From the Deputy Principal

Student leaders - the future is bright!

After telling my HSC Extension 1 Mathematics class that I had studied Astrophysics at University as part of my Degree they gifted me with a wonderful picture of an artist's logarithmic scale conception of the observable universe. It’s a beautiful print and a very thoughtful gift! The print highlights how our knowledge of the world is an infinite learning curve.

Interestingly (maybe only for me?), for the first time a Mathematician has won the 2019 Prime Minister's Prize for Science. Emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger of the University of Western Australia won her award for the work she has done in the field of group theory, a branch of pure mathematics which deals in part with questions of symmetry. In “real life” terms Professor Praeger has enhanced the security of information online which means we are able to do our banking and sharing of information online without the fear of being cyber robbed of our money and information. 

Professor Praeger was once a young person in school and I wonder if she thought that she might contribute, as significantly as she has, in the world of mathematics one day? I wonder if she was a wiz at mathematics while she was at school? Our school is so very young and so we have a young Alumni. However, many of our past students are contributing significantly to their work place and communities. You don’t have to win an award to make a positive impact on our world.

Each year I continue to be so grateful for the caring, thoughtful, creative, fun and dedicated students we have consistently making a positive impact on our school. In the adult world it is hard not to despair sometimes for our future when we hear some of our political leaders speak. However, when many of our students speak or present here at school you realise that maybe the future is in good hands. This was particularly highlighted on Wednesday when the final nominees for our 2020 School Captains and Vice Captains presented to us at Secondary Assembly. Caitlin Ebsworth, Thomas Keele, Lakeisha Ludbey, Jonathan Martin, Catrina Paul, Stephen Lenin and Tessa Bulmer did themselves very proud indeed delivering very impressive speeches on why they should be a student leader of our school. It should also be noted that these students were chosen from an even bigger group of excellent student leader nominees. It would be an honour to have any one of these young people to be student leaders in our school. It will be very hard for teachers and students when we all vote for our 2019 (Term 4) - 2020 Captains and Vice Captains on Monday.

In our Junior school this week I chatted to four of our Year 1 students at recess who are making a positive impact on our school and particularly me on the day I chatted with them…. They were enthusiastically telling me their ages when one of them asked my age and when I didn’t immediately answer she asked if I was 20!? We can learn a lot from our Junior school students about the joys of the world. We can also learn a lot from our Junior school students about what great leadership looks like. Jilly Jones, Ebbeny Jettner, Digby Newman, Zena Colacino, Gabrielle McMaster, Amelia D’Angri, Paige Looney, Jack Davy, Patterson Eeles, Toby Cadd, Nathaniel Pearce, Steven Kirkpatrick and William Pike are all leading great initiatives in the Junior school in their leadership areas. You would have read about these initiatives in our Newsletters. With our student leaders the future is bright.

On a different note, SEQTA Teach has had a redesign that has been recently rolled out to the teaching staff. Our school is one of the first to have the new redesign and during the next month or so SEQTA will be refining the design. This does not significantly effect SEQTA Learn or SEQTA Engage.

As part of the roll out of the Redesign and the introduction of a SEQTA results Analyse package, a representative of SEQTA will be working with some members of our Executive in November to look at how we can use SEQTA more efficiently and effectively. As part of this we will be using the information gained from the survey families completed on their use of SEQTA that included your thoughts on Reports and Parent-Teacher interviews. Together with the latest research in best practise we will work out a strategic plan for the best use of SEQTA including academic reporting across the whole school for the future. This may include SEQTA parent information sessions and/or regular SEQTA tips, updates and relevant information shared in the Newsletter.

Kathleen Kemp

Deputy Principal