One of the joys of this time of year is seeing the culmination of the learning endeavours of students from across the year. Our Year 12 students are almost through their exams and most have been very affirming in their sense of preparedness and ability to tackle what was presented to them. Last night the Year 7 area was a buzz of energy and excitement with the showcase of Growth Day projects. We welcomed families, our incoming Year 7 students and prospective students to learn more about this work and how it provides an opportunity to learn about and practice the competencies of student agency, collaboration and communication. I learned about running half marathons, crocheting, setting up businesses, community service work and saw amazing creative pursuits in the arts. I was so impressed by the students I spoke to and how well they were able to articulate what they had discovered about themselves as a learner. I heard about persistence, setting goals, organisation, embracing challenge, learning from mentors, being patient with the learning process and the sense of pride that comes from accomplishment. Being the second year we have undertaken this work, we know we have made improvements to our understanding of how to support the students and the processes they are undertaking. We also continue to reflect and learn about how we will continue to refine what we do. I sincerely thank families for their enthusiastic encouragement of our students and the support of their endeavours.
Our musicians showcased their solo performances on Tuesday evening with some wonderful performances from classical, to 80s, jazz, blues and funk. At the evening we spoke about the courage to perform and how these opportunities provide a safe place for our students to enjoy this experience. I am also grateful to our senior students who performed and showed our younger students the benefits of following a passion for music. Next week we see our ensemble showcase which will include our Year 7 musicians instrumental performances. I always marvel at what can be achieved in just six short months. In other exciting news from the Music Department our Combined Band received a second place for their recent performance in the Geelong Show. We thank Ms Howard and our instrumental tutors for the work they do in supporting students’ passion and interest in this area.
The Geelong Catholic Secondary Colleges share a collaborative working relationship that I have not experienced anywhere else in my time in Catholic education. This week Clonard hosted the Annual Combined Catholic Colleges Schools Advisory Councils dinner. Over 70 people gathered to celebrate the work of Catholic Education and to hear from each of the Colleges as to their achievements and developments over the past 12 months. In the last couple of years it has been wonderful to welcome Geelong’s two Catholic flexi settings, MacKillop Education and St Joseph’s Flexible Learning. It speaks to the breadth of mission being undertaken to serve the broader Geelong community. This opportunity to learn from each other strengthens our networks and collaborative relationships. It was also a chance to express gratitude to those on our advisory councils who support us in the work of governance. Whilst all schools have an overarching Board responsible for governance, the school based advisory or stewardship council bring the local context and expertise to the enactment of mission and strategy in each setting. I am personally grateful to our Stewardship Council who have been supportive in our master planning, review and strategic plan development and other future focused conversations across our meetings this year.
In a further expression of the collaborative nature of the Geelong schools, today I was at a GISSA Board meeting. GISSA is the Geelong Independent Schools Sports Association of which Clonard is a member. It was interesting to learn about the increase in both individual participation and team participation in GISSA events across 2024. Our students participate in a range of GISSA sports including the Year 7/8 Wednesday afternoon sports in Terms 2 and 3. Our involvement with GISSA provides access to a wide range of sports in a local context. To see the full range of what we participate in and offer our girls families can see our website Sports Program – Clonard College Geelong
Throughout 2024 we have been inspired to contemplate the value of Hope, one of the six Kildare Ministries values. Recently Pope Francis has published a new book titled ‘Hope is a light in the night’ which is a collection of excerpts from his teachings on the theological virtue of hope. He has such a strong belief in hope that he has given the Jubilee year of 2025 the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. He reminds us that hope is both a gift and a task, a habit to be strengthened and then to be put to good use for the sake of others not just ourselves. In a recent reflection on his new book in the Vatican News, Pope Franics offered us this simple but profound challenge:
‘in the evening, before going to bed, as you’re thinking over the events you have lived through and the encounters you have had, go in search of a sign of hope in the day just gone by. A smile from someone you didn’t expect, an act of gratuitousness observed at school, a kind act encountered in the workplace, a gesture of help, even a small one: hope is indeed a “childlike virtue”, as Charles Péguy wrote. And we need to go back to being like children, with their sense of wonder, to encounter the world, to know it, and to appreciate it. Let us train ourselves to recognise hope. We will then be able to marvel at how much good exists in the world. And our hearts will light up with hope. We will then be able to be beacons of the future for those around us.’
Our mantra this year has been: Hear hope, See hope, Speak hope, Practise hope and Spread hope if we were able to do all of these simple actions the culminating effect would surely be one that resonated with the gospel message of Jesus.
Blessings
Luci
