Assistant Principal  -Curriculum

Dear Parents, Caregivers, Staff, Students, and Friends,

In this week’s newsletter, I want to focus on the importance of feedback and consultation, highlighting how input from our community helps shape our school environment. A key example of this is the recent Survey My School satisfaction survey, which gathered insights from students, parents, guardians, and staff. Additionally, I’ll touch on our Annual Improvement Plan and the HSC.

The Importance of Feedback

Before diving in, let’s discuss why feedback is vital and what we aim to achieve. At our school, decisions fall into three categories based on the level of feedback involved:

1. Communication: Decisions made solely by the Principal or Assistant Principals with no feedback required.
2. Consultation: Feedback is sought from stakeholders, and decisions are made by the Leadership Team or Principal/Assistant Principals based on that input.
3. Collaboration: Every voice is heard, and all opinions are equally valued, leading to joint decision-making.

In this article, I’m focusing on decisions made through consultation. As a Leadership Team, we deeply value the perspectives of parents, guardians, students, and staff, and we are committed to using your feedback to guide our choices.

Embracing Change

Another important concept is change management. It’s natural for people to resist change, but sometimes it’s necessary. I firmly believe that individuals are more likely to embrace change when they:

1. Understand the why behind it.
2. Are involved in the decision-making process.

While these principles may seem straightforward, many organisations have stumbled when they overlooked one or both. At O’Connor, we prioritise ensuring our community understands the reasons for change and actively involves you in the decision-making process through surveys and open conversations.

Overall, parents report that their children feel safe and valued at school and are happy with their progress. Many appreciate communication via Compass and the newsletter, though some have expressed a desire for more feedback from teachers on their children's progress. In response, we have enhanced the information provided on Learning Tasks to make feedback more accessible and understandable.

Additionally, both students and parents have noted the need for better preparation for the transition from Year 10 to Year 11/12. To address this, we have implemented changes starting in Term 3 by aligning Year 10 assessments with the format used for senior students.

We’ve also received mixed feedback regarding our uniform policy, with some feeling we are too strict while others believe we are not strict enough. We will continue to evaluate this.

Annual Improvement Plan (AIP)

Another example of our commitment to consultation is the development of our Annual Improvement Plan for 2025. This process is not done in isolation; we actively seek input and data from our community. Recently, we asked all staff to evaluate the 2024 AIP in small groups to ensure every voice was heard. We also gathered suggestions for our goals for 2025 and analysed data from the satisfaction survey mentioned earlier. Finally, we collaborate with other secondary schools in our diocese and Armidale Catholic Schools to work on improvements collectively.

Creating a comprehensive 2025 AIP is a complex process, but we’re making significant progress. Stay tuned for the final product, which we will unveil before the end of the school year!

HSC Exams

As we wrap up, I’d like to acknowledge our Year 12 class of 2024, who are nearing the end of their HSC exams. The final exam, Physics, is scheduled for next Thursday, followed by the eagerly anticipated Year 12 Formal on Friday night. I commend