Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Lasallian Spirit

Recently I was asked by the Lasallian Foundation to answer some questions for an article to appear in LaSallian Outlook. I thought I would share some of my responses with you that highlight my sense of O’Connor and the Lasallian spirit. 

What did you sense of the spirit of O'Connor, when you became Principal?  (when was it, and what briefly is your background)

From the moment I walked through the gates of O’Connor as a casual teacher in 2003 I could feel how special this school is. I have taught in a range of schools and settings, State, Independent and Catholic across NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory. This experience has shown me how different the community at O’Connor is, faith filled, learning focused and welcoming.

I came back to O’Connor in 2017 as Principal and the same spirit was present and strong. O’Connor is a special school which is embedded in the Armidale Community. The welcome anyone receives as they walk through the gates from students and staff is immediate and genuine. 

I always wanted to be a teacher and science fascinated me (and continues to fascinate me!). I studied in Wagga and began my teaching career in 1990 at Gundagai High School. After Gundagai, I worked at Loreto in Toorak, Kormilda College in Darwin, Kooringal High and Wagga High. In 2003, my family moved to Armidale where I started casual teaching at O’Connor. I am blessed to have had almost 20 years associated with O’Connor and our three children, Kate, Tom and Sam all attended O’Connor. 

How could you express "being a Lasallian" or your perspective on that way of thinking / acting?

"To touch the hearts of the young and to inspire them with the Christian spirit is the greatest miracle you can perform, and it is the one that God asks of you; it is the purpose of your work with the young." (St John Baptist de la Salle)

Being Lasallian means living and modelling the values John Baptist De Lasalle taught. The role of teachers is to ‘Touch Hearts’. For me that means building strong positive relationships with students and their families. It means especially looking after the poor and marginalised in our community. Education can and does make the difference and our role as teachers is to build connections, to know our students so that we can meet their needs. 

Our vision at O’Connor is a faith filled Catholic Professional Learning Community, founded on faith & focused on learning, working collaboratively to enhance the learning for all, resulting in students who are creative, confident and informed people ready to make a real difference in our world. We believe that everyone can learn, not always at the same time or in the same way, and we strive to create learning opportunities for all. 

To me this is what Lasallian means. 

As a country Catholic college what impact do you think O'Connor has on the city and surrounds?

O’Connor has a strong reputation in our community. Our pastoral care and education of the whole child is valued and respected across the Armidale region. Students travel from across the area including from Walcha, Guyra and Uralla to attend our school. We continue to challenge ourselves to meet the needs of our students and their families in a faith filled environment.

What are some goals for the College?

Our main goals for 2021 are built around the pillars of Faith, Learning and Collaboration.

Faith - An authentic Catholic Community of Care 

We have a shared ethical purpose and collective responsibility for improving student learning and wellbeing. Make our Catholic Faith the source of our commitment. 

Learning - Great Learning and Teaching

All students are our students as we strive to move the learning forward. Five great lessons everyday. 

Collaboration - Strong Teams 

Our professional learning community (students, staff, parents) authentically focuses on and commits to improvement. 

We are also undertaking a major building project to enhance the learning environment for our students. This includes performing arts facilities, brand new gym and PDHPE rooms as well as refurbishing the main administrative building. 

Real Talk

In this growing technological world, it’s hard to know what our young people are accessing on their devices. The team from Real Talk do talks and workshops all over Australia. With the support of the Armidale Catholic Schools Office, we are fortunate to have the Real Talk team work with students, teachers and parents.

Who or What is Real Talk -

Real Talk is all about getting real on the topics of sex, relationships and personal identity. Based on christian values and using personal sharing from a team of dynamic presenters, Real Talk provides presentations, programs and up-to-date resources. We want all young people to know their true value, worth and dignity and to experience love for all it was created to be. (Source http://www.realtalkaustralia.com/)

There will be Parent Night on Tuesday 10th August at 6 pm via Zoom. I highly recommend that parents and carers attend this workshop.

Satisfaction Surveys

Satisfaction surveys of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified. The survey link will be circulated via email using the email addresses supplied to the school.

What new learning will you undertake this week?

Regina Menz