MANDETILLIAN Registered by Australia Post Publication No. VBH 7636, Vol. 7, No. 4, 1992
From the
When Mind
School
Principal
and Heart work
Council
As we know so well, the Loreto tradition of education is almost 400 years old and has
Together.
its roots firmly and proudly grounded in the work and inspiration of our foundress, Mary Ward. Many of the values which Loreto has prized since those early beginnings are now
regarded as fundamental principles in all
News
..
When the mind and spirit of a person work
right, penguins tumbled onto the beach, pi-
The School Council, which was inaugu-
together, in freedom, creativity abounds. In
rates lounged under a palm tree, and bath-
rated in August, is now well and truly in action. The Council and standing committees covering finance, buildings and commu-
the Loreto Junior School a creative approach
ing beauties lay clutching hand printed beach
schools. But there is truly something in the
is encouraged in all curriculum areas, so
bags. Glittering mermaids, fish of every
Loreto tradition which is still distinctive and
that the whole person is engaged in the proc-
shape and colour and every other aspect of
which can be traced from the very beginning
ess of education.
sand, surf and sea combined to create an
This year saw the successful completion of
exotic marine atmosphere. Congratulations
the Development Plan adopted in 1987. Sci-
Anna Meirelles and students.
ence and computer laboratories, music and
education and are to be found in all good
of Loreto education. It is the importance that we place on educating our students to
The "Mandeville Mirror", a magazine writ-
nications have met and are busy planning for 1993 and beyond.
be women who can think for themselves -
ten and published by Year Six students, con-
independently, intelligently, competently
tains stories, poems, letters, quizzes and
The creative spirit is alive in every stu-
other articles and makes enjoyable reading.
dent and stafTmember. Teachers endeavour
tradition of excellence. Similarly the re-
One expects creativity in the field of litera-
to encourage the development of skills and
building of' the Junior school is enhancing
ture. What about mathematics? Those stu-
talents in the students, and to nourish their
the early development of the children and
To achieve such a goal entails certain haz-
dents competing in the Mathematics Olym-
perception of beauty. Music and Drama play
ards for teachers and for parents. For a
piad needed to be very creative to complete
an important role also, as was seen in the
With these achievements behind us we
the set tasks of the Olympiad and in fact
recent Year Five plays and Christmas
now look forward to the coming years and
performed very well.
Carols.
and confidently - and who make well informed, well considered and responsible decisions. This is absolutely fundamental to us at Loreto.
start, it means that our students will not
always agree with us! It also means that they will make mistakes as they learn to
art facilities and the assembly hall have all contributed to the maintenance ofthe school's
increasing their computer literacy at an early age.
further developments in buildings and facilities. Current plans include the building
seek out and then assess the relevant data
Earlier in the term the school held the
The Holy Spirit can be named the Creat-
and strive to make responsible decisions.
Creative Arts Festival. The theme of "The
ing Spirit. It is this Spirit that is present
hancement of the school's rowing facilities
Sea" gave scope to a wide range of subjects
and active in each of us, teaching us wis-
on the Yarra near Princes Bridge. Parents
produced in different media. One entered
dom, and inspiring us as we work together in the creation of a vibrant world.
will be kept informed as these plans develop.
But the challenge is undoubtedly worthwhile! After all, we cannot possibly teach them everything that they will ever need to know in their lives. What we can teach them is to
the multipurpose room through a curtain of
think for themselves and to hg intelligent,
watpr and immediatelv had the opportunity
and responsible in their decision-making.
of an encounter with plastic jellyfish. To the
of a new Years 7 and 8 block and the en-
Our past programs have been made possi-
hip by the enthusiastic silpport for the ] (Sr.) Helen Murphy I.B.V.M.
ANNE HUNT
million dollar appeal by the Mandeville com-
munity and the ongoing contributions by parents to the school's Building Fund. This recent experience gives us confidence in planning the future for our children and our
Have you noticed any changes to
grandchildren.
Historic I nitiatives
Mandeville Hall?
In recent months, the orbs which once
We should all be aware of the past contributions of the Mothers' and the Fathers'
adorned the parapet of our famous Victorian
Associations to equipping the school's com-
edifice have reappeared. The sketch illus-
puter laboratories. Our gratitude is ongoing
tration of Mandeville Hall in its earlier glory
as only recently both the Mothers' and Fa-
as a notable Toorak mansion, is our inspira-
thers' Associations have undertaken the fi-
tion in this respect.
nancing of computer upgrading to the value
The whole school community is aware of
of $70,000.
the significance of Mandeville Hall as a liv-
The Loreto Sisters have given almost 70
ing, historic monument. The Victorian inte-
years to generations of Mandeville students
riors of the Clarke additions of 1878 are
and parents. We gratefully acknowledge their generosity and that of Sister Deirdre
y U
perhaps the most intact, brilliant and significant Victorian residential interiors in
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Rofe and the Provincial Council on whose
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Australia.
We are fortunate indeed to have this re-
initiative the School Council was established. We are fortunate to have Sister Ellison Taffe
markable building as a living focus of our
active in the school as a teacher of Religious
school community. This fortune however,
Education and Sister Helen Maguire as our
has its obligations. The community and school are responsible for the custodianship
new Head of the Junior School. The Council
is also grateful for the contribution Mrs.
of the building and this is a burden which we take seriously.
In 1990 with the urging and support of the Historic Buildings Council, the School commissioned a conservation analysis of Mandeville Hall. This study, reported in
Anne Hunt is making in building on the tradition of excellence so firmly established
1-WI 421 1 1
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rk·.4 F r
by the Sisters. John Arthur,
'1 - 11] 1 Alipwi.9*m'i*..ir
Chait-inan of the School Council
two volumes, was undertaken on behalf of
the School by Timothy Hubbard, Conservation Architect, under the direction of a Steer-
ing Committee chaired by Miss Pat Moylan. Essentially the study documents the development of Mandeville Hall and records key events in the lives and roles of its occupants. Most importantly the conservation analysis assesses the value and relative importance of the fabric of the building and provides an authoritative basis for its ongoing care and conservation.
A long term plan of conservation and res-
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toration works is now in hand. The restora-
tion of the orbs on the parapet is a tangible
contribution to this process. Currently the i
roof of the building is being completely overhauled and the box gutters replaced. Progress reports on our work with Mandeville Hall will appear in the Mandevillian from time to time as we pro-
-
ceed with this exciting project of conservation. Howard McCorkell
Property Committee of the School Council
Mandeville Hall, Toorak, in the late 1800s
Mr. John Arthur
J