From the Acting Deputy Head of Senior School – Pastoral

I hope your daughter has settled into her Term 4 studies and is enjoying this final chunk of schooling for 2024. The School is a little quieter without our Year 12 students, but there is still plenty going on around the campus. Both Year 10 and Year 11 have their trips to look forward to and Year 7 to Year 9 are consolidating their years’ work.

As a senior school, we have renewed our focus on uniform, encouraging the students to set and maintain the highest standards. Uniform is a very visible symbol of our unity as a school and is important in helping to create connection and belonging. I often remind students that when we see the Matildas turn up on game day, or Olympians parading as a team, their uniform is immaculate and worn with pride. Please encourage your daughter to do the same. The uniform code is in the Parent Handbook and in the student diary from page 12 onwards.

This week in our Chapel service, Pastor Cailtin spoke about her time working with Uniting, the service arm of the Uniting Church. Our school and Uniting share two core values, those of Respect and Compassion. Both of these are key to a strong sense of wellbeing. Respect is defined by Uniting as ‘acting with honesty and integrity, opening our hearts to all people without exception’, and Compassion as being ‘nurturing, generous and thoughtful in our words and deeds.’ I know that our pastoral care programs encourage these values in our students, and we will continue to work on this throughout the year.

When I reflect on the Class of 2024 as a cohort, I think of their compassion for and their acceptance of each other. Compassion is the foundation of healthy, supportive relationships. It fosters trust, understanding, and empathy, which help people feel more connected to others. These strong social bonds contribute to overall happiness and a sense of belonging, both of which are vital to wellbeing. Similarly, respect is the cornerstone of successful and meaningful relationships. When we respect others, we validate their feelings and opinions, which leads to greater trust and collaboration.

I hope that all our students demonstrate our School Values and engage with their wellbeing programs and excursions this term to develop connections, demonstrate compassion and make a positive contribution to MLC School.

– Fiona Pow
Acting Deputy Head of Senior School – Pastoral