Principal's Log

During Middle and Senior College assembly this week we shared the importance of being able to learn through feedback. This is especially important as young people receive their assessment results and reports in the coming weeks. Learning to manage our emotions and switch to a strengths and solutions response is important in all areas of life and is a skill that can be learnt and taught. Being realistic, taking responsibility and owning outcomes is an important first step in being able to move towards proactive improvement. Being able to identify the strengths of progress that has occurred helps perspective and to identify potential ways forward. Coming up with a realistic plan, making a commitment through communicating the plan to others and having follow-up conversations helps to shift to forward moving action. No matter how a young person has performed, the ability to reflect, plan and act for improvement is an important part of their learning. Students may wish to revisit this message as they reflect at the end of this term and parents may wish to reinforce these thoughts at home. The assembly presentation can be found in the Notices on Nav. A simplified version will be communicated at the Prep to Year 5 assembly next Monday and then will also be available in Nav.

Year 8 families have been sent details of their upcoming outdoor education in Week 2 of next term. We encourage all families to complete the documentation of this if they have not already done so by this evening, Thursday 18th June, to enable preparations to proceed smoothly. Thank you to Ms Kim Wood who has put considerable effort into planning an outdoor experience that includes a COVID-safe plan and provides tremendous opportunities for student growth.

As in all areas of life, the opportunity to learn and reflect on ways to incorporate the gains made as we have lived through rapid change in the COVID home learning period is important for us as a College. Informal conversations with staff and students have reflected an understanding of growth in capacity of our staff and students over this time. Importantly, this growth was in line with our current strategic plan and has fast tracked some of that growth. In addition to this, there will be other learnings that will be important to capture as we continue to grow as a learning community. To this end we will be formally engaging staff and students in reflection around their home learning time next week and be inviting parents to provide feedback as part of our annual review process in July.

There is symbiotic growth between our growth as individuals and as community. As each person grows, they strengthen and flavour who we are as a community. Where we have God at our centre there is a natural wellspring of renewal at our heart that nurtures and strengthens us all. May God enrich each of us strongly to be the best we can be individually and in community.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal