It is hard to believe that there are only four weeks left of term. Staff are busy preparing reports and finalising marks, girls are completing assessments and getting back into the rhythm of school and slowly but surely the wider community is once again able to get out and about to be with family and friends from across the state. For the first time, we can dare to dream of life getting back to normal.

I have recently finished reading a book titled ‘Black Box Thinking’ by Matthew Syed. Throughout the book, the author is driving the message of the importance of failure and the value it brings in creating opportunities for improvement and growth. He compares the approach taken by the airline industry, where they very publicly scrutinise and interrogate their systems to identify the reason for their failure, to the medical industry which in stark contrast shows a strong reluctance to take any responsibility or accountability for situations where there has been some failure on their part.

No one likes to fail or see their hard work or effort unrewarded with the results that were expected. It is equally hard to impress on our students that to fail is an important experience as it is through failing that you will be confronted with the areas or actions that will need your further attention. For many of our girls, they equate failing with letting their parents and teachers down and they struggle with the belief that their results are an indication of their intellectual capacity. In this sense, a failure or poor result is not a reflection of the work completed but of them as a learner.

We have regularly encouraged the girls to step out of their comfort zone and be ambitious in their learning, but for some this is too risky. What if they get it wrong? What if their marks slip? To be able to embrace failure, girls need to feel it is safe to try something different. Girls need to be supported and encouraged in their endeavours and girls need to accept that it is through practice, honing their skills and persistence that excellence is achieved not by sheer intelligence. If girls approach their learning with a growth mindset, they have the capacity to achieve beyond their expectations.  I encourage you to discuss a growth mindset with your daughter and urge her to keep persisting in her efforts to do her best.

As we make our way to the end of the year, invariably we have some movement of staff in preparation for the new year. I sadly accepted the resignation of Mrs Louise Ibbett this term. Louise has been working as an Assistant Principal in a south coast high school for 2021 and has accepted a permanent position there from 2022. Louise had been at St Patrick’s for 32 years. In that time, she has held several positions and influenced the culture of St Pat’s to what it is today. Louise is a passionate educator who was always motivated to do the best for the girls. We wish her well in her new position and thank her for her faithful and loyal service of the College.

Mrs Eileen Kelly has also decided to retire from the College at the end of this year. She has been at the College for the last 13 years and has been wonderful in supporting and enabling all girls with diverse needs to access the learning and achieve their potential. Many families found in Eileen an advocate for their daughter who would champion their needs and ensure they felt valued and experienced success. We wish Eileen a very happy retirement and thank her for her tireless work over the years.

Finally, we went through the Cease of Operations Policy with the girls through the week. We will use this policy should we have a confirmed case of COVID onsite. The policy can be accessed by  clicking on this link. The main points are that you will receive an email and text message alerting you to the email. You will be able to pick your daughter up from the College if this is possible for you. The College will be opened so that cars will drive through the site, as previous practice, to collect their daughter. Girls will be waiting in the MSC carpark for you. Parents will not be able to alight from the car but will need to wait for their daughter to come to them. Staff will be supervising the collection. Those who walk, or use the private bus or travel home with siblings will be dismissed. The remainder will stay in homeroom until it is dismissal time. Hopefully we won’t need to action this policy, but it is better to be prepared and thus safe.

I will leave you with a short reflection as told by a monk on the highs and lows of our struggle to live a meaningful life:

A young monk approached an elder and said “Try as I might to be  good tempered, chaste and sober. I keep on sinning.” The older monk replied “Brother, the spiritual life is this: I rise up and I fall down. I rise up and I fall down” the young monk stayed and persevered.
 (How to Live by Judith Valente)

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal