Principal's Report

Joy, love, happiness; fear, anxiety, apprehension - disparate feelings on the emotional spectrum that drive us, form our actions, subtly develop our character. When we emphasise or we are involved and engaged in a work or home situation, or when we are part of a broader social environment that is dominated by one of these emotional states, perspective is often lost. We ‘wear many hats’ simultaneously - parent; son or daughter; educator; student - and it is perfectly appropriate and healthy to have each end of the above emotional spectrum tempering our thoughts and actions.

In preparing for the 2022 school year - which began much earlier than the chronological 2022 year - significant feelings of joy, love and happiness certainly moderated my thoughts and actions, because working with students, families and staff of St Patrick’s is so very often an experience that fills me with joy. Similarly, the same preparations were overlaid or mitigated by fears - the fear of not providing enough for so many needs and wants; the anxiety of trying to live up to a broad range of reasonable expectations; the apprehension that is associated with setting goals with the full realisation that there are so many variables that are outside our control that have the potential to compromise the best laid plans.

Depending on our state of health, we can be overwhelmed by either the joy, or the fear, that is part of being a parent, an educator. Without being complacent or defeatist, I take heart from Plato’s quote, ‘Courage is knowing what not to fear’. In order to make the very most of this school year, I pray that all in our school community are courageous in setting worthy, realistic goals, establishing the necessary support that may assist in the realisation of these worthy goals, and entering into the experience being fully prepared to experience the joy that comes from achievement, and similarly being aware that the fears that we may have associated with any learning experience may need our individual and collective courage in challenging in order to concentrate on what can be done to concentrate on the joys and to diminish the fears that previously may have hindered productive dialogue, actions and progress. I hope you are as excited about the possibilities of the 2022 school year as I am!

Regards,

Rod Linhart (Principal)