Alumnae

The value of education in transforming lives and the particular joy of learning at St Vincent’s College was certainly on show this week. A notable highlight was our College Open Afternoon which felt much like a festival as students and staff showcased the myriad of learning experiences within our classroom spaces as well as on courts, on stage and behind the coffee machine.

Our prospective students certainly had their curiosity sparked and passions ignited; some young girls were literally jumping in saying they cannot wait to come here. For me, a highlight is not only the joy on these Year 5 students’ faces, but the commendation given to our current students for their authenticity and appreciation in the way they talk about their school community and are able to articulate their learning experiences. I also find myself talking with prospective parents about the community of parents and staff that also give so generously of their time and passion in shaping the culture of St Vincent’s College, an example so palpably felt at last week’s P&F Cocktail Party.

We were also most fortunate this week to have Alumna Gemma Sisia (Class of 1989) share the story of the School of St Jude’s in Arusha, Tanzania with Years 9-12. From Gemma’s desire to be of service to others, identifying Tanzania as a place of great need, she, along with a fellow St Vincent’s Alumna and a few tables and chairs from Vinnies’ classroom opened the school with three students in 2002. Gemma inspired us as a person who values the potential of all persons, coupled with a firm respect for the value of learning as a means to give hope and prosperity. The School of St Jude’s now educates 1800 students on scholarships across three campuses, employing over 300 Tanzanian staff with an additional program that provides graduate students as teachers impacting 700 000 students in government schools. The first primary students have now graduated from a diverse range of 350 university degrees and are giving of their gifts and opportunity for learning to contribute to Tanzania’s prosperity. Gemma was accompanied by graduates who are now colleagues, Winnie and John, who shared their stories of education and contribution to their communities. Our Year 12 students who participated in the Immersion in December also shared their learnings, describing how their assumptions about poverty were challenged and the new perspectives they have through their encounters with student peers in the schools we visited. They told how St Jude’s students take library and textbooks home for the holidays so they may continue their study and support the learning of extended family members. They reflected upon the joy of girls at the Emusoi centre in finding a sisterhood of support as they live away from their village communities for the very first time, developing their literacy and numeracy skills to access secondary boarding schools in the hope of a future that will offer future employment for themselves and prosperity for their villages. This experience certainly adds a global perspective that prompts the valuing of the opportunity St Vincent’s affords ourselves as learners and educators.

Thank you to the many parents and carers who have completed and returned the letters for the upcoming camp and retreat experiences. There are only a few remaining. It is essential we have these to us on Monday as we are providing dietary requirements to the venues and generating our emergency contact lists to ensure we are able to contact you in the event of ill health or emergency. Our staff are busy designing wonderful experiences for our students as we look forward to learning beyond the classroom.

Mrs Elizabeth Brooks
Deputy Principal