Mitcham Girls High School is the only government school for girls in South Australia.  It is highly respected within local, state and international communities.  It is not a zoned school and therefore attracts students from all suburbs across Adelaide and nearby country towns.  Many girls travel considerable distances to come to a school which offers them exciting opportunities in an environment that is caring and academically challenging.

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Dear Mitcham Families,

I felt compelled to write to you to express my gratitude for the support many of you have given the school.  Your emails, letters, cards and flowers (and chocolates!) have really been appreciated.

We thank many of our colleagues who telephoned us offering their  support and our alumni who either visited us or wrote to us.

The strength and resilience of our current students certainly came to the fore once again and from the many positive comments we have received from them we know that the sense of our community is alive and well at Mitcham.

The students have shown maturity beyond their years; they remained strong and expressed a strong resolve to unite, support and look out for each other and continue to work in a positive way.  When one student expressed the fear that the hard work done over the past 10 years in building the good reputation of the school might have been in vain, another student commented:  "NOT SO:  we will stay strong because of the hard work done over the last 10 years."  How right she is!

I would like to be able to publish all of the letters and messages of support we have received but space will not allow it, therefore I will only publish a few.  To respect the privacy of the authors, I will only publish various paragraphs  ensuring their identity is not compromised.

Kind Regards,

Antoinette Jones
Principal

A few comments from parents:

"We would like to take this opportunity to give you and all the staff of MGHS our fullest support in any way that we can.

We are proud parents of our daughters' achievements at MGHS and have been, and always will be, stalwart supporters of the values displayed at MGHS which in no small part is due to the efforts of staff such as yourself."

"Please be assured we have every confidence that you and your team will stick to your fine principles for educating the next generation of girls to lead Australia's future and that this will bring the results we and the community seek."

"The school has always had stringent policies in place regarding social networking sites.    .... I will continue to speak highly of Mitcham Girls High and the staff.  I would also like to commend you for your approach in dealing with this matter."

"When you spoke to us ... a few years back ... as our daughters were about to embark on Year 8, one of the things you hoped the girls would develop was a sense of school pride.  As I listened to my daughter's response to "the incident" last night, I was overwhelmed by how much she cared about her school.  It REALLY mattered to her that this experience would negatively impact upon her school's reputation and I so wanted you to know that you've got it!  You do have girls who genuinely care about their school and are proud to be Mitcham Girls!

The other strong message that came through as I listened to her was that "Ms Jones is handling this really well!"  That is one of your student's opinions and I am sure she isn't the only one!  Thank you for being such a good role model in the face of stressful circumstances."

Comments from students:

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the way that you dealt with the situation.  ...... You reassured me that I am safe at school.  ....You did not point the finger at anyone.  You offered us advice, support and guidance.  I am sure that I speak for most of the girls who were at that assembly when I say I felt happy to be at Mitcham despite the unfortunate event.  ... I arrived at  school feeling bewildered but left feeling proud of our school.

Thank you to all the staff and especially Ms Jones and Ms Carpenter for giving us inspiration yesterday to work as a family and continue to be the strong young women we have grown to be.  Your words helped us through an upsetting day and helped us to stay strong and proud as Mitcham Girls."

"I am currently in my fifth year at Mitcham Girls High School and I must say that I have truly admired your total commitment and belief in our school over these years.  I truly admire your approach in difficult situations.  .... I want you to know that all your hard work over these years has made a great impact on my learning and belief in myself.  It is the fact that we have such a dedicated principal to lead us that makes me proud to be part of this school.  .... We have incredible girls that attend this school, and these girls will not let this affect their strong determination and will to do well.

Thank you Ms Jones, you have been a wonderful principal during my years here, and I appreciate all that you have done for this school and my education."

"Dear Ms Jones,
On behalf of Mitcham Girls High School students I would like to say thank you. 
Thank you for giving us strength when we need it most. 
Thank you for supporting us through every "bump in the road".
Thank you for persevering when we were all ready to give up.
But most of all, thank you for always being there to protect us.

I want you to know that every single student is behind you.  The support and protection you have provided has left its mark on every single one of us and we could not have asked for a better principal.

You make us proud even at times like these, to say that we go to Mitcham Girls High School.  You are a true inspiration and the reason why many of us hold our heads high.  I know that I am not alone when I say:  There is no other school I would rather be at.  This is merely a reminder that when times get hard or mistakes happen, we need to help each other.  In the end, we can only grow stronger.

Once again, thank you so much for everything you put yourself through to ensure better futures for your students.  We are all forever grateful."

Comments received through cards and posters from students in every year level and book of messages from Year 12 students:

"It's only the first term of Year 8, but I am happy to say that I am already a proud Mitcham girl."

"We would like to thank you for the support you have given us.  You have built the reputation of this school over the years and all your hard work will sustain us now.  We will continue to work together and support each other through this.  The way you have dealt with this situation is amazing and you are an inspirational woman to all of us girls here at Mitcham.  We are proud to wear the uniform and represent Mitcham."

"In the face of adversity, the Mitcham spirit has come alive and stronger than ever.  .... Thank you for supporting the school in such an admirable fashion.  We are very lucky to go to such a caring, public, all-girls school."

From former students:

"I graduated in 2008 and am writing to you to express my utmost gratitude for the work that you do in empowering young girls to achieve their potential against all odds.

 You provide invaluable inspiration to all the girls that you teach.  You inspire them to not only know their rights but to passionately defend them.  They are encouraged to think and speak their mind because you have made it clear that what they have to say is worth hearing and, in turn that they, as individuals, have worth.  You make them aware of the challenges they face only so that they may be encouraged to charge ahead and break down any and every barrier that stands in their way."

 "Mitcham Girls is a great school and I thoroughly enjoyed my four and a half years there; you did so much for me, so thank you for everything!  You work so hard to push people, to help them achieve their goals, to enable them to become confident, educated, articulate young women, which we definitely are.  We are so proud of our school and everything we achieved.

 I know that as a student, I was always encouraged to see such strong, female role models in charge of the school.  I have always held a lot of respect for you; you knew what was going on in the school, you knew the students, and you knew when to discipline.  I admire how you handle situations with such strength of character and determination.  I really appreciated it when you came to watch our debates, as it gave me confidence knowing that our principal believed in us.  I was also thankful for your personal confidence in me; it enabled me to develop as a person and to feel a definite responsibility for the school.  I was inspired by my time there, to make a positive change in this world.  Because of you and the great support staff I achieved my goal of gaining a place a the Adelaide University Law School.  I could not have done this without the support and encouragement I received from the Mitcham family.

I look back fondly on times I had; the good times and the times where I learnt from it and came out better on the other side.  As a school, we coped with situations and dealt with it the best we could.  I am confident that this one of those times; as a family, the school will get through it.  .... Furthermore, I know and strongly believe that Mitcham Girls is still a great school.  I am proud to be an ex-student, ... I am going to defend the school, and will always recommend it as a place of education."