A warm welcome back to all families as we look forward to another year of sharing in the partnership of the care of your daughters. I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to all families of students who have joined our Loreto Normanhurst community this year and I hope that you will quickly come to value the spirit of this community, anchored in Mary Ward’s three touchstones, Freedom, Justice and Sincerity, centred-on relationships and grounded in truth.

We are all familiar with the African proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and there is no doubt families choose the place of schooling for their children with great discernment, cognisant that this place of education will become an integral part of this ‘village’. We appreciate this unique aspect of our roles as educators, the privilege of working in partnership with families, and the reciprocal relationship that exists in this sphere. In the context of our times, this relationship has never been more important. We realise the many complexities that come with parenting and recognise the importance of families and educators working together to invest in strategies that will build the capacity of our girls, empowering them with courage, purpose, and hope.

Partnership involves a commitment to shared goals that will be mutually beneficial to all. Such a partnership can only be realised when we are congruent in our values and purpose and through authentic relationship with you, the primary educators of your daughters. We do this through engaging parents in their daughters’ education in a range of ways which place value on building a sense of community and where trusting relationships are developed.

In choosing this school for your daughter, you recognise the mission of our school is to encourage each student to fulfill her academic and personal potential, whilst developing them as independent, articulate and compassionate women of integrity. Mother Gonzaga Barry believed that what the world needed were ‘wise, loveable and well-educated women’ and her aim was to develop the whole child - spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Her vision for a holistic education is fundamental to a Loreto education. Our FACE curriculum engenders a love of learning across all facets of school life - Faith, Academic, Community, Extra-curricular whilst cultivating graduate attributes such as creativity, curiosity, independence and adaptability through a breadth of experiences promoting a collaborative culture, experiential learning and outreach activities.

We unapologetically challenge our students to stretch themselves beyond what is comfortable so that the obstacles of daily life continue to provide them with moments of discovery and new learnings in the knowledge that this will engender grit and resilience - an important part of personal growth, fostered through a lived experience. At times this will mean discomfort of unfamiliar situations or making hard choices in order to do what is right and just, but through these experiences they will develop different perspectives and a sense of compassion. This requires trust and support between school and family, and requires good relationships.

Parents are key to these relationships and connectedness to community, and research has shown that greater parental engagement with the school community has a positive impact on student outcomes including better social skills, a greater sense of personal competence and efficacy for learning. We look forward to sharing in these opportunities with you throughout the year ahead and hope that you find the offerings within our Parent Engagement and Education Program 'It Takes a Village' of benefit.

As we move into this year of Justice may we strengthen our partnerships through our ongoing conversations and authentic relationships, grounded in respect and in truth. May we work together in growing our young people, inspiring them to view their world with optimism, justice and truth.

Mrs Lynn Long, Deputy Principal