As Week 3 draws to a close, we have again been disrupted by weather events and industrial action. If anyone in our community has been heavily impacted by the recent weather events, please do not hesitate to contact the college if there is anything we can do to assist.
Whilst both events have impacted the time our students have physically been at school, it has been pleasing to see that over the last three weeks attendance rates have remained relatively high with students engaging positively in their learning and making the most of their opportunities. It was equally pleasing to see our Year 8 students leave for Camp at the beginning of the week and we look forward to their safe return and to hear their stories of fun and adventure.
Over the coming weeks there are many events and activities planned across the college with Bully Free Week next week, Level 2&3 Drama productions the following week along with the Caritas Challenge, followed by Year 10 Retreat and Year 12 Work Experience. On top of this, for our parent community there is the PTFA Beats by Bingo next Friday.
Winter sporting codes are well underway and it’s great to see so many students participating and representing the college with pride, whether it be in social or competitive grades. I am looking forward to getting to as many games as possible this season and joining in with the positive side line support for our students as they strive for their personal excellence.
As always, the challenge for our young women is to find the balance between their academic endeavours, family responsibilities, co-curricular activities, and their social lives. This is always easier said than done, so for those young women who are finding it challenging to manage expectations and commitments, we encourage them to seek support from their Atawhai teacher, dean, guidance counsellors or members of our senior leadership team. We want our young women to make the most of every opportunity but learn how to prioritise whilst managing expectations and their personal wellbeing, and this is a skill that they need support in developing.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our mothers, grandmothers and other significant female figures in the lives of our young women, a Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday. It is important to acknowledge and celebrate that it is the parents who are the first teachers of their children and that parents will continue to teach and guide their daughters long after they have left our school grounds. So, to our parent community, thank you. Thank you for being the base and an integral part of our community. Thank you for supporting the staff at Carmel who work with and alongside your daughter to ensure that she develops the skills and attributes to be equipped and empowered to pursue her personal excellence, so that she will be prepared to challenge and shape the future, whilst being a young woman of Mercy who acts justly, loves tenderly and walks humbly with our God.
A Prayer for Mothers
All loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.
We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need;
May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.
We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us;
May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.
We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict;
May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.
We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.
We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.
Amen.
