STRATEGIC PLAN
LORETO COLLEGE BALLARAT 2023 - 2027
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Loreto College Ballarat acknowledges the traditional owners of our land, the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation, whose ancient wisdom and traditions continue to nurture these lands and waterways as they have for over 40,000 years.
OUR COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION
Loreto College Ballarat is proud and humbled to be on Wadawurrung Country. We celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of the people of this Land whilst recognising the uniqueness of each individual’s story.
We acknowledge who we are - a Catholic school built on the values of the Mary Ward tradition. Therefore, in the spirit of these values, it is integral for us to be part of the improvement of knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander/First Nations peoples, stories and culture. As a religious institution we acknowledge past injustices and the need for more truth telling.
We are committed to authenticity. We aim to develop ongoing relationships and respectful partnerships with Elders and communities. We are listening in order to enhance our journey towards creating a culturally safe environment that respectfully embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge and histories into our curriculum. All of this will be visible in our celebrations, in our every day actions and in our words.
Reconciliation is everyone’s business. It is everyone’s responsibility and right to create an Australia for all people.
A Loreto education is based on the core values of
Freedom, Justice, Sincerity, Verity and Felicity OUR STORY
Mary Ward’s fundamental belief was that men and women alike found their deepest truth and ultimate value in God.
Mother Gonzaga Barry’s influence on primary, secondary and tertiary education was both lively and profound.
The Loreto story began over 400 years ago with Mary Ward, a remarkable woman of faith and influence. Mary Ward founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) in1609, when she recognised the critical difference that education could make to her troubled world, especially through the care and development of faith. Offering girls the kind of education that would make them“ seekers of truth and doers of justice” was innovative and controversial in her time. Her spirit, educational philosophy and vigorous conviction that “women in time to come will do much” has continued to inspire education congruent to the times through an expanding global network of Loreto and Mary Ward schools.
The story of Loreto in Australia began with the arrival of Mother Mary Gonzaga Barry in Ballarat in 1875 with nine Loreto companions to begin a school for girls. She believed that what the world needed are wise, lovable and welleducated women. She was a pioneer in creating a very broad curriculum that ensured a holistic education to bring the best out of her students so they could ‘make the world a better place for having lived in it’.
In 40 years, she founded 13 schools (including Kindergarten, Primary and Boarding Schools), two teacher training colleges as well as the running of at least seven parish schools. Loreto College Ballarat is now proud to be part of a global Loreto network of over 150 Loreto schools worldwide who all share a commitment to working together towards Mary Ward’s vision and a strong belief in the education of girls.
OUR FUTURE
Mother Gonzaga Barry’s arrival in Ballarat in July 1875 coincided with a period of immense growth and change. In 2023 - 2027, we find ourselves in a similar exciting period of growth which now coincides with an evolving new career landscape for our current and future students.
Loreto College proudly embraces the exciting new influences and demographics that will come with population growth. We are committed to embracing the rich and diverse culture of our First Nations people and recognising the need to learn from our past and our present. Our future College will build on traditions and re-imagine education.
To be Loreto, to be part of this community, to attend our schools and work within these spaces means to commit to fostering a sustainable world. Not only should our day-to-day practices embrace this, but it should go to the very heart of who we are and how we exist in this world.
“We
have to think about thriving as interrelated: how we thrive as a planet, how we thrive as communities, how we thrive in our interpersonal relationships, and how we thrive as individuals. Then we might craft an alternative, which starts to connect with people’s lived experience.”
Valerie Hannon
With Mother Gonzaga Barry, the founder of Loreto schools in Australia, as a role model for expansion and innovative change, Loreto College Ballarat is moving courageously forward to meet the need for Catholic education in the Loreto tradition.
As the demand for a Catholic education continues to grow, our expansion will include an extension campus with a future-focused learning environment on 13.6 hectares on the corner of Finchs Road and Cuthberts Road, Lucas. Loreto College is working collaboratively with Urbis, to evaluate the future education landscape and develop a master plan for the current Mary’s Mount and Cuthbert’s Road site.
