From the Executive Principal's Desk

Dear Parents/Guardians

With Term 1 well underway, I have very much enjoyed visiting the learning spaces around our College. Our students here at Heatherton are delightful and it is so good to see how eager they are to learn. Powerful learning can be found when we get the learning environment and the activities within it just right. This involves a number of elements but three of the most important ones I have heard discussed in education circles are relationship, content and curiosity. Without a caring relationship between teacher and student, it is difficult to facilitate learning in the classroom. The skills and concepts need to be relevant and interesting to the learners and this is where the natural curiosity of any learner comes into play.

All these three components are intrinsically about a CONNECTION. Relationship is about a meaningful connection between teacher and learner. With relevant and interesting concepts, the learner can see connection between themselves and the world they live in. Finally, a learner’s curiosity draws them closer to an idea or activity.

I believe the first thing to get right is Relationship and that’s why I get excited as I see our learning environments at Heatherton. There is clearly a wonderful sense of community connection and care that is very tangible throughout our College campus. I am sure many parents reading this newsletter will attest to this and you may well have made the decision to enrol your child here for that very reason. The fact is, we are first and foremost a Christ-centered community where everyone looks towards the needs of the other and sees the inherent value of each person, made in the image of God.

I am looking forward to seeing these relationships strengthened in the weeks ahead. I also look forward to seeing each and every one of our College families becoming more CONNECTED as we look ahead to commencing more onsite community events in the coming months.

Grace and Peace.

Damian Higgins

Executive Principal