LORETO COLLEGE COORPAROO P O Box 1726, COORPAROO DC QLD 4151 Telephone: 07 3394 9999
Facsimile: 07 3847 1254
Absentee Line: 07 3394 9964
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Email: email@loreto.qld.edu.au Website: www.loreto.qld.edu.au
15 February 2011
Dear Parents and Students In recent weeks, I have introduced myself to many of you, sharing a little of my story and my professional background. Now I would like to share with you a quick ‘snapshot’ of my educational vision so that you might come to know me better. As you are aware, at Loreto our vision is to offer a Catholic education which liberates, empowers and motivates students to use their individual gifts with confidence, creativity and generosity in loving and responsible service. As Principal, my educational vision, in keeping with this emphasis, is for “learning to be at the heart; about the heart; and from the heart”. As with Parker J Palmer, I believe that “good teaching . . . is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait; they are authentically present in the classroom, deeply concerned with their students and their subject. These are held in the teacher’s heart – the place where intellect, emotion and spirit converge in the human self. Good teachers weave a life‐giving web between themselves, their subjects and their students, helping their students learn how to weave a world for themselves”. Loreto’s teachers teach from the heart. They are highly skilled, experienced and dedicated professionals who actively seek to acknowledge and celebrate the God given gifts of each learner. They seek to empower and liberate their students through an understanding and acceptance of self and others: “learning about and from the heart”. Loreto promotes this love of learning: “learning at the heart” through the lens of the five essential elements of a Mary Ward education: Freedom, Justice, Sincerity, Verity and Felicity. Having the opportunity as a Principal to lead and facilitate engaging learning environments, that are informed by Gospel values that encourage a love of learning, a sense of fun, creative, critical and divergent thinking, intellectual rigour and a commitment to the giving of one’s personal best, is both a passion and a privilege. In the coming months I will be seeking your views about, and your hopes for, Loreto, by way of a whole school on‐line survey. Students, staff and parents will all be invited to contribute. I strongly encourage you to take part so that you might assist the Leadership Team and the College Council to shape the future directions of the College with confidence. In anticipation, I sincerely thank you for your time and your input. BE AWARE We have been advised by the Office of the Regional Director of the Department of Education that ap‐ proaches have been made by unknown adults to students waiting at bus stops at a number of locations in Brisbane. We ask that, as parents, you please take this opportunity to remind your daughters about safe travel to and from school and to discuss strategies to stay safe. FOR THOUGHT “Do not confine your children to your own learning for they were born in another time”. Hebrew Proverb