From the Leadership Team

School Review

Over the last week, a large number of our staff, students and parents have been involved in the 4-year school review of our wonderful school. This process is a deep investigation of the school's processes, policies, teaching practices and student outcomes by external reviewers, working in close consultation with the school. 

Thank you to the parents who participated in the parent forum on Monday this week, and the many students who contributed on Monday, too. Thank you also to Scott Nixon (President) and Elspeth de Fanti (Vice President) who represented School Council across the whole review process and contributed to the recommendations for our future strategic plan. 

It will be a number of months before we receive a final report that gets submitted to the Government, but I wanted to share some of the initial feedback from the panel. 

Overwhelmingly, the feedback was positive, with the panel effusive in their praise for the school's teaching approaches, positive learning environments and staff contributions. The coherence and consistency of the teaching and learning was remarked upon following classroom observations in more than half our classrooms across all year levels over two days. 

The review process serves two key functions, providing the community with feedback about the school's progress over the last 4 years and providing direction and recommendations for our next 4 year plan. We will be working with staff on developing the next strategic plan on the upcoming curriculum days, using the recommendations and discussions that have come from this process. This process then influences the curriculum, teaching approaches, professional learning, support services and resourcing each year. 

Some key focuses for us as we move forward will be looking at how we ensure all students grow in their learning across all subjects, as well as developing their overall wellbeing to be stronger, resilient young people. 

We will share the community report when it is released, probably in November, and share future strategic plans and annual implementation plans that all relate directly to this process. 

It was a wonderful experience of validation, positive feedback and deep exploration of the strengths and shortcomings we have shown over the last 4 years. Thank you to all those who contributed. 

Acting Principal in Term 4

Please note that I will be taking an extended period of medical leave during Term 4, covering the whole term. I had resisted taking such an extended period but it has become apparent that it will be best for the school, myself and my family to take the required time. 

The Department of Education regional office has started a process for appointing a temporary replacement for the term. Hopefully, we will know who the replacement will be in the next couple of weeks, but it may be the start of next term before an announcement is made. 

I will be returning in 2026 Term 1, this is just a temporary period of absence.