Principal's Report
Term 1 Reflection
Normally this would be the second newsletter of the term.
Normally this would be a report on the whole term and all the activities that have taken place.
Normally I wouldn’t be writing this on a school day when there are no students at school.
Normally…let us accept the reality that there is nothing normal about this term.
Let us also accept that we, as a school community, have managed this term with aplomb. Let us also remember that as a community we are stronger and more resilient. We can be assured that not only our community will survive this ordeal, but that our country and the world will also overcome this insidious virus. Our school community will not only survive, but grow from, this experience.
2020 started like any other year; except for bush fires and the reporting of a strange flu like virus in Wuhan, China. However, we started the year with the same focus on transitioning some 207 Year 9 and some 40 Year 10 & 11 students into the school. The transition program is designed to teach the new students, especially the Year 9 students what it means to be a student of SCHS. The Primus program is very important and while we were unable to run the Year 9 camp, the rest of the program was completed. We were fortunate to be able to induct the new students into our school and to help them begin to understand, and hopefully appreciate, our culture. Although they have yet to demonstrate their prowess as a cohort singing the school song!
While the new students were settling in, the rest of the school was also settling in to classes and the generally frenetic activity that is Term 1. Classes were conducted, sporting teams were heading out to compete against other schools, and the Houses were preparing for swimming sports in week two and the athletics in week five. The House system is important in further developing the culture of the school and creating four sub-schools. This is the second year of the vertical house system and it has demonstrated its strength in providing structure for our students and giving opportunities for our senior students to mentor the younger students. And as the uncertainty developed through the term, the connectedness of our students was even more important.
The last four weeks of term have been tumultuous. As the COVID-19 crisis developed, the school faced a multitude of challenges. It is an oft-stated truism that a crisis brings out the best (and worst) in people. In our case, in our school community, it brought out the best. Every day we collectively continued with life; yes, we were dealing with the challenges, but we also recognised that we needed to ensure that life was as normal as possible. While other schools were recording upwards of 50% absence, we were recording about 10-12% absence and those mostly in Years 9 & 10. This meant that we were able to continue with meaningful learning in all of our classes. Our staff were truly exceptional as they not only conducted classes, but also prepared for what we believed would be an eventual closure. In effect, they were preparing double the work knowing that they would only use part of what they were preparing.
The challenge of technology and online learning was, for the first couple of weeks of our preparation, our very own ‘sword of Damocles’; hanging over us, reminding us that we had to get this (mostly) right. While the school could be, on one level, considered tech savvy given our high use of Compass as a learning management system, the reality was that we had to ensure all staff were able to operate outside of a Compass only environment. With many faculties already using various platforms (mostly Google classrooms), the staff were able to both upskill and develop their online classrooms quickly. The collegiality has been inspiring as teachers have taught each other, trialled new platforms, like Zoom, and shared their discoveries with each other. What this has meant, is that we have already started delivering online learning this term.
Regardless of when school re-opens, we are more than capable of continuing to deliver online learning to all of our students. In addition to this, we are also ensuring that online counselling will be available to them too. Our isolation from each other, the loss of the social connections that occur when we are all at school, is not a reason to stop caring and supporting our students. On the contrary, there is a greater need to ensure that we have the capacity to support our students educationally, socially and emotionally, to the best of our ability. Moreover, with the magnificent staff of this school, I believe that it will be possible.
As the term officially finishes, I would like to wish you all the very best of health. While the situation may look bleak, concentrate on the positives. Throughout this term I have seen so many positive outcomes, whether it has been from the more traditional aspects of the school or from the responses to the current crisis. Finally, be kind to one another and thankful that we live in a country that is, despite the situation, still the ‘lucky country’. I look forward to seeing you in the future.
Colin Axup
Principal
Contact Us
Phone: (03) 8734 2800
Email: suzanne.cory.hs@edumail.vic.gov.au
School Website: www.suzannecoryhs.vic.edu.au