From the Deputy Principal
The premise of education and schools has changed in the past generation. Schools used to be a hub of the “three Rs” – Reading, Writing and ‘Rithmatic and teachers used to preach the two golden “Ls” – Listen and Learn. Of course, I am being a bit facetious, however, there is an element of truth to it all. Of course, the three Rs, or Literacy and Numeracy as we say these days, are still fundamental to a good education and this week our NAPLAN assessments have highlighted that.
A generation ago, the teacher was seen as the font of knowledge, and the skill in teaching was to help transfer that knowledge in meaningful ways across to the students who would listen, ask questions, take notes, and build up their own knowledge base. And then, around about 25 years ago, along came the internet into our living rooms and now, the phone in our hands. With it, the idea of the teacher being the “human encyclopaedia” had to be flipped on its head, and it has taken a while to get that balance. In fact, with advances in technology at such a rapid rate, and the inclusion of AI, schools are constantly having to review our practice to ensure we are staying up to date.
A decade ago, we were starting to move away from the idea of giving in-class tests as an assessment because the time pressure might not allow our students to fully express their understanding, and we moved much more towards inquiry-based assessment and research assignments. As a Year Ten teacher at the moment, I can tell you that the thought of setting our students a research assignment has me quaking in my boots due to the constant cat and mouse game around the discovery of AI ‘enhanced’ written work. So, teachers are looking for ways to help build capacity for our students where we can best facilitate learning, and we can assess for that knowledge correctly. The skill in teaching now lies in deciphering the reliability of information that students are flooded with, and helping students to ask the right questions.
Furthermore, at around the same time as the internet entering our living room, we started to see a steady decline in church attendance and a decline in the percentage of people who identify as being religious in Australia. Whereas in the past, the church was seen as the centre of social life, community building and values education, these days society looks for its moral and social nourishment from other sources. Of course, the family unit remains the primary educator of our children.
Very often, schools become a hub for the community and our teachers are charged with not only facilitating curriculum knowledge, but also with a heavy dose of values education. We spend large amounts of time in the school week dedicated to teaching students about resilience, compassion, integrity, respect, and having the strength to be vulnerable. This means less time than a generation ago on the Three Rs, but it also means we are equipping students with the skills they need to make good choices.
The role of schools, and the teachers within it, has changed markedly in both the realms of knowledge and values. At GSG we are dedicated to working alongside families and other key stakeholders to ensure that our students are afforded a breadth and depth of educational opportunities, and a warm and welcoming community for all.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday 25 March - For this morning, the parent car park at the Multi-Purpose Sport Complex will be closed as we hold an event to welcome the Hawaiian Ride for Youth. 'Kiss and Drop' and limited parent parking will be available at the adjacent student car park. The car park will be available again in the afternoon.
Thursday 27 March - Baudin Free Dress Day
Students can wear free dress, the theme is PINK, as we are raising funds for the McGrath Foundation to support Cancer Care Nurses. Students are asked to bring a gold coin donation for the dress-up aspect of the day and some extra money for the cake stall at recess at the Pratten Centre, to support this very worthy cause.
Friday 28 March - Coffee Morning with the Principal
All current families are welcome to join Mr Mathew Irving at 10.30am at Dylan’s to ask questions, chat about how the start of the year has been, and hear about our new strategic plan.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Tuesday 1 April - Secondary School (Baudin and Camfield families)
Thursday 3 April - Primary School
Tuesday 8 April – Secondary School (Mokare and Wilson families)
School Photos
Thursday 3 April and Friday 4 April - Schedule can be found on the Subschool pages of MyGSG here.
Frankland River Regional Roadshow Sundowner (5.00pm to 7.00pm)
Friday 4 April - At Alkoomi Wines. All past, present and future families are welcome to join us.
P&F Afternoon on the Knoll
Sunday 6 April - P&F Afternoon on the Knoll (at GSG) from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Music and games provided, please BYO picnic.
Mr Jordan Owenell | Deputy Principal - Head of Secondary