From the Acting Headmaster

Welcome Back

It has been so nice to welcome everyone back on our Springwood and Wentworth Falls campuses this week. I hope that, somehow, you could enjoy some time of refreshment over the break. 

I was fortunate to head down to Melbourne to watch the AFL Grand Final with my family before heading home and attending the NRL Grand Final a week later. Sadly the Sydney Swans did not fire a shot, but the Panthers gave a masterclass on attention to the job at hand. I got one out of two - so I was pleased.

Our team enjoyed professional learning on Monday this week at our Springwood campus. Our Director of Pedagogy and Innovation, Chris Sanders, organised almost five hours of professional development, focusing on the heart of being a teacher. 

We were blessed to have our Head of Junior School, Rachael Newton, walk us through insights into the foundations of learning. In simple terms, Rachael reminded us well that personalised learning is about knowing students and responding in ways that acknowledge how students approach their learning experience. The staff even had the chance to experience 'story time' and time to create a starfish. 

John Cunningham Centre Update

As you will know, the School is progressing with upgrading the John Cunningham Centre. There have been delays, mainly due to delays in access to building materials and extensive increases in building programs experienced across the building sector since COVID. Our Business Manager, Malcolm Michielsen, has been working tirelessly with our builders, Reitsma, to keep the project on track as best we can. In this update, I am pleased to advise that we are now edging closer to final approvals and sign-off, and we will soon be able to advise of a start date for that project. Once started, we expect the work to take approximately 20 weeks to complete. 

Term 4

At our Commencement assembly on Tuesday, I reminded students to ensure that they finish the year strongly. As always, there are many celebrations leading into the Christmas break, but students and families (and no doubt teachers) should be reminded to prioritise a focus on making the necessary effort to set themselves up for next year. 

I am looking forward to a busy yet rewarding Term 4. I invite you to be in close contact with us as we walk toward the end of the year with a clear purpose. 

Mr Steven Coote 

Acting Headmaster