Dear members of the MLMC community
Welcome to the last newsletter for the 2021 academic year. Welcome to the beautiful month of December, the season of summer and the new year in the liturgical seasons of the Church as we enter Advent and prepare for Christmas.
Reflecting on this introduction, it is very much a celebration of the old and the new. The last newsletter and the seasons. MLMC has been in this mode for some weeks now with the long preparation for 2022 which began some months ago and with the entering of the 2022 Academic Foundation Programs these past two weeks; while at the same time celebrating the year that has been with the Award Ceremonies.
The Award ceremonies have been a pleasure over this past week. It is indeed rewarding to celebrate the success of our students, to see them walk across the stage and be applauded by their peers. It is also a pleasure to welcome back the many parents and family members who have been able to attend. I have also received a number of emails from families who have not been able to attend due to College requirements about vaccination. I apologise to those who feel ostracised by the guidelines we have in place, but assure you that MLMC is maximising participation within the guidelines we are directed to follow.
This week continues to highlight to me the importance of keeping one’s finger on the pulse and therefore the health of an organisation whose prime goal is the education of the whole person within a Catholic community, so that each person can develop their gifts and talents for the betterment of the other.
This week we celebrate the successes of 2021 while paving the way for the year and years to come.
In my address to students at the Award Ceremonies this week, I highlighted to them that they continue to be at the brink of great opportunity and it is only their attitude which restricts them. They might see the obstacles that they come across in the years to come as barriers or opportunities to succeed.
In quoting Winston Churchill: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
Albert Einstein: "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
I sought to ask our students to stop and celebrate the successes of their year but at the same time prepare for and seek out the challenges of the future while operating in the positivity of intended goals and desires, but never fear.
In finishing our year together and in celebrating our past, I acknowledge and thank those staff who leave us this year whether that be to finish their working life or to move to new positions at other schools. Some of these staff have worked at MLMC for a substantial period of time and made significant contributions. Others have only been with us for a short time, but their contribution too will be long lasting. We acknowledge and thank:
- Hilda Cassidy — teacher and leader of Mathematics since 1978
- Michael Hill — grounds and gardens team member since 1989
- Nerrida Burnham — teacher of Mathematics and Information Technology since 2001
- Jessica Tipping — teacher of Science since 2015
- Timothy Mannix — teacher of English since 2019
- Lauren Ferguson — Careers leadership since 2018
- Kevin Murray — teacher of Technology
- Gary Hearnes — teacher of Maths and Science.
We also acknowledge those families who leave us whether they have been members of our community for a long or short time and we thank them for their contribution to our community.
I thank all families for their continuing support of our College, wish you all a happy, Holy and safe Christmas and we look forward to students returning in 2002.
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
