Principal's Report

Principal's Report

For this week’s Principal Report, I have included a copy of my address at the recent Awards Night. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable break. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2022. 

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are meeting. I pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging and the aboriginal people from other communities who may be here today. 

Recently, I saw a documentary on butterflies. It made me think about our journey over the last few years and into the future. At the chrysalis stage of development caterpillars spin a cocoon and stay inside it for an extended period of time. Staying inside for an extended period of time. This certainly sounds familiar over the last couple of years. Whilst it doesn’t look like much is going on from the outside of the cocoon, an incredible metamorphosis is happening inside, using the energy provided by the food eaten as a caterpillar, that produces the beautiful parts of a butterfly ready for the next stage of its life cycle 

The point is that we have a great opportunity and a great challenge coming out of the last few years. Whilst we have not been able to be at school we have still continued to develop, to undergo our own metamorphosis, that can lead us to a beautiful and successful future.

Remarkably during the pandemic, we have lined up the ducks to get the pre-conditions for our next level of improvement. Our school review this year found that: 

• We have become a more connected and caring community, a closer Staughton family. We have increased our understanding of the importance of face to face relationships and that improving student wellbeing is equally important as learning as a key outcome of school. 
• We have learnt about technology such as using google classrooms and this is something we can keep using even when we are onsite. Students and staff have improved their IT skills greatly 
• We have further improved our staff culture of support, collaboration and challenge. 
• We have developed our class lesson structure and our routines and relationships. It was very noticeable that this had improved when we came back onsite in term 4 this year.
• Our student leadership program is the envy of other schools, it is genuine and it is powerful and has continue to improve while we have been remote 
• Our staff have continued to improve their focus on what is known to work in schools, putting it into practice in our context, and making sure it is working through regular improvement cycles 

Our review helped us arrive at a new vision and values and they match what I know we are trying to do. 

At Staughton our vision is to have a deeply connected community that creates a nurturing and supportive school culture. We want to engage all of our students with a quality education for the whole student that prepares them for their future.

Our key values are 

Learning    Effort    Respect   Care    Connection 

That is a great start. It gives us a clear direction. I want to set us all a challenge to think about what we can all do to live this vision. I 100% believe that we are up to this. Whilst in our lockdown cocoon we have set up the preconditions for our next improvement, and the systems and support to make it happen. Like the butterfly emerging from its cocoon we have the opportunity next year to fly. This is a great opportunity but also a great responsibility for us all in the most important year in education in my lifetime. We need to work together to get this right. I would like to take a moment to smell the roses and celebrate what we have all done and set some challenges for us all in 2022. 

Our parents and carers have been incredibly patient, supportive and flexible. I would particularly like to thank our School Council led by President Rachel Johns. In 2022 we will be working hard to communicate what we are doing so that parents scan support this at home. We have an extra PTSC next year to make 4 for the year. A really key way that you can support your child is to come and be part of the conversation with your children’s teacher. 

To teachers and education support staff. The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. I am grateful for the staff who spent endless hours connecting with students and families. You believe in our students. You show you care. I would like to challenge you to think about the next level of development for your expertise within our school wide practice. Whether teachers or ES staff how can you leverage your passions and strengths within our structures to make it interesting and exciting for our students and each other. How can you know our students as people and learners and invite and empower them to work alongside you to help you do this? 

At this point, I would like to acknowledge a number of long-term staff who are leaving this year. Kellie Boorman and Rachel Wilson have been the backbone of our Learning Specialist team for many years. We should all be appreciative of their hard work in developing the expertise of others. Sage Balassa has working in a number of leadership positions and her energy and enthusiasm will be missed. Seth Harvey has really fine-tuned our induction process and will also be missed. Finally, Oksana Donaghey is retiring as the leader of the library. Her passion for giving students the opportunity to develop a love of reading has been much appreciated.   

We have outstanding Assistant Principals at Staughton. Kristy Herridge, Kellie Allen, Natasha Berry, and Ben Russell, Daniel Xuereb, and Dave McKay who have moved mountains to make things work this year. They keep me in line and I appreciate that. We have missed Daniel Xuereb who moved on to a primary school AP position earlier in the year and wish David McKay all the best on his move to Queensland in 2022. Our Senior Management team made up of Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists have been remarkable over the past two years as have all our leaders.  I would like to challenge the principal class and other leaders in 2022 at our school by asking ‘what will you do next year to genuinely lead this work by really getting your heart and soul into it, getting your hands dirty and ensuring we keep moving forward? How can you also invite and empower our students to work alongside you to help you do this?

Lastly, our students have been incredibly resilient. In particular our student leaders have been outstanding. I would like to thank the Jazzie’s Green and Donnelly, and Vice Captains Ornella and Blake for their outstanding leadership in 2021. For 2022 I would like to genuinely invite students to be empowered in your learning. Talk to teachers about what you know and collaboratively construct your next work. Get involved in the things that you love inside and outside the classroom. We will be working to make sure you have these opportunities 

I am so proud of how our Staughton Family has collaborated over the last few years, and I am really excited about what we are going to be able to do in 2022. 

DAVID LORD

Principal

We, at Staughton College, would like to show our respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our school is situated, of elders past and present. We extend a warm welcome to everyone who visits our school.