Year 7 Pastoral Guardian
Colleen Goodin
It is hard to believe that another year has rapidly drawn to a close and your child has completed their first year of high school. The students are well and truly ready for the holidays as it has been a very busy term - and indeed year. The first year of high school is a year of adjustment as the students find their way and search for their ‘tribe’. Throw into the mix the unusual start to the year, and it is no wonder everyone is feeling in need of a good long break.
2022 Student Overview
The world has lived with COVID-19 for almost three years and there have been many stages along the way. The impact on lifestyle, business, and personal health and wellbeing has been immense. A delayed start to my journey at Mount Alvernia was disappointing as I was so excited to start my high school adventure. No school-age student has been exempted from lockdowns and home schooling – new words we have all come to know. Some enjoyed the idea of home schooling and thrived, whilst others have felt isolate and out of touch. The words courage and compassion are two words we strive to live by and which have resonated through everyone’s lives.
We all need the courage to face new challenges and need to show compassion to those who may have struggled with the changes to the world in which we live. I feel Mount Alvernia and its family of teachers, parents, and students have been very supportive and displayed courage and compassion to our community and beyond. Over the course of the year, the increased workload from exams and assignments proved to be a difficult change but was well managed and communicated with ongoing support from the college staff, teachers, family, and friends. Courage has been displayed throughout the whole cohort, with all understanding the difficulties of completing these assignment and exams to a standard with which they felt comfortable.
Although these marks do not determine our worth as students, they are still an achievement of which we should be immensely proud. The change to high school was a difficult idea to grasp, considering some best friends from primary school wouldn’t be continuing their schooling life at Mount Alvernia together. The courage people had displayed when going up to new people who they did not yet know was inspiring. The encouragement and welcoming that was being displayed by most Year 7s was admirable and just made the other people in the year level feel included. Though some people may not have continued being friends, the memories they have made with each other will be remembered for years to come.
Hannah Burroughs & Macey Smith
Today has been a lovely way to end the year with the ‘Wildlife Geckos’ show, the pool and games party, and our Christmas liturgy. It has been my absolute pleasure to get to know your child this year and support them to make the transition into high school. I wish you all a joyful and peaceful Christmas and the very best wishes for 2023.
Colleen Goodin
