Principal's Address

As a Catholic School in the Mercy tradition, it is particularly important that we recognise and celebrate International Women’s Day. 

This year, International Women’s Day was on Friday 8th March. It is a sad fact that in 2024, women are still likely to be underpaid, to work in lower-paid sectors of the economy, to be the primary carers for children and the elderly, to have less in their super funds and shamefully, to be the overwhelming victims of domestic abuse. 

Our Mercy Charism does not allow us to be silent in the face of this continuing injustice. The example of Jesus in the Gospels is pertinent. In first-century Palestine, women were certainly marginalised, yet Jesus continually affirms them in his ministry. The letters of St Paul and the Acts of the Apostles reveal that many of the big figures of the early church were women. 

One of the formative acts of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, was to build the House of Mercy in Dublin in 1824.  It was in this house where Catherine and lay women sheltered homeless women, reached out to the sick and dying and educated poor girls. 

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the important women in our School and our lives and to shine a light upon the injustices that women still face around the world and in our area. We open up conversations about ways we can create a fairer world for everyone to flourish. 

Words have power. 

I’ve spoken several times at the P-6 assembly about the fact that the words we say are a choice.   In any given situation, we can choose to build people up or knock them down.  Many of the incidents we deal with, where students have become upset or angry, are contributed to by other students choosing to say things that humiliate or demean.  This is often misguided banter, and what was funny in Week One is not funny in Week Eight, when students are tired and potentially stressed.   Tall poppy syndrome and the prevalence of banter between friends is a significant part of Australian culture, and our young people model what they see.  The difficulty for them is understanding where the line is and their developing ability to empathise with others. It’s our job to help them learn this.  We need to actively encourage our children to choose words that build people up, and for them to do this, they need to see it modelled.  Please speak to your children about situations where they can show kindness and compassion at school.  

Early drop-off 

Please note that students cannot be dropped off at school before 8:10 a.m. as we do not have any staff on duty at this time.  We appreciate your support in ensuring the safety of your children. 

St Pat’s Dinner with All Saints Parish 

I hope to see many of our families at the St Pat’s Dinner at the RSL this Saturday night.  Join us from 6:00pm for a nice meal, a drink and a laugh.   

Cheers, 

Mark