Dear Parents, Carers and the Merici College Community
We have come to the end of another great year at Merici College. Students have moved into wonderful new classrooms; science laboratories and we have started using the Auditorium to its full capacity. The façade on Limestone Avenue, upgrade to decking in the new quad and art installations have added to the wonderful environment your daughters learn and laugh in. Our work with the International Baccalaureate has proven to be excellent professional learning for staff and we look forward to continuing next year and hope we move from Candidacy to Authorisation.
Term 4 is always a bitter sweet time, as we watch our Year 12 students break out into the future and we take the time at the Graduation Assembly, Mass and Formal to say goodbye, God bless and good luck. The 2018 Year 12 cohort were quite special to me, as we started our journey at Merici together! I am proud of their achievements. I thank them for continuing to strive in the footsteps of St Angela Merici and look forward to hearing about their great adventures as they step into the world with confidence. We also celebrate our ATAR results and VET achievements. For our graduands, the foundations are set, go out now and strive to fulfil your goals and build futures more wondrous than you dare to dream!
Spreading Joy and the Year of Youth have been our themes for 2018. I have witnessed students celebrate their gifts in a variety of ways. From our first AFLW team through to awards for great success in academic competitions, and I have to mention the amazing service our girls give through their involvement with social justice. Their enthusiasm and passion keep me young.
2019 will see the implementation of our new Strategic Plan for 2019-2021. The Priorities are set out below:
Priority 1: Strong Faith
Aspiration – To build a strong and positive catholic identity where faith is nurtured, and all are empowered to serve others. Under the four domains of: Catholic Culture, Service Learning, Faith Formation and Religious Education.
Priority 2: Powerful Learning
Aspiration – An educational environment that inspires life-long learning, enabling everyone to achieve individual excellence. Under the two domains of: Learning Frameworks and Reflective Practices.
Priority 3: Thriving Community
Aspiration – A connected community that cultivates compassionate relationships, wellbeing and the whole person. Under the three domains of: Staff Wellbeing, Student Engagement and Wellbeing, and Parental and Community Engagement.
Priority 4: Sustainable Future
Aspiration – Ethical practices ensure shared responsibility for the stewardship of all resources. Under the four domains of: Marketing and Communications, Facilities and Infrastructure, Financial Sustainability, and Stewardship and Environmental Sustainability.
To all my staff, I thank you for your support and constant care of our students. It is usual at the end of each year to farewell staff members; some have been here for a short time, in temporary positions, others in a more permanent capacity. Three staff members I wish to name for their loyalty to Merici College are Ms Maureen Adams (retiring), Ms Anne Curran (retiring) and Dr Ann Cleary (moving as Assistant Principal to St John Paul II College). I wish you all an abundance of happiness and peace in all you do in the future. Thank you for the outstanding impact you have made on the lives of students in our community over the past years. I would like to personally thank you for your professionalism and commitment to educating our young ladies and contributing to the life of Merici College.
To our parents and carers, I value the partnership we share in educating your daughters and thank you for your support. I appreciated your warm words, beautiful cards, Tweets, Facebook posts and encouraging emails. These things I treasure always. Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your daughters.
2019 will be an exciting year of celebration. Merici will be 60 years old, and don’t we look great, but most importantly haven’t we achieved greatness. Our theme for our 60th Anniversary is fidelitas = faithfulness and our image is the fleur des lis. Both of these are taken from our College crest. We will share more on their significance in the new year.
The 2019 school year will begin for Years 7, 11 and 12 on Monday, 4 February and for Years 8, 9 and 10 on Tuesday, 5 February. During the week prior to this, staff professional learning, new staff orientation, and staff planning will take place.
To those students moving on from Merici College, I wish you every success and blessing for the future. If the move isn’t what you thought it would be, you are always welcome to return to Merici, the door is always open. For those coming back in 2019, I wish you and your families a safe and joyous Christmas break and am excited about the wonderful celebrations, new opportunities and challenges that await us on our return. May you all have a very happy, safe and Blessed Christmas and New Year.
Mrs Loretta Wholley
Principal
