Principal's Address

Student Leadership Conference

I had the pleasure of taking our Secondary School Captains Belle and Mylee to Sydney this week to participate in the NSW Parliament Student Leadership Conference. The girls joined school captains from all over the state at NSW Parliament House to learn about state politics, the NSW State Legislative Assembly, Question Time, State Electorates and the voting process.

Belle, Mylee and all student leaders from the Cootamundra Electorate then joined Ms Steph Cooke MP and President of the Legislative Council of NSW the Hon Ben Franklin for lunch in the President's dining room. They enjoyed sandwiches and tea whilst discussing their goals for future careers and topical issues for teenagers in the electorate.

Lastly, all students meandered down through the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney to Government House for a tour and to meet Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley,  the Governor of New South Wales. Her excellency spoke of her experiences prior to becoming Governor of NSW and memorable moments during her tenure. Student leaders also had the opportunity to ask questions of the Governor, after first following the protocol of standing, introducing themselves and identifying the school they attend. In a room of over 100 student leaders and numerous teachers, this was a daunting task. 

When we walked back to our car at the end of the experience I asked our student leaders about their day. Belle and Mylee both said they felt inspired by the Governor because of the value she places on community and the people who she meets every day. They also thoroughly enjoyed observing question time for the theatrical speaking, debating and more than one MP being asked to leave the room. Both Belle and Mylee highly recommend this experience to future leaders.

Southern Stars

In 2025, Boorowa Central School participated in our first Southern Stars experience in Wollongong. This was thoroughly enjoyed by the students involved and it was planned that we would participate again in 2026. However, due to staffing constraints and changes in circumstances, I had to make the difficult decision to withdraw our participation for 2026. I felt that with the constraints we are currently managing, we could not adequately commit to rehearsals and participation.

However, on a positive note, we will be offering all students between Year 4 and 12 the opportunity to go to the matinee performance late in Term 3. From all reports, the performance is an exceptional display of student talent and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. I am confident that this excursion will excite the students to get involved in future years.

In 2027 we plan for our Primary students to participate in the Wollongong week-long event while Secondary students attend the matinee to support and watch. This will alternate each year with Secondary participating and Primary in the audience in 2028, and so forth.

Showcase evening 

Boorowa Central School has made the decision to host the popular ‘SMArt and Drama Night’ on a biannual basis, with all performances aligning to a central theme. This could be a series of separate acts or one performance which includes classes and individual performances throughout. We are excited about this change and look forward to putting on a show to remember in 2027.

The school will be introducing a ‘Showcase Night’ this year and biannually here after. This showcase night is to display student skill and learning from all Key Learning Areas from Kindergarten to Year 12. This will include an art gallery, samples of student learning, completed projects, audio visual displays, service by students and much more. It is planned to be late in Term 3 and be an evening of enjoyment with visitors treated to a vast array of student skill and learning. A save the date will be sent out early Term 3.

Excursion behaviour 

Historically, students at Boorowa Central School have demonstrated exceptional behaviour when on excursions. Students are polite, respectful and always follow instructions.

However, over the past 12 months, the staff have witnessed behaviours that do not reflect the school’s values of ‘excellence through Respect, Responsibility and Participation’. This can make excursions less enjoyable and frustrating for all involved.

Excursions are offered at Boorowa Central School to ensure that our students have access to experiences that compliment the curriculum or enhance learning experiences. Many of these experiences are sport related due to the school, and town's, proud sporting heritage. For a sport to be played fairly and enjoyably, a referee consistently applies the rules of the sport, as well as keeping the sport as safe as possible. The same can be applied to excursions. Teacher’s and staff clearly explain the expectations (rules) for the students and continually reinforce these expectations. If a student does not meet these expectations, time must be spent with the student to change their choices. This time is something that a teacher on an excursion does not have and should not have to do if students meet our expectations. 

If a student does not meet the school’s expectations, a risk assessment is required to determine if the student can participate in the excursion. If the school is unable to mitigate the risk associated with a student’s behaviour choices, a school based alternative is offered.

At Boorowa Central School, we expect all students display the following behaviours:

• Follow instructions - first time, every time
• Be in the right place, all the time
• Speak respectfully to all staff, students and personnel 
• Wear the required uniform and appropriate footwear. Shoes must be enclosed
• Leave our area tidy and free of rubbish, especially the bus
• Thank staff for organising the excursion and for taking the students on the excursion

Please reinforce these expectations with your children so that they can continue to enjoy the wide array of excursions that Boorowa Central School offers.