From the Principal

Principal Appointment 

Could I offer my personal congratulations to Mr Mathew Irving on his appointment as the next Principal of Great Southern Grammar. Mat is a well-known educator within Western Australia with a reputation for being a strategic thinker. He has a leadership portfolio of academic innovation and student care. Mat’s skills will be well suited to our school, with his commitment to ensuring student success and enhancing wellbeing. I look forward to introducing Mat to the Great Southern Grammar community later this year. 

The School Council, under the leadership of Chair Mrs Fran Leary, has been exhaustive in the process of the Principal appointment. The role of a School Council member is often a thankless one. The time and effort required to appoint a Principal is considerable and at times challenging. So, on behalf of the school community could I thank Fran Leary and those Council members involved in the process which has resulted in Great Southern Grammar securing an outstanding leader.

Student Numbers

This term we have welcomed 15 new students, including one exchange student. The influx of students continues into next year where plans are in place for increased student numbers.

NAPLAN

Last week our Years Three, Five, Seven and Nine parents received their children’s NAPLAN results. NAPLAN has changed the method of reporting. The national assessment authority has moved from achievement bands to categories. This new method will take some time to embed within our conversations regarding student progress. What we have experienced already is the challenging nature in determining students who are required to sit OLNA. Could I ask parents to be aware that the new system is difficult to compare to previous years, and that this year’s results should act as a baseline for future progress.

Micro-credentials

One of our Year Twelve students, Sienna Ugle, has just completed a micro-credential from the University of WA which was a health connected credential. Sienna enrolled into UWA through our school connection to complete the course as GSG is a pilot school in the mirco-credential program. We are excited to celebrate Sienna’s achievement in the program and wish her continued success.

Five more students are enrolled in the coming months, and it will be interesting to monitor the experiences of these students at GSG while studying in a tertiary environment.

Federal Government Schools Census: Privacy Information

On Friday 4 August, the School is required to undertake an annual government school census, in accordance with the Australian Education Act 2013 and the Australian Education Regulation 2013. The  Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment  collects this information to:

• Ensure the provision of Australian Government funding to schools is properly calculated and appropriately managed. 
• Conduct research, statistical analysis and develop school education policy for the Australian Government. 
• Meet national and international reporting obligations on school students in Australia. 
• Publish and provide information about schools to the public. 

Please be assured that student information provided by schools is de-identified. Please refer to the Parent Privacy Notice below for further information.

Mr Mark Sawle | Principal