Dear Family of Valtortans,

I am deeply honoured to serve Valtorta College, and I feel blessed to embark on this educational journey with God’s grace.

From the moment I became acquainted with Valtorta College, I was profoundly impressed by our school motto: “Lumen Accende Corda Inflamma.”

Our former Principal, Ms Ho, consistently emphasized that to embody our school motto, we must begin with the core values we hold dear in our hearts.

These values are expressed in the acronym H-E-A-R-T:

• H for Hardworking
• E for Excellent
• A for Affectionate
• R for Responsible
• T for Thoughtful

The H-E-A-R-T embodies the attributes of Valtortans and shapes our identity as students of Valtorta College.

Dear Valtortans, you are precious, unique and blessed because you possess a HEART. This heart grants us a distinctive identity. I encourage you to uphold these values and take pride in being Valtortans.

In addition to our unique identity, let us also recognize and appreciate the core values of catholic education: Truth, Life, Love, Justice and Family, as we study and serve in a catholic school.

When we integrate our HEART with these five core values of catholic education, we are truly actualizing our school motto, “Lumen Accende Corda Inflamma”,

with our hard work dedicated to pursuing Truth;
with our commitment to striving for excellence in Life;
with our acts demonstrating Love, kindness and deep affection for others;
with our determination to shoulder our responsibilities and uphold Justice; and 
with our mind being thoughtful in loving our Family.

Each year we adopt one of these values to be our theme for the new academic year. For the 2024/25 academic year, the theme is “Being thoughtful in loving our family”.

As we embrace this theme, let us remember that we have two families to care for: the one at home with our parents, and the one within our school—our Valtortan family. Being thoughtful means being aware of the needs and feelings of those around us.

In John Chapter 13;34, Jesus tells us, "You must love one another just as I have loved you."  This commandment encourages us to reflect on how we express our love — not merely in words, but through actions that mirror Jesus' love for us. We are called to engage in thoughtful actions that support one another, to understand the needs and feelings of others with humility and acceptance, and to respond with respect and kindness.

The Opening Ceremony is not only a celebration of a new academic year, but also an opportunity to reflect on the values that define our community.

As we look back, we witness a journey filled with God’s grace:

• 2017-18: We embraced the idea of love, reminding us to treat others with kindness and to love each other affectionately.
• 2018-19: We were called to undertake our responsibilities, contribute to the greater good of our society through acts of service and dedicate ourselves to upholding fairness and justice, akin to the gentle breeze of God’s grace that nurtures our community.
• 2019-20: Same as the theme this year, “Being thoughtful in loving our family”.
• 2020-21: The theme reminded us to be hardworking in our pursuit of truth, encouraging us to study diligently and develop ourselves into cultivated individuals committed to seeking the truth.
• 2021-22: We aimed for excellence in life, striving to become the best versions of ourselves, both academically and personally.
• 2022-23: We returned to the theme of love, emphasizing the importance of expressing our affection for one another, much like Jesus Christ cares for his flock with deep affection.
• 2023-24: We revisited the theme of undertaking responsibilities towards each other, ensuring that we act with justice.

We are grateful for these guiding values that strengthen the bonds within the Valtortan family.

Let us embrace these values on our journey towards personal and academic growth. Remember, “Each action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become”. Act wisely and be thoughtful.

I wish you all a flourishing year ahead, filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed in our loving family of Valtortans. Thank you!

Best regards,
Elisa Wong
Principal