As we hit the halfway mark of Term 3, there is a lot happening in and around the College. Last week we had Pink Day. This week we are in the midst of Cultural week. On top of these events we have sport seasons coming to an end, tournament weeks coming up, along with practice exams for students in Years 11-13 in week 8 and 9.
Last Friday the school hosted and celebrated Pink Day to raise awareness and money for the Breast Cancer Foundation. The student council leaders invited a speaker from the Breast Cancer Foundation to talk at Assembly. The presentation covered a number of aspects relating to breast cancer in New Zealand, but her main message was to know your normal. She encouraged students to go home and talk about breast cancer, and for students to encourage those at home to know their normal as breast cancer affects both men and women. I spoke to some senior students late last week and asked if they had in fact gone home and talked about the key message from the presentation, to which many shied away from answering. I really encourage you to have follow up conversations with your daughter about what is presented in settings like Assembly, as it is through these conversations that she will become more confident, aware and comfortable in sharing and discussing significant issues.
The PTFA held a ‘Meet the Principal’ evening last Thursday. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the PTFA for organising this event and thank you to all who attended. On this note, a special thank you to Bernadine Oliver-Kerby for hosting the Q&A. It was a great opportunity to meet parents in our community and to share a little bit about myself, whilst reinforcing our school vision, and what our core business is at Carmel College. Our core business is learning and teaching, and supporting our students to achieve their personal best in the classroom. Alongside this we have a vision that our leavers will be empowered to challenge and shape their future whilst being women who live by our Mercy values; being compassionate and respectful, seeking justice for others and themselves, and having the courage to pursue their ambitions.
My final message of the evening was to thank the parents in attendance for entrusting their daughter’s education to us. The teenage years are exciting but in between these moments there will be challenges and barriers to overcome. During this time it is important that our partnership is one where we work together to support your daughter. With this in mind, if your daughter needs support or guidance from the College, do not hesitate to reach out.
As this week comes to an end with the cultural dress day tomorrow, I want to thank all those involved in this week’s cultural events. On Wednesday our cultural leaders, Analise Collis and Janice Sutjiadi, organised and hosted a cultural concert, and as Analise said ‘through performance and song we travelled the world’. The ability of our young woman to get up on stage, as nervous and excited as they may have been to perform in front of the school, was a joy to observe. The support from the student body was overwhelming and a true example of our young woman empowering one another.
