Mrs Catherine O'Kane
Dear Parents and Caregivers
On Friday, I attended the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) Educating Girls Symposium in Melbourne. The symposium brings together educators from girls’ schools across Australia and New Zealand, and the program focussed on inclusion and developing our students and staff as future leaders. At ICGS events, I am always inspired by the faith-filled vision of our founding Sisters of Mercy, who understood the importance of girls’ education 163 years ago when they founded All Hallows’. Our staff continue to be experts in the education of girls, and we are certainly blessed to have such talented, caring and knowledgeable experts guiding our holistic learning programs and ensuring that all our endeavours are focused on providing exceptional learning experiences and opportunities for our AHSisters grounded in the ethos of Mercy.
I am fortunate to be on the ICGS Regional Advisory Council (RAC) for Australasia, and the RAC met on Saturday to strategically plan for the ICGS and to plan the program of events for our region for the coming years. Providing a range of events across the year for staff and student networking and advocacy remains a priority, as does providing professional learning specifically related to educating girls.
A flagship program of the ICGS is the Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls’ Education (GARC), and our school is fortunate to have three staff take part in this two-year international research program to date and Ms Lewis remains a mentor in the program, having participated in the first year. At the symposium, Ms Coghlan presented her GARC research project on the topic of synchronous learning and student autonomy. Currently, Ms Crawford is a GARC Fellow, and we look forward to the outcomes of her research that she will present at the ICGS Conference in the USA in 2025.
Year 12 Retreat
Last week, our Class of 2024 spent three days at four different South-East Queensland locations on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, focusing on their journey past, present, and future as they prepare to transition to the next phase of their lives upon graduating at the end of the year.
The girls spent time exploring topics such as personal growth, resilience, and the importance of community and being of service. The peaceful locations were also a valuable reminder of the beauty and serenity of nature and the importance of making time for reflection as well as their personal, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
Our impressive graduating class are to be commended for their active participation and the gratitude, empathy, and compassion they displayed towards themselves and each other.
A special thank you to Ms Prisk for her overall organisation of the retreat and the many staff who gave so generously of their time away from their own families to enable this important and enriching experience for our Year 12 students:
Ms Bailey, Mr Bint, Mr Cahill, Ms Coghlan, Ms Compton, Ms Crawford, Mrs Easton, Ms Ferguson, Ms Gatt, Ms Harden, Ms Jensen, Ms Karlovsek, Mr Lane, Ms Langley, Ms Little, Mrs Lockwood, Mr Lourigan, Mrs Martin, Mrs McErlean, Mrs O'Malley, Mr Power, Ms Quade, Mrs Russell, Ms Walker, Mr Waters, Ms Wilson and Mr Yeats.
School Production
Tickets are selling fast for the annual All Hallows’ School and St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace school production, to be held from 8 to 11 May.
This year’s production is The Wiz — a vibrant retelling of the classic tale of the Wizard of Oz. In this clever adaptation, Dorothy is a young schoolteacher from Harlem who seeks the help of The Wiz to return to Manhattan with the support of her faithful companions the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. The Wiz first appeared on Broadway nearly 50 years ago and combines an uplifting mix of soul, gospel and funk music. It is sure to be a night of uplifting entertainment showcasing the amazing talent of our students and will remind us there really is no place like home.
Tickets are available here.
Summative Review – Ms Jo Lovett, Director of Community Relations and Development
At All Hallows’, we are committed to identifying and making ongoing improvements to our school. This includes our annual Enhancing Teacher Performance process for all teachers and the cyclical review process for staff members in middle and senior leadership positions. As part of this cyclical review process, I invite parents and caregivers to provide feedback on Ms Joanne Lovett, Director of Community Relations and Development, and her performance over the past five years.
A copy of the Director of Community Relations and Development Duty Statement is available here and feedback is invited through a survey form that is available here.
The survey will remain open until Monday, 13 May 2024. The review process is based on the Appraisal Principles detailed in the 2023 - 2026 Catholic Employers Single Enterprise Collective Agreement Religious Institute Schools of Queensland. As per Section 7.2.8 of the Agreement, any feedback provided and the identity of the person providing the feedback may be made known to Ms Lovett as part of this review process.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to provide this important feedback and I will provide further information regarding Ms Lovett’s review at the conclusion of the review process early in Term 3.
May God bless you and your family in the week ahead.
Mrs Catherine O’Kane (Principal).
