Dear Parents and Carers,

This week I will share my opening speech from our recent Opening Mass.

"May I say how proud and excited I am to be here as your new Principal.  It is my honour to work with a staff who so obviously care about their students.  It is with pride that I see a student body who love coming to school each day and it is with gratitude that we begin a year that has already brought us many challenges.

As we begin I would like to reflect on the three words of our school crest – Believe, Strive, Achieve.  I think they are the foundational words we need to set our course for 2020.  They are the bedrock on which this school and its ethos are built and they are words that are key to our future success.

We are people of faith.  That means that we believe.  Catherine McAuley herself said “… put all your faith in God.”  In our prayers and petitions, we believe that God will support us in our struggles and provide us with the strength we need. We need to believe in ourselves.  We need to believe in our own abilities and skills.  Venus Williams says “…you need to believe in yourself… you just have to… no matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to… every time…” We need to believe in others…because when we show trust in other people they will show trust in us.  These are core foundations that I want to build in our school.

We have to work.  We have to make efforts not only to improve in the areas we set goals in but to hone and sharpen the skills we have already. Catherine McAuley says “… resolve to be good today but better tomorrow…”  We have to strive.  Will Smith says “… I strive to be like the greatest people I know…”  Catherine McAuley says “… we can never say it is enough…”  When we strive, we build in ourselves lifelong habits.  We build on courage, strength and confidence.  We look different, we look tall and confident and happy.  Those should be the marks of McAuley School.  We should believe and we should strive.

With those habits supporting us then we will achieve.  We will achieve our simple goals… we will achieve our complex goals.  We will build strength, self-confidence… we will achieve mastery. John C Maxwell says “…the truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great success…”  As I have said to the High School students let’s make the mark of this place the way we are seen to treat each other.  Let’s show the local community that we are a team and a school who supports, challenges, encourages, believes and strives for one another.  A team who shows the Mercy values to every student, every family and every visitor.  Let’s believe, strive, and achieve what Catherine McAuley prayed for establishing the Sisters of Mercy.  She prayed and hoped that the convents and schools would be welcoming places… places that were cordial… “… Places that renew, invigorate and warm others…”.  May we all work to believe, strive and achieve that goal as we begin 2020".

Mary our Mother… Look after us.

Eamonn Moore