Dear St John the Apostle community, 

This week I had the privilege of spending most of the week at Mother Teresa School (MTS) in Harrison. It is a school of 700 students in Gungahlin and is part of the Canberra and Goulburn system of Catholic schools. I was part of a panel that were reviewing the school for their re-registration. A process that every Catholic school in the ACT undertakes every 5 years.

While it is a very demanding process for both the school and the panel I have returned to St John the Apostle today with two insights.

Firstly, what a privilege it is to be part of a system of Catholic schools where the work of every school is underpinned by the person of Jesus and by Gospel values. Simply put, our schools continuously seek to be places of faith, hope and love, where community members can experience God's love in a hands-on and tangible way. Each of our schools is inspired through their own particular charism. MTS takes its example from Mother Teresa and seeks to 'do small things with great love'. We always strive to 'be on earth the heart of God'. I feel so fortunate to work in an organisation that unashamedly speaks of 'love' as part of its work.

Secondly, by visiting another school and enjoying the richness of seeing how other schools work and grow together I became even more appreciative of our own community and what we have achieved in the time I have been Principal. We have a special staff who look after each other and their students. They have an unconditional positive regard for every student they teach and care for. They see the best in them and work hard to give them the best opportunities to learn. Our students are proud of themselves and their work. They embrace opportunities to learn. They have a growing understanding of what it means to love themselves, others and their world. Our parents, with great love for their children, are committed to their learning and to working with the school and its community.

My time away this week was a reminder of how much I enjoy, love and appreciate this school and the community. Let's keep making St John's a great place to learn and grow.

Tell Them From Me Parent, Staff and Student Survey

Have a lovely long weekend. I hope it is restful and filled with family time.