Home
Mrs Janet Stewart | stewartj@mbc.qld.edu.au
As we emerge from a week of Remote at-home Learning (RAHL) I would like to applaud the agility and remarkable efforts of all in our community as we have, together, navigated uncertain roads.
After 18 months of global pandemic education, where schools have been asked to deliver both onsite and online learning, we have certainly come to understand that not everything will go according to the plans we have in place for each academic term. We have become adept at ‘flipping’ the format of our events and importantly we have come to value the primacy of positive communication among students, staff and parents as we do this, and working together to solve problems as they arise.
Particularly encouraging have been the many emails and phone conversations from parents who have reached out to express their gratitude to staff in response to last week’s sudden lockdown decision. On one call to a parent of a student who has recently returned to MBC, she said their experience of RAHL was a powerful reminder to them that it was like “coming home”. This mother spoke of the care, support and communication her daughter (and she and her husband) had experienced over the first few weeks of the term - and especially last week in lockdown.
The words of this parents struck me, and I have pondered this idea of MBC as ‘home’ since we spoke. I recalled that over the past few years, our Year 12s have consistently chosen the Phillip Phillips song Home for their recessional at their final Chapel at the end of Term 4. The lyrics of this song say;
Hold on, to me as we go As we roll down this unfamiliar road And although this wave is stringing us along Just know you're not alone 'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘home’ as an enjoyable, happy place where you can live, laugh and learn. It's somewhere where you are loved, respected, and cared for. And I like to think that both the song lyric and this definition exemplify what being part of the MBC family means.
Amidst ‘the unfamiliar roads’ of their lives, we strive every day to offer a stable environment where girls and young women can experience happiness, success, meaning, joy in their academic classes, in their relationships, in their achievements in co-curricular, and through their experience of spirituality and faith. It is certainly a place where we want every student to know they have a voice and is respected for the unique person they are. And all that is played out in a culture of care, where students are reminded, they are never alone as help-seeking behaviour is the norm. Students talk of their House groups being ‘like a family at school’ and during challenging and troubling times, such as we have faced over the last 18 months, we know girls (and their families) have turned to their College ‘home’ for help and guidance.
This has been particularly apparent over the last week when I have witnessed, and been uplifted by, the Bay spirit among the girls. They have found ingenious ways to bring joy and laughter into each other’s lives, small and significant ways to support and care. I have seen Preps attending some lessons in tiaras, Form classes sharing positive emojis, motivational GIFs, jokes and one class even brought a favourite toy or pet to roll call. Many of our girls have had to manage their upset and disappointment as much anticipated scheduled assessments and events have been affected, but they have found inner strength to accept these changes and managed to ‘keep their chin up’ inspiring us all with their positivity and resilience. They have clearly felt ‘at home’ and comfortable to be themselves and reach out to others when struggling to understand this complex world in which they are growing.
In previous newsletters I have shared some thoughts about resilience and as part of being human we will all find that, at times, through no fault of our own, we face challenges and difficulties in our lives – curveballs which we just did not foresee. Yet how we respond to these curveballs, how we garner the strength to face them, how we develop strategies to forge a path through them helps us develop the vital skills to bounce back.
Our College motto challenges us to be courageous and be hopeful, both character traits of great value when we are forced to flex our resilience muscles in difficult times. It is also helpful to remember that resilience does not need to be practiced in isolation, those in your ‘home’ life provide support, comfort and guidance as we learn the art of facing change and obstacles.
Finally, I would like to warmly applaud all staff, teaching and non-teaching, who have gone above and beyond to make the changing learning experiences for all students and their families as seamless as possible over the last weeks. My heartfelt thanks for the connections they continuously forge, for the sense of belonging they inspire in the girls and for their unwavering commitment to the continuity of care demonstrated in their approach.
The last words of Phillip Phillips capture a sense of home we all aspire to know,
Settle down, it'll all be clear Don't pay no mind to the demons They fill you with fear The trouble it might drag you down If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone 'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
We pray that all in the MBC family remain safe, well and connected at this time.