding me farewell. I will miss Mr Moloney’s staff morning teas, Mr Chan’s baking treats and the Mercy Day skits.  Most of all, I will miss being in the classroom with my English students. It has been the most joyful part of my time here at the College. Thank you for learning alongside me and on more than one occasion, teaching me to think in different ways. 

A final and most heartfelt thanks to Sr Mary and Mr Di Camillo.  I have learned the most from your example and counsel and I feel very blessed by our friendship and for the opportunity to work so closely with you both. 

Being an English teacher, my students know how much I love a good story.  Thank you for being such a profoundly positive part of my story.  I hope, that in my interactions with you, I have been a positive part of yours and you will forgive me any missteps.  I wish you every success in the years to come and will keep you in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.’

I take this opportunity to thank you, the wider community. It is only through working in partnership with parents, guardians and families that we can best be of service to the young people in our care.  I am very appreciative of your support and cannot thank you enough for the rich experience I have enjoyed while working here.

Best wishes for 2023 and beyond. Ms Fiona Lennon

Compass

As you know our new learning management system – Compass – is being introduced in 2023.

Compass allows parents and guardians the ability to access up to date and meaningful information about your daughter’s progress.  Compass includes many features that are currently available through our existing Parent Portal including: 

• Monitoring your daughter’s attendance and enter explanations for absences and lateness;
• Communicate with teachers;
• View your daughter’s timetable and the school calendar
• View assessment tasks 
• Book parent teacher conferences

Compass is a web-based system that is accessible through the web browser or by using the ‘Compass School Manager app’ available for iOS or Android. 

For parents and guardians, this new system will not be too dissimilar to the Parent Portal that is currently in use.  Rest assured, however, that training will be available for you at the start of 2023 so that you can best utilize this system. 

The change to this system requires considerable set up, so we plan to roll out different elements of the system over the course of Semester 1, 2023.  We look forward to working with you and will send out further details in due course. 

Reports

End of Semester Reports will be available from Friday 2nd of December, at midday.  These reports are available through the Parent Portal.

Ms Fiona Lennon

Deputy Principal, Learning & Teaching