Judith Cohen

Acting Assistant Principal

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Over the past couple of years I have developed different perspectives on familiar situations. It is liberating but also frightening at times. More recently, taking on an Acting Assistant Principal role has given me a different perspective on an organisation that I have been a part of for nearly 15 years. I have seen how my colleagues work from a different perspective, appreciating their commitment and relentless efforts in their role to support our students.

Our Humanities subjects encourage students to gather information to inform and challenge their opinions from a variety of sources. If something sounds 'not quite right', we need to have the confidence to trust our intuition and have the courage to not follow the crowd (because history has taught us that the crowd isn't always right). Although we are challenged with different issues and have different problem-solving approaches, we must remember that using our words to debate, question, and critique our opinions with an open mind will make our community and society stronger. We must keep talking to each other and listen with honesty and integrity to keep the connection alive. 

Our whole school events such as Harmony Day, Battle of the Bands and the Science Immersion Days bring the school community together and highlight our strengths. These situations help us learn about each other and allow us the opportunity to learn something new. They remind us that every conversation should be approached with respect and an acknowledgement that while our backgrounds (and sometimes our views) may be different, we use our words to communicate. We need to be conscious of the lure of Artificial Intelligence tools that do the thinking for us, that may eventually strip us of our creativity and critical thought, of the echo chambers online, and the powerful algorithms on our social media feeds.

Embracing the Acting Assistant Principal role has challenged and expanded my perspective; I now challenge you to broaden yours. As we head into the holidays after a busy assessment period, it's important to take a moment to look around, reflect and be curious about what is happening beyond our homes and neighbourhoods. Look at what is happening in our cities and consider whether this is something we can be proud of. How can we be leaders in our respective communities and demonstrate the qualities that we most value in others? 

Wishing everyone a safe and restful break, look after each other in these uncertain times and begin embracing diverse perspectives.

Judith Cohen

Acting Assistant Principal