From our Principal

Ihave always loved reading the Mandevillian. For me, it is a chance to take a quiet moment, to sit with a cup of tea and catch up on the news from the School and its wider community. There is always so much happening at Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, and this edition of the Mandevillian continues the tradition of showcasing the richness and breadth of the School’s lived experience.

For Loreto Toorak, 2022 has been the bridge between two challenging pandemic years and our intention to forge ahead confidently. As much as possible, this year we returned to life as we once knew it and celebrated every milestone with a renewed freedom.

A special day in our calendar is always Feast Day. It was uplifting to return this year to St Patrick’s Cathedral for our Feast Day Mass, with beautiful music and ceremony. I was both humbled and honoured to be blessed and commissioned as the School’s Principal on this occasion.

Students and staff continued to celebrate Feast Day back at School with a sense of freedom and purpose. This year, Feast Day fundraising was designated to support Mary Ward International’s Kolkata Brickfields School Project. Throughout India, there are thousands of brickfields— open-air factories—where clay bricks are made by hand. Most of the workers are migrants, including children, who spend up to eight months of the year in the dusty fields in temperatures that can reach 40 degrees. Children come with their families to the brickfields, and most work from 11 years of age. There is no education within the brickfields except in the schools run by the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC) and a small number of other NGOs. This was a cause our students felt closely aligned with, especially after themselves experiencing two years of interrupted learning; they were genuine and generous in their support of this educational project. Such commitment to social justice is a reminder that, in all that we do we at Loreto Toorak, we continue to embed the Mary Ward values and charism.

I trust that, like me, you will enjoy reading this wonderful publication. May you each feel pride as you are reminded of all that our students do in their academic studies and Programs areas. Their level of engagement and commitment is

outstanding, underpinned by a collective aim to work towards a better future for those in less fortunate circumstances is to be admired by us all.

My very best wishes to the School community, far and wide, for a peaceful and joyous Christmas season.

ANGELA O'DWYER • PRINCIPAL