Principal’s Log

Being learners together as staff, students and parents is a defining characteristic of the Pacific community. From the outset we have defined ourselves as a community of learners who through our mutual learning and understandings grow more richly as individuals and as community. Having identity as learners as both adults and young people is generative and gracious. The Four Pillars which capture the story of learning at Pacific, invites all members of our community to grow in their Learning To Be, Learning Together, Learning To Learn and Learning to Know and Do.

As young people, staff and parents, we are challenged to be intentional about our identity as active learners. To bring wonder, curiosity and creativity into the productive struggles we encounter in all areas of life. To use questioning to open thinking by asking “What if,” and “I wonder if”. To grow in our capacity to identify strengths, possibility and opportunities through learning to listen deeply, observe carefully, to value the thinking and questioning of others and grow in capacity to generate collective wisdom. Being a learner means taking responsibility and being active in imagining, reflecting, questioning, experimenting, mistake making, ruminating and building connections. Focusing on our identity as learners, means we bring a thoughtfulness into our interactions and particularly our communication where we “seek first to understand”. As we focus on our growth as learners, the outcomes we achieve are signposts of where we are, what we have learnt and what we are yet to learn.  Outcomes are opportunities for celebration and growth, but not our identity.

The upcoming student, parent and teacher conferences provide a powerful opportunity to build on our learning as we come together as staff, students and parents to celebrate what has been learnt and reflect on strategies to engage productively with what is yet to be learnt. We look forward to engaging as co-agents in this process next week across P-12.

This week’s Subject Expo enabled our Year 9 and 10 students and their families to engage with the richness of the subjects, courses and pathways that await our students as they progress into Years 10 and 11 next year. We thank our Heads of Department and Learning Leaders for sharing the high quality learning experiences that their teams lead and we thank our parents and students for their enthusiastic engagement.

As a Learning Hub experience, Blurred Minds will provide opportunities for staff, students and parents to learn more about the nature and impact of vaping. Parents will have access to “Vaping Decoded”, a free parenting webinar on July 25th. In July, the Blurred Minds team will also lead sessions with our Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 students and will return later in the year to lead workshops with our Year 6 and 7 students. We encourage families to read details of how to register later within the newsletter.

We pray that God would guide and enable us as we grow our identity and capacity as learners as individuals and as community.

         Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal