Over the past few weeks, we have recognised a number of important events and initiatives, including Tika Week, Support Staff Week, and the month of May, traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thank you to all those who contributed to these occasions and helped create opportunities for reflection, service and connection within our community.

On this note, I would like to especially acknowledge our team of support staff. So many things happen daily, if not hourly, to ensure the smooth running of our school. To our team who all contribute and participate in so many various ways, meeting so many demands and needs, we thank you. Your time, effort and dedication is not unnoticed or taken for granted and we are all so very grateful for your support.

As part of our assembly yesterday, I spoke with students about the purpose of awareness weeks and the importance of stopping to notice what matters most in an increasingly busy and distracted world. I wanted to share some of those reflections with our parent community, so that you are aware of what messages our young women receive at assembly, and as this could provide an opportunity to continue the conversation.

Last week’s awareness week prompted me to think about the many awareness weeks we encounter throughout the year. At school and in wider society, there always seems to be another cause, another message, or another initiative seeking our attention. Book Week, Mental Health Awareness Week, Pink Shirt Day, Caritas Challenge, Language Weeks and many more.

For me, this raises an important question; why do we need awareness weeks at all? Surely, if something matters, we should already know about it. Surely we should already care.

However, I think perhaps the answer says something important about the world we now live in. Life is busy. Our young women move constantly from class to class, assessment to assessment, practice to practice. At any moment, a device can instantly flood them with messages, videos, opinions, news and distractions. We are all more connected, yet at times disconnected from what matters most. 

Arguably, when everything demands our attention, it becomes easy to stop truly noticing anything.

Awareness weeks therefore invite us to pause. To stop rushing for a moment and reflect more deeply on people and issues we could potentially overlook. They encourage us to notice the person who is not quite themselves, the person feeling excluded, the environment we may take for granted, and the many gifts and opportunities we ourselves have been blessed with.

In many ways, awareness weeks are not about teaching completely new ideas. Most of us already know these things matter. We know the importance of kindness and in our Carmel community, our core mercy values; Āwhinatanga (service), Whakaute (respect), Tika (justice), Manaakitanga (care) and Māia (courage). Rather, the moments in awareness weeks serve to reawaken our attention, gratitude and empathy.

Our Mercy tradition has never simply been about knowing what is right. It has always been about noticing, responding and acting. Catherine McAuley saw people others overlooked and responded with compassion and practical action. 

Yesterday, students were challenged to reflect on several important questions:

• Who have I noticed?
• Who have I included?
• Who have I listened to?
• What have I done to help make someone else’s burden lighter?

Because awareness without action changes very little.

It is easy to wear a colour for a day or support a cause briefly, but Mercy asks more of us. As women of Mercy we are asked to see the need and respond with compassion.

As the many awareness weeks come and go throughout the year, I encourage students to see them not simply as themes or events, but as invitations. Invitations to slow down, to pay attention, to appreciate what we have, to recognise the struggles of others, and to actively live out our Mercy values each day.

In a distracted world, choosing to truly notice others may be one of the most powerful acts of mercy we can offer.