Newsletter

Dear Parents and Caregivers

In a school as event-filled and purposeful as ours, there is always a great deal happening, and it can be tempting to measure our days only by what has been completed, achieved, or performed. Yet the deeper work of education is often quieter. It is found in the habits we build, the ways we learn to respond to challenges, and the relationships that hold us steady when things feel demanding. In 2026, our school theme, Welcome all with Love and Respect, invites us to keep returning to this question: what kind of community are we forming, and how are we treating one another as we strive, learn, and grow together? This fortnight, there are many moments across school life that speak to this purpose.

Scholars’ Centre and Community Generosity

I am delighted to share that the Scholars’ Centre is now open and will serve as a dedicated examination hub, supporting focused learning and academic excellence. In contemporary schooling, assessment is increasingly spread across the year and across different formats, and it is important that our students have spaces and routines that help them approach these moments with confidence and calm. The Scholars’ Centre is a practical response to these needs, improving the exam experience for all students and collocating the exam spaces for students requiring assessment adjustment arrangements.   Additionally, this dedicated assessment centre also enhances supervision and scheduling operations, providing other benefits for students and staff across our learning programs. 

This new facility also sits within All Hallows’ long tradition of scholarship and of creating spaces that support our students as learners. We want our students to know that academic effort matters, that careful preparation is valued, and that they belong in the full life of learning, inquiry, and academic goal setting. 

The creation of the Scholars’ Centre is only possible through the generosity of our All Hallows’ community.  I would like to thank the All Hallows’ Foundation for their donation of $750,000 towards the current capital projects of the Scholars’ Centre, the Jagera Walk and Callaghan Place and the Mothers’ Network for their very generous $100,000 donation towards the furnishing of the Scholars’ Centre. These donations, made possible by the generosity and service of our community, are a significant contribution to a space that builds on the many outstanding initiatives to support the highest standards of scholarship for young women that our school has championed for 165 years and that this outstanding new facility will serve our students for years to come.  

Last week, all Year 12 students, accompanied by 24 staff, participated in the Year 12 Retreat, a significant milestone in their final year at All Hallows’. Centred on the theme Embarking on a Well‑Lit Journey, the retreat offered students a sacred pause from the busyness of school life to reflect deeply on who they are, where they have come from, and where they are being called as they approach graduation.

Across the retreat experience, students engaged in prayer, guided reflection, small‑group sharing, immersive liturgies and time in nature. Through activities such as life‑journey reflections, Dadirri (deep listening), witness statements from staff, contemplation of scripture, and moments of stillness, students were invited to recognise the people, experiences and values that have shaped them. A strong emphasis was placed on relationships, self‑understanding, resilience, personal spirituality, gratitude and the importance of finding peace amid life’s challenges.

The theme reminded students that life is not a straight road, but a journey filled with both light and shadow – and that they do not walk alone. As young people preparing to graduate later this year, students were encouraged to trust the light within themselves, to draw strength from community, and to recognise God’s gentle guiding presence as they step into the next chapter of their lives.

The retreat was a deeply affirming and hope‑filled experience, strengthening connections, fostering reflection, and grounding our Year 12s in confidence, compassion and purpose as they prepare to leave All Hallows’ and embark on their own well‑lit journeys ahead.

At All Hallows' School, we have a program of creative dress-up days designed to raise funds for our whole school project, as well as awareness-raising days designed to promote understanding and awareness of issues in our community requiring a response based on  our Catholic Mercy values.

This month we have two awareness-raising days:

• Respect and Pride Day - Friday 15 May
• White Shirt Day - Friday 22 May

Respect and Pride Day is an important awareness‑raising day in our school calendar and reflects this year’s theme, Welcome All with Love and Respect. We mark this day to affirm the dignity of every person and to remind our community of Pope Francis’ words: "Todos, Todos, Todos" (everyone, everyone, everyone): This chant, used heavily during World Youth Day, is a direct call for a radical, unconditional welcome of all people, especially those who feel shunned, forgotten, or marginalised. This call challenges us to create communities where all people are treated with compassion, dignity and care.

Globally and locally, members of the LGBTIQ+ community continue to experience exclusion, discrimination and a lack of respect simply for being who they are. IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia), celebrated on 17 May, reminds us that many young people still feel unsafe or unseen in schools and wider society, making visible actions of inclusion both necessary and life‑affirming. 

As a Catholic Mercy school, our commitment is grounded in Gospel values and Church teaching that upholds the inherent dignity of every human person. Respect and Pride Day is not about labelling or division, but about unity through diversity – recognising that our differences enrich our community and call us to deeper understanding and empathy.

On Friday, 15 May, students are invited to wear their house shirts with an appropriate‑length bottom as a simple sign of solidarity and respect. Through this shared action, we affirm our commitment to welcome, care for and stand alongside every member of our community with love, respect and kindness.

White Shirt Day has moved from the end of the school year to May because May is the month dedicated to the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence. All Hallows’ marks White Shirt Day on 22 May, as a way of raising awareness and standing in solidarity with those impacted by domestic and family violence. This day reflects our school’s commitment to dignity, safety and respect for every person. Catherine McAuley believed in responding with courage and compassion to human suffering, particularly when injustice silenced the vulnerable. She particularly worked to ensure the education and safety of girls. 

Wearing white symbolises hope, peace and our shared responsibility to reject violence in all its forms, and so we invite all staff and students to wear a plain white shirt to school on Friday, 22 May. As a Mercy community, White Shirt Day invites us to speak up, support those experiencing harm, and work together to create relationships and communities built on respect, care and justice. 

Mrs Claire Easton (Dean of Mission)