Welcome to the 2023 School Year!

I am so delighted to be back at Casey Grammar School following my time away on maternity leave. It’s been wonderful to see many familiar faces and reconnect with students I have known for years now.

Particularly special was being a part of the Year 12 Retreat. It was our first time being able to take the Year 12 students away from our regular school day to reflect and consider their year ahead.

It was a joy to lead the Retreat Chapel, which focused on the theme of Expanding Horizons, and to also prepare for the Year 12 Commissioning. I had the privilege of commissioning in some of these students seven years ago as Junior School leaders when they were in Year 6!

One of the most precious elements of being involved in a school community is watching the growth of individuals from children to adults. As I looked at the students sitting in front of me, lighting candles at the conclusion of Chapel, I was struck by the passage of time and how it seems like such a short while ago when I was with them on their Year 7 camp. Yet, they are now preparing for their final year of school and life beyond.

What an impressive group they are and how we all look forward to seeing how they embrace the opportunities of the year.

It is easy in the day to day of school life to lose sight of the fact that the opportunities afforded at Casey Grammar, and more broadly in Australia, are not experienced by everyone. Below is one of the prayers we prayed together at the retreat.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the opportunity to study at this level. On a global scale, we are in the minority, provided the chance to learn in this way.

Help us to appreciate and take advantage of the chances given to us. We pray for fledgling education systems, for those who are forced to leave school to work, for those who will never know how to write their name or read a sign.

May we remember that this year is a gift, one that many will never receive.

Amen

Every blessing to you and your families this year.

Monique Riviere-Pendle

Chaplain