Dear Parents & Guardians,
Our theme for this year is Hope Opens New Horizons. Last week at a Mercy leaders gathering, while unpacking the qualities of our foundress Catherine McAuley, we were posed the question… “what would you do if you were bolder?” It was an interesting question that inspired those who were present. Hope is the fuel that inspires us to aspire, through dedication to see through that aspiration, we excel. And then we lead. Our vision for each Mercedes College student is exactly that. Aspire, Excel, Lead. And so, in a similar manner, I pose to our community members while reflecting on your aspirations, what would you do if you were bolder?
We have been celebrating the season of Lent during the last month, starting with Ash Wednesday on 14 February, and finishing on Holy Saturday 30 March. The Christian meaning of Lent revolves around a time of preparation, reflection, and repentance. We engage practices such as fasting, prayer and almsgiving during this season to connect on a deeper level with God. We consider the sacrifice and suffering of Christ for our sins. In preparation for the promised new life of Easter, Christians seek cleansing from sin, which brings about freedom from the shame associated with sin. This process of transformative spiritual change begins with an acknowledgement of, and regret for sins, or put simply regret for behaviours that separate us from God and others, and hence our best selves. True repentance usually requires an experience of brokenness, or enough pain to motivate the addressing of both the truth and impact of problematic behaviours. Repentance leads to behaviour adjustment over time, and eventually restores peace and harmonises the human experience of life.
Earlier this year I asked students, parents, and staff members to comment on various aspects of life at Mercedes. The results of the perception survey show that all three groups believe our staff and student relationships and pastoral care are significant strengths of this community. It was pleasing to hear future hopes and ideas from a variety of sources on the next chapter of Mercedes College. Thank you to all those that completed the survey.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Mercy Principal Conference with the 13 Mercy Principals of the nationally governed schools. As a group we unpacked the notion of ferocious warmth in leadership and relationships. We also discussed the necessity to lead from both the head and the heart. Catherine was said to exhibit the delicate balance of taking responsibility for fostering growth of leaders and students, yet she also allowed them to use their initiative; she stepped back, but also knew when to intervene. Catherine adopted an integrated head and heart approach to her ministry. We found inspiration from our foundress Catherine McAuley, who was an approachable leader, determined to ensure family spirit reigned in her community. Her contemporaries recalled her great liveliness and cheerfulness and her belief that authority and leadership should be life-giving and liberating. At the conference, we considered the fact that emotions can be contagious in community, we catch the mood state of others. And so, we were asked the question “what are you infecting others with?”
At the conference we also farewelled the retiring CEO, Christopher Houlihan. Mercy Education Ltd are currently finishing the recruitment process for his replacement.
Over the last two weeks the College has once again engaged in many events. NAPLAN, International Women’s Day, Maths Week, Open Day, Year 7 Social, Year 8 Social, Year 11 Dinner Dance, A Division ACC Swimming Carnival, where we placed 2nd female overall, WADL Interschool Debating, of which our junior debating teams were winners of the first round, and Harmony Day to name a few.
We hosted 450 people at our successful Open Day. Prospective families toured the beautiful grounds and experienced Mercedes life in full swing. Our Year 10 student tour guides were simply magnificent. They spoke with prospective families, shared our story, responded to questions, and represented our community with pride and poise. Our musicians, Year 11 student Aleisha Loh, Deputy Head Girl Stefanie Scott, and Head Girl Selemana Amato, fulfilled important roles on the day.
Over the next week we will see the closing out of Term One. It has been a short term with only nine weeks. I remain amazed and inspired by all that our students and staff have accomplished in this space of time. It has been a wonderful start to the 2024 year, and I could not be prouder of the girls, our generous staff and the community at large.
Take care,
DR. LUCIE MCCRORY
Principal
