Why are virtues important to our Sacred Heart community?

The Sacred Heart Crest, which is an integral part of our school, has the motto, “Virtue and Knowledge” on it. These words were taken from The Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, the first educators here at Sacred Heart and give our school a belief and purpose in all that we do.

We want to continue to live out this vision which have been part of our school for over 50 years. As a community, we want to focus on being the best versions of ourselves and in doing so, create a connected and loving community.

Recently the staff and students in Stage 2 and 3 have inquired into our school virtues. With their insights and feedback, we have refreshed our whole school virtues.

We now have four virtues:

• Respect
• Kindness
• Courage
• Gratitude

This term our school virtue is courage.

Courage

The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that courage was as virtue – a marker of moral excellence. Courage is the ability to do something difficult even when there's risk.

Courage is something magical that happens inside us to make us push through fear, self-doubt, anxiety, and do the things that feel hard, risky or frightening. 

Having courage helps children to persevere against challenges, and in the process, it raises their self-esteem. When children feel good about themselves and see that they have the personal power to make courageous choices, they are more likely to lead personally satisfying and successful lives.

To build courage in our children, we encourage bravery, persistence, and integrity. Through everyday experiences, children can develop the self-knowledge to give things a go through small achievable steps such as: 

• Asking for help when they need it
• Trying new things and challenging themselves
• Taking risks with their learning
• Having a strong mind, grit, and determination
• Doing the ‘right’ thing in a difficult situation
• Admitting to mistakes

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”