Principal's Log

We welcome everyone to the start of Term 3 including our new students and their families who are joining us this term. We also welcome Mrs Elizabeth Suzuki previously Head of Japanese at Sunshine Coast Grammar School as a Japanese teacher, Mr Marshall Murphy previously from St Peters Lutheran College as an Industrial Design and Technology teacher, Mrs Paula Willis who returns as a Hospitality teacher and Acting Head of Vocational Education and Training, Mrs Julie Darr who returns as a Learning Enrichment teacher across Prep – Year 5, Mrs Georgina von Plessen as Prep Aide and Mrs Brandy Alexander as a Middle and Senior College Learning Enrichment Aide. We congratulate Mrs Emma Lendrum who will be the Acting Head of Hospitality and Mr Ben Dutton who will be the Acting Head of Industrial Technology.

Over the holiday period, senior students enjoyed the opportunity to travel to Japan to visit our sister school and other important cultural sites including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The opportunity to experience life as a student at Seishin Gakuen and to learn about Japanese family life through a homestay experience provided very rich learning. Students greatly valued this opportunity to connect with another culture and were deeply appreciative of the considerable time and effort that Mrs Michiko Hauser had put into the organisation and leadership of the experience and to Mr Mark Hauser and Ms Marg Gunn for accompanying the highly successful tour.

A group of Middle and Senior College students also participated in a white-water canoeing expedition on the Clarence River over the holiday period. This opportunity to connect with nature and hone new skills provided a unique learning experience for our adventurers. Students were able to use this as their qualifying experience towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award. We thank Mr Nick Tait for his coordination and leadership of this activity and Mrs Natalie Campbell for her support.

This week, our Year 10 families took advantage of the Year 11 2020 Subject Selection Evening to learn about the next phase of their senior journey. They valued the presentations about the QCE system by Director of Teaching and Learning, Ms Sue Arahill and career planning by our Head of Careers Development, Mrs Wanda Hayes. Students then gained greater insight as they took advantage of the opportunity to speak with Heads of Department about the different subjects on offer. We thank our Heads of Department, Head of Careers Development, Mrs Wanda Hayes and Director of Teaching and Learning, Ms Sue Arahill for their leadership of the evening and our parents and students for their support.

The establishment of home learning routines is important for Middle and Senior College students to enable them to revisit and reinforce the learnings that have occurred through the day. The revisiting and reinforcement of learning for older students is an important part of developing understanding and retention of learning. Effective and focused use of time is important. At the start of Semester 2, it is worth families of senior students in particular, reviewing commitments and routines to ensure there is time for a calm, balanced approach that includes time for home learning, recreational activities, family time and good sleep. 

As we start this term, we pray that God would help us to take on the challenge of getting started and building routines that enable us to be motivated to make the most of the gifts He has given us.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal