What a wonderful week of celebrating the strength of our community in empowering young women through education. A huge thank you to our College Captains who lead from the front, inspiring us to consider the importance of connection and community as together we ‘March Forward’ continuing the journey towards equality.

International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025, themed “March Forward,” marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a pivotal moment in the global fight for gender equality. Despite significant progress over the past three decades, millions of women and girls worldwide still face systemic inequalities, violence, and economic disparities. The “March Forward” theme emphasises the need for decisive steps to turn commitments into action and ensure a truly equal future for all women and girls.

Research from the International Coalition shows that girls schools help to empower young women in some of the following ways:

The research supporting these findings can be found in some interesting reading at the following webpage Quick Facts – ICGS

Some of the highlights from the week included our annual IWD breakfast with guest speaker Alumnae Loretta Hart, an interhouse soccer competition on Hurst Reserve and alumni panel with Saskia Frake and Natalie Grisenti sharing their journeys with our students. Thanks also to Angela Battaglia and Melinda Hopper for their support and behind the scenes efforts in preparing for many of these events.

Next week we commence our fortnight of Open Days with many of our sessions reaching capacity. This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to ‘Come and See’ and experience the feel of being a part of the Clonard community. We encourage families who may not yet have reserved their place to do so as soon as possible as remaining places are limited. We are excited to welcome everyone, especially in this year of ‘Hospitality’.

A highlight for me this week was spending time with our Year 7 students on their camp at Lake Dewar. What I noticed was how well they were connecting, making new friends and embracing the experiences. The camp staff commented on how well the students were collaborating and working together and that this had stood out to them in comparison to other schools they had worked with. Congratulations to both the students and staff at Year 7 for such a successful start.

On Wednesday the College community gathered in year levels to mark the beginning of Lent with our Ash Wednesday ritual. As we were marked with ashes we were reminded of the call to go and make a difference. This is the gift of the Lenten season of 40 days where we are invited to see this time as we journey towards Easter to turn back to a heart that is filled with the gospel message. Traditionally Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and alms giving. Our daily prayers each Monday will share with our community the core messages of each Sunday’s gospel, whilst all classes are working towards what we can give to support Caritas through Project Compassion. Often when we think about fasting we are thinking about giving up chocolate or sugar. In the past week as I was chatting with our College Captains and we talked about giving up social media as a way of giving more time to the company of others, our study, or just time in nature. I have taken up their challenge and hidden my social media on my phone. This fasting from distraction might just be a way to simplify my life to allow focus on things of the heart and soul. In a year where we are focused on Hospitality: Open Encounter Transform, we might consider how this time of Lent might open us to see the face of God in the other.

We trust our families will enjoy the long weekend. As we enjoy the beautiful weather that awaits us we remember the communities in the path of Cyclone Alfred and pray for their safety.

Blessings

Luci