Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ colleges are established and operate to pursue the provision of an education focussed on excellence within a faith tradition that demands a commitment to fostering the development of young women who understand and enact their responsibility to contribute to the common good.
In honouring and living out the tradition and spirituality we inherit, and the values we uphold, Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ colleges are communities that exhibit deep and purposeful learning, supporting a culture of excellence for college leaders, staff and students. While it is expected that programs of learning emphasise what is learnt and how it is learnt, equal prominence is accorded to why learning takes place, ensuring that in a Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ college purposeful learning is conceptualised not just as focussed learning but as learning with a definite focus.
Our colleges are distinctive in their understanding that the purpose of achievement is not simply about personal gain but rather how such achievement contributes to the formation of a personhood committed to service and social and cultural innovation in the quest for justice.
Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ colleges are required to ensure that a Catholic worldview permeates all aspects of their programs of learning and teaching, and that a constant and comprehensive consideration of personal and social responsibility is promoted through appropriate inclusion of moral and ethical standards and understandings.
This implies an awareness of, and alertness to, prevailing social conditions and emerging opportunities and challenges. Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ colleges engage in continuous processes of educational review and improvement that emphasise attention to the signs of the times and the flexibility and commitment to engage in dynamic responses to what these reveal in the promotion of social justice, equity and the common good.
As Christ-centred communities of learning Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ colleges are inspired to strive for outcomes that advance the ability of the individual to contribute to positive social, economic and cultural improvements. In doing so they recognise the power of the word, the transformative nature of right and courageous action and the responsibility of engagement, and adopt deliberate strategies and processes to ensure that each member of their community enacts these both within and beyond the college.
In a Mary Aikenhead Ministries’ college it is an expectation that leaders, staff and students understand, and proactively work within, the complexity of personal, local, national and global contexts of justice and service.
Catholic colleges under the stewardship of Mary Aikenhead Ministries will be known through:
Cultural Characteristics
- the pursuit of learning that promotes personal excellence, the attainment of high achievement and the application of wisdom in the service of others and society;
- the design and delivery of programs that reflect the transformative nature of learning and encourage the creation of collaborative partnerships and relationships that promote the development of social responsibility;
- opportunities provided to all to develop and apply knowledge, skills and abilities across a broad range of contexts; and
- programs of learning and teaching that promote a Catholic worldview and moral and ethical development.
Catholic colleges under the stewardship of Mary Aikenhead Ministries may evidence this by:
Evidential Indicators
- consistent and comprehensive emphasis on the pursuit of personal excellence across the whole learning and teaching program;
- the provision of broad opportunities for students and staff to demonstrate high achievement within and beyond formal learning contexts;
- demonstrated connections between learning and teaching outcomes and social responsibility focussed on the service of others;
- programs that encourage and support effective partnerships between individuals, groups and organisations;
- comprehensive application of a Catholic worldview across all learning and teaching programs;
- a diverse curriculum supported by appropriate pedagogy suited to the range of needs, abilities and aspirations of all students;
- promotion of teaching and learning programs that prioritise outcomes that contribute to social wellbeing and cohesion.