Principal’s Welcome

MARY FARAH, PRINCIPAL

Welcome to the Winter edition of Always Aloysius,

The first semester of 2023 at Aloysius College has been a bustling and exciting time for the college community and, reflecting this, the Winter edition of Always Aloysius brings a host of exciting news to our community. This semester will forever be remembered as when we commenced coeducation in Year 7, a decision taken after careful consideration and extensive research, and now one fully endorsed by what has been a very positive change. This semester though also bore witness to a multitude of celebrations and activities, including International Women’s Day, St Aloysius Day, and the return of our high achievers from the Class of 2022, as well as excellent learning and teaching!

The semester commenced with our inaugural coeducational cohort at Year 7, enabling the college to immediately offer a more comprehensive educational experience and a fully inclusive environment which better aligns with the values of our community. The girls and boys at Year 7 have settled in well, with all enjoying their recent camps and classroom experiences, as indeed have the staff! Within the first few weeks of term, we also celebrated International Women’s Day, with the college organizing various events and activities, including engaging talks, aimed at empowering and inspiring the whole college community - pictures and details are shared within this publication.

St Aloysius Day was another highlight of the semester, with students, staff, and alumni coming together to celebrate the life and legacy of our college’s patron. The day was filled with various activities, including Mass, wonderful games and performances, and a festival atmosphere that brought the college community together in a spirit of Mercy, camaraderie, and goodwill.

We were also thrilled to welcome back our high achievers from the Class of 2022, who returned to the college to share their experiences and achievements with our current students. Their stories and successes were a source of inspiration for everyone, and all at the assembly were reminded of the value of hard work, determination, and perseverance - of the need to Strive for Higher Things. The Class of 2022 certainly did it tough throughout the COVID lockdowns, so their achievements were especially warranted.

This semester I am also delighted to report that work on the new Master Plan is reaching finalisation, with Stage One set for commencement prior to the end of 2024. The Master Plan aims to enhance the college’s infrastructure and further provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students. It is a mid to long-term project that will see significant investment in the college’s facilities over the next few years. We are very confident that this will greatly benefit our students and will further contribute to the wonderful academic success that has become a hallmark.

One of the great aspects of first semester is welcoming new staff members into the family that is St Aloysius; I am pleased to share that all have settled in well and have already started to make very positive contributions to the St Aloysius College community. Our new colleagues bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise, and we are so excited to have them join us.

As I close this editorial, and encourage you to read ahead, I can confirm that this semester has been one of learning, new starts, great celebrations, and some reflection for the Aloysius College community.

We are proud of our achievements in such a short period of time, inspired by the successes of our students, and genuinely excited about what the future holds. As these pages of Always Aloysius will reveal, we continue to be a school of great optimism and hope, a wonderful community of past and current students, families and friends, and a college steeped in the Mercy traditions providing the platform for being innovative and daring, for challenging and supporting each individual to seek out their own story, to make their mark, to strive for ever higher things.