January: A Month of Welcome, Blessing, and Belonging
January at St Mary’s DSG is a month shaped by welcome, blessing, and belonging. Through the excitement of first days, chapel services and assemblies, from the Foundation Phase through to Matric, we have paused to mark new beginnings. Staff have gathered again with prayers of blessing. New girls and their families have been welcomed. Leaders have been inducted. Blazers have been blessed. Bibles and badges have been received.
These are not small gestures. They are rituals that help us recognise when something important has changed. Each day at midday, the chapel bell calls us all to pause and remember that God is present in the middle of ordinary life. In January, that bell carries an extra meaning in the Senior School. It reminds us that belonging is something we step into together. When Grade 8s ring the bell at their Induction, and when Matrics will ring it again at Valediction, the sound represents both beginning and becoming. It says: you are here. And one day it will say: I was here, and this place is better because of me.
Our opening Whole School Eucharist set the tone for the year. With the singing of “We Three Kings” the formal procession entered, with a touch of fun as each Head of School and our Executive Head wore a crown. (We are Daughters of the King, after all!). Through the service Mr Evans our Assistant Chaplain drew us into the story of the Magi, travellers who sensed a call, committed to a journey, and returned home changed. January is like that. We do not simply resume where we left off; we step into a new stage of growth. We begin again, aware that the journey itself will shape us.
In chapel this month, we reflected on the apostle Paul’s image of the community as one body with many parts. Every cell in a body carries the same DNA, yet each lives it out differently. So too in our school. We share a common identity, shaped by love, respect, integrity, service, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to grow. Each student and staff member embodies those values uniquely. Difference does not weaken a community; it strengthens it.
Psalm 133 reminds us that where God’s people dwell together, not perfectly, not always smoothly, but with grace and respect, there the Lord ordains blessing. Unity is not manufactured or forced. It settles where people make room for one another.
That unity also asks something of us. In the letter to the Galatians Paul encourages us to carry our own load and to carry one another’s burdens. In other words, to stop wasting time and love in comparing, competing and measuring but to persevere in doing good. Grace is given without measure. When we choose what is right over what is easy, when we act with generosity of spirit even when challenged, these are daily choices that shape a culture.
Across the school, both our Grade 7 and Grade 12 leaders were reminded of the same truth. For Grade 7s, receiving the Bronze Eagle badge signifies both position and potential. As role models within and beyond the Junior School community, they are invited to lead with integrity, authenticity, and care, noticing what others may overlook and choosing what builds rather than what divides. For our Grade 12 leaders, the call is the same. They too were reminded that leadership is not about status, but about service, not about their importance, but about being stewards of what is significant.
At every level, our message is consistent: leadership grows out of belonging. We do not serve in order to earn our place here. We serve because we already belong. Psalm 139 reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, known by God, formed with care, and given purpose. From that secure identity comes responsibility. From being loved comes the freedom to act with integrity and generosity. As we move further into the year, may we remember what January has taught us:
That we belong to one another.
That unity grows where kindness, patience, and compassion are practised generously.
That responsibility and service are woven into our shared DNA.
That grace comes before effort.
May we learn to belong well.
May we grow through the journey.
May each person in our community feel known, needed, and held, assured that who they are makes a difference.
