3 minute read
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Having celebrated our Centenary in spectacular fashion last year, I was excited for the commencement of 2022, the beginning of a new century of discovery for St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School. The foundations for another fruitful year were in place thanks to the unveiling of a fresh strategic outlook for the School, with a renewed vision to engage hearts and ignite curious minds, a considered set of guiding strands, and a revised list of core school values.
However, it soon became apparent that the year might not proceed as planned due to escalating COVID-19 restrictions. While initially disappointed to think that things might not go our way in 2022, I quickly realised that the answers to the challenges ahead lay in the very strategy that was designed to help St Mary’s take our first steps into our next 100 years.
Our strategic guiding strands were carefully designed to foster a respectful, supportive and connected community, where our staff and students could thrive. As we navigated a surge in COVID-19 cases in Western Australia, our values of courage, compassion and respect were at the forefront of our thinking, especially as we turned our focus to developing self-aware, adaptable learners.
WITH CHANGE COMES OPPORTUNITY
With increasing public health and social measure restrictions impacting our usual way of operating, we had to reimagine how we did things, particularly in our vibrant cocurricular programs. We needed to be courageous in determining ways for our students to continue to flourish with so much uncertainty surrounding them, and we were tasked with the challenge of continuing to build an inclusive culture where everyone feels known, safe and respected at a time when we were not permitted to gather in person. Without a doubt, 2022 has been a very different experience from the two previous years of the pandemic. With short, sharp lockdowns a thing of the past, we are now learning to live in this strange new world that requires us to do things differently. While the constant change has been trying at times, it has provided an opportunity to discover new and interesting ways of operating, revealed some deep learnings and unveiled many silver linings. I am immensely grateful for our exceptional staff, who have responded to the overwhelming challenges with incredible fortitude. They demonstrated indomitable spirit and great courage as they remodelled educational experiences in new and creative ways. We are blessed to have such dedicated staff who are so committed to giving of their best to enable our girls to flourish. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to our parents and members of St Mary’s extended family, who have worked closely with the School to keep our community safe in trying circumstances. With a focus on compassion and understanding, we navigated those first nervous weeks of COVID-19 community transmission and reached a place of acceptance and comfort, supporting each other as well as possible throughout this uncharted journey. Finally, I commend our students for the courage, compassion, respect and integrity that they displayed during this period of great change. I am particularly thankful for the way in which the girls accepted and embraced our modified ways of operating, especially in our cocurricular programs. It was wonderful to see their competitive House spirit on show at events including but not limited to interhouse swimming, cross country and drama. I am also so proud of the way that they persevered with the mask-wearing requirements to keep everyone safe and healthy. School communities are diverse and complex, and expectations to deliver are high. Our supportive and inspirational environment has served us well throughout the pandemic thus far and I am confident that it will continue to do so as we prepare to forge ahead into our exciting future.
