Principal's Report

Students, staff, award sponsors, parents, family, distinguished guests, - Welcome to the Edenhope College 2023 Awards presentation at the new hall. It’s worth a second to ponder on how great it is to have a sense of community/socialness back after two years of tight restrictions and remote learning in 2020 & 21.

We’re here to acknowledge student effort and achievements throughout 2022 and would like to thank all the sponsors of our student awards.

I would also like to recognize the ongoing efforts and the passion that the Leadership Team, Education Support & teaching staff have applied to your work during 2022. As a staff we look to continually improve how we go about our work, this year and moving forward we are committed to building student support through regular interim reports and communication home. This is in addition to end of semester reporting and parent teacher interviews. We want to foster and build on relationships with families in our school community. We appreciate your feedback and invite you to get involved and contribute to our learning environment in 2023. There will be positions on school council, in Parents & Friends, in our daily Breakfast Club and reading with students in our primary. It’s proven that your support in your child’s education strengthens their outcomes.

For those already playing an active part, I thank you. School councillors your role is very important for parent voice in school consultancy, thank you. Parents & Friends, your input is valued and the school looks forward to your growth and partnership moving forward.

Thanks to all CRT teachers, Gloria Freeman, Donna Tucker, Cheryl LeBrun, Sarah Domaschenz and Hayley Hocking who have contributed to our learning environment over 2022. 

Thank you also to staff who are moving on from our school in 2023. We and the students have benefitted from your input over your time here. Alannah Pearson, George Walker and Brian O’Leary, thank you for service at Edenhope College. We’re also very excited for Kat Close, Sarah Burgess and Eddie Price who are either on or about to start maternity leave, but will be back down the track. Can all the CRT teachers and staff members just mentioned please come forward for a small presentation.

Moving into 2023 I feel really excited with the new staffing appointments and what that will mean for students. We will continue our Equestrian Elective, which Eddie Price has run in 2022. Sarah Hinge our new grade 2/3/4 classroom teacher will continue this. Sarah will also offer guitar instrumental, along with Cassie Stringer who will offer saxophone/clarinet instrumental. Newly appointed Ben Kilby is strengthening our wellbeing & student agency areas. Ex-student Dave McLeish will teach our F -1 class on Fridays and will also teach other specialist subjects within our primary school. Another local Keiren Brennan will step into a PE/Health role. Karla Cardnell, will take Eddie Price’s ES position while Eddie is on maternity leave. 

Academically we will continue to concentrate on building reading comprehension skills across the school. Comprehension is a skill used in all subjects and we see it as vital to improving student outcomes. Student academic extension and support programs will continue as required. Edenhope College will continue to work with Balmoral and Goroke schools in our recently formed cluster – to share our ideas/strengths, looking for better outcomes for our students. This coming year our bell times and some of our timetabling will align allowing greater subject choice for students. Camps and some sporting events will continue to combine to help with declining numbers and support socialisation for students, which is a positive after the last few years.

As a school (2022), we’ve put a lot of effort into our learning environment and continue to give our Year 8 & 9 students the opportunity to choose the electives they want.  Students have selected for more tech-based electives in 2023 and here is what the 8/9’s have picked: AG, Advance, three different cooking electives: Café Culture Sweet Desires & Food Technology. Students also picked woodwork, metal work and basic mechanics, psychology and 3D printing.

Our Hands-On Learning program (HOLs) is a project based program that runs one day a week and will continue in 2023.  HOLs looks at developing leadership, goal setting, communication and teamwork skills with students. We’ll also re-introduce our Mates Mentoring program in 2023, which has been out of action since COVID hit. 

At this point I'd like to acknowledge all students and staff involved in the school production of Wonder in Alice Land. This was another fantastic opportunity for our students to experience and be a part of, working with students across year levels and for many stepping out of their comfort zone a little - which you’d never have picked up from the wonderful performances!

Looking forward to 2023, Edenhope College will continue to be active listeners. Getting better at this gives people in our learning environment a voice to help consolidate us from just being ‘another’ school into being a great school. So, like I mentioned earlier, ‘be active’ in your child’s learning, whether it is filling a role on School Council, Parents & Friends, volunteering (a huge thank you to volunteers who have come in & listened to students read this year (James and Lydia Ziersch), or simply encouraging your child’s learning from home. Remember if you have a question/query about your child, contact the school and talk with your child’s teacher. Likewise, we’re looking to increase communication home, with a view to improve student outcomes.

I really enjoy my role as principal and it is made so much easier when you have a collective staff and great students like we have at Edenhope College. 

Trevor McClure

Principal