The aim is to use environmentally sustainable design principles to offer state-of-the-art secondary education facilities. Our design will enhance the learners’ experience by promoting engagement with the world around them in creative and innovative ways. The addition of a co-educational primary school, an early learning centre and a boarding school for secondary students continue to be a part of the planning process.
Inspired by the story of Mary Ward, to understand themselves, their faith and their passions, we will strive for our students to work collaboratively with their peers, teachers, families and community.
“Our ideals often make our realities.”
Our College will build and leverage learner agency and foster an environment for our students to be aspirational, ethical and inclusive leaders. There has never been a better time for girls education. As a Loreto school in the spirit of Mary Ward we believe strongly ‘that women in time will come to do great things.’
Ms Michelle Brodrick, Principal
Mother Gonzaga Barry
The keystone is the apex of an arch; without it the arch would not stand. It is the point of strength figuratively meaning the central idea or philosophy.
OUR GOALS
A framework of five Keystone Arches (symbolic of the Loreto Ballarat arches) has been created, grounded in the culture of Loreto’s mission, vision and values.
Our Keystone Arches
• Faith & Identity
• Learning & Innovation
• Thriving & Wellbeing
• Community & Engagement
• Stewardship of Resources
Our Vision 2023 - 2027 Loreto College Ballarat offers an innovative and contemporary education that engages students and prioritises student agency. We are committed to following in the footsteps of Mary Ward by developing courageous students able to thrive in a changing world.
Our Priorities
We will achieve our priorities by...
Lived Faith
We will bring fulfillment and joy to our inclusive and diverse community through meaningful and contemporary encounters, facilitated by the grace of God.
Giving our community the opportunity for meaningful and contemporary connections with all faiths. We are called to continuously critique, re-imagine and grow in our understanding of our Catholic faith.
Social Justice
Understanding and respecting the dignity and sacredness of each person as made in the image and likeness of God. We will be agents of change in our world, walking in solidarity with all people.
Leadership
Fostering leaders that communicate effectively, strive to be collaborative and are ethical in all decision making. With Mary Ward as our role model, our community will lead with the values of freedom, justice, sincerity, verity and felicity.
Our Priorities
We will achieve our priorities by...
We will foster an aspirational culture of learning and growth through voice, choice and agency.
A Learning Culture
Creating a culture of learning that is innovative, sustainable and future-focused, providing meaningful and rigorous learning experiences.
Learning Growth
Enriching our growth and development through research and data analysis to measure progress as we plan for success.
Student Agency
Preparing active participants for a global future where learners are heard and encouraged to engage in choice, agency and leadership in their learning.
Our Priorities
We will achieve our priorities by...
We will create environments where a strengths-based wellbeing approach using intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal and global skills supports us to thrive.
Belonging and Connection
Enhancing purposeful belonging, understanding and connectedness to our wider Loreto community to enrich our wellbeing.
Positive Cultures
Advancing our shared wellbeing language, actions and programs for a positive culture where our holistic growth and development will be at the forefront of education.
Ecosystems of Learning and Wellbeing
Embedding ecosystems of learning and wellbeing based on system-informed wellbeing science to shape and inform individual and collective flourishing.
We will enhance student learning, wellbeing and future global opportunities by engaging with our Loreto and wider community.
Our Priorities
We will achieve our priorities by...
Collaborative Community
Nurturing an inclusive engaged community and promoting a Loreto education throughout our growing region.
Culture of Philanthropy
Highly promoting a culture of philanthropy and active support and engagement in service to our school and community.
Partnerships and Enterprise
Developing extensive access to expertise and resources beyond the school.
Our Priorities
We will achieve our priorities by...
We will champion environmental, educational and fiscal sustainable practices for all resources entrusted to us.
Future-Focused Design
Applying resource design principles that enhance student-centred learning and learning communities of innovation.
Environmental Commitment
Committing to leading education focused on the development of programs and facilities that activate environmentally conscious global citizens.
Sustainable Growth Model
Embedding sustainable practices for use and growth of all resources (financial, human, capital and environmental).