Message from the Principal  

School Community Survey

As mentioned in our most recent newsletter, I am excited to announce our school’s participation in the Perspectives: Your school in focus suite of surveys. The surveys are co-administered with AISNSW. These surveys focus on five important domains: School Environment, Teaching and Learning, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Community. Gathering information about these areas will be of significant benefit to us as a community to help identify our school’s strengths and opportunities for future improvement.

Parents are invited to complete a confidential and anonymous survey Perspectives: Your school in focus. This online survey will take approximately 20 minutes and can be taken on any device. They will be available between 14 and 28 August, and details about how to access the survey will be emailed to you.

More information about this opportunity will be emailed to parents. The survey will add to the information collected from a similar survey in 2020, that was used to shape the school’s current Strategic Plan.

Should you have any questions regarding the Perspectives: Your school in focus suite of surveys, please contact admin@calrossy.nsw.edu.au. 

Thank you for partnering with us to improve the learning experience for everyone at our school. Your input is important to the success of our continuous school improvement process.

Once concluded, I will share with parents and the school community the data that is presented.

Master Planning

A big focus at Calrossy over the past five years has been on most effectively utilising our resources and the school campuses to maximum benefit. Showing visitors last week around both Brisbane Street and William Cowper Campuses reminded me of how far we have come. What was most pleasing was for the other Principals and Heads of Primary to comment on what they observed as a strong school culture, polite and engaged students and a nice sense of peace and calm on both our main campuses. Whilst not perfect, it was helpfully observed that we are heading in the right direction.

At every level of school, we are commencing on discussion and consideration on what our school needs next to support our growth and development. With waiting lists at various levels and positive trends in growth, we are asking important questions to help shape the future:

What is the right size for Calrossy? (We remain committed to comparatively small class sizes and including a wide range of subject choices.)

How can most effectively use our two teaching campuses and address some of our problems?

What does great boarding in our context look like?

What characteristics of our school should be nurtured and developed?

How can we cater for the various academic and wellbeing needs of students and staff?

What can we additionally do to support the wide range of academic needs of our students?

How can we support students to engage in a wide variety of co-curricular pursuits?

These questions are just a sample and I am keen to seek feedback from the Board, teachers, students, parents and alumni. The feedback on these and other related questions will support input into a new phase of Master Planning that we are seeking to commence. I am excited about the development of Calrossy and look forward to planning what the future of the school might look like.

At the same time, it is my intention that we remain committed to doing what we do well and supporting the growth of the current students within the school, not making the mistake of looking too far forward and losing site of today.

Celebration of 100 Years of Calrossy House 

Did you know that our school moved onto the Brisbane Street Campus exactly 100 years ago? After four years at St John’s Church and a Brisbane Street Boarding House, the Tamworth Church of England Girls School purchased Calrossy House from the Paterson Family to commence lessons on a new site in 1923. The House had been named ‘Calrossy,’ after a family property in Scotland and it was the site of magnificent gardens, which were a local tourist attraction at that time. Much of East Tamworth was then paddocks and early in the process of being settled.

The Brisbane Street property became the permanent home to the School, including Boarding and has developed over time to be what it is today, still based around that original house. Eventually the name of the School was changed from Tamworth Church of England Girls School to Calrossy, after this House in 1969, around the time of the 50th Year anniversary. The displays in the Mary England Drawing Room, downstairs next to the current Boarding Office on Brisbane Street, celebrate some of the history around the House. There remain copies of original tiling, stained glass and earlier logos. For some it remains the ‘hub’ and heart of the school.

There are two celebrations coming up that celebrate this unique Centenary:

• Friday, September 15 we will be premiering a special video presentation "Calrossy... our Light and Life",  which celebrates the story of Calrossy across the 100 years, featuring many important voices which have helped shape the School.   

• Saturday, October 14 we will be holding the Calrossy Ball, celebrating the School across the wider community.

I am excited to celebrate these upcoming events with current and past members of the School and the Tamworth community.

David Smith

Principal Calrossy Anglican School