As a mother of two daughters, as a Principal of a girls College and as a woman, I cannot help but feel the pain, frustration and dismay that has gripped our country this week with the devastating statistic for 2024, the death of one Australian woman every four days as the result of domestic violence. This is a challenging space to be in when we are exploring the value of ‘hope’ for our College theme this year. There is hope in the gathering of women to have their voices heard, there is hope in the men who stand with us and speak out against all forms of violence or discrimination against women, and there is hope in the education and empowerment of all women, in particular, our young women.
I share with you our prayer from our Wellbeing time today:
God, we cry to you for justice for women and girls.
Help us to dig out the roots of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Inspire us to break down the structures that silence and disempower women.
Make us united in condemning abuse, in all its forms.
God, we cry to you for refuge for the survivors of violence.
May those in power recognise their responsibilities to support survivors.
Show us how to amplify the voices of women and girls speaking up for change.
Give us the courage to act against inequality.
God, we cry to you for change, for transformation.
Send us the strength to persist in activism when we face barriers.
Fill us with determination as we seek to renew our world.
May we see a day when every girl will be free to flourish and know life in all its fullness.
Amen
At Clonard we take our responsibility seriously about safeguarding and educating our girls about respectful relationships and positive gender relationships in particular. We have commenced our annual cycle of presentations to all year levels about the right to feel safe and be safe and what to do if our students have concerns for themselves or their peers. Our Child Protection Officers are critical in this process. This week Tania Anticev has an article in our newsletter about the work we do in this space which I commend to you. I have also found hope in raising women’s voices by being introduced to the podcast ‘Australian Women Preach’. This is a weekly podcast where women from diverse Christian backgrounds break open scripture in light of their faith and lived experience.
I had the privilege of hearing and seeing hope alive in the gathering of our Year 12 students and the accompanying staff at our annul retreat. Arriving to the affirmation of staff sharing how the girls had ‘been amazing’, reminds us of what we hope for after six years of a Kildare Ministries education at Clonard. Spending the morning with the students listening to what they value, who they admire and the power of family was pure joy. There was a true sense of the power of community and building closer bonds that will sustain this cohort as they look towards the final six months of their secondary education journey.
Next week we commence our review process with our Compliance Day on Tuesday followed by two days of validation of our School Improvement Framework judgements in Week 5. The process has helped us to gain greater familiarity with some of the newer compliance standards and we look forward to continuing to seek ways to enhance and improve our practices. We have also found the process one of affirmation looking back over the past four years and identifying where we have worked towards our goals outlined in our School Improvement Plan and annual action plans.
Thank you to the families who came along to our workshop on Tuesday night and so generously shared insights into the attributes we are striving for in a Clonard graduate. The process we are currently undertaking is considering what we currently have and realigning them to the Kildare Ministries Living Justice Living Peace Charters three core principles:
- Learning with Wonder
- Living with Compassion
- Leading with Courage
Through this process we are considering the connection of these attributes to the work we are doing to New Metrics.
Only a week before our community gathers to mark Mother’s Day. Again we have a sell out after increasing numbers from last year. Looking forward to seeing lots of the wonderful women in our students’ lives!
A reminder that enrolments for Year 7 2025 are due to close today. If you have any questions or concerns meeting this timeline please contact our registrar.
Blessings
Luci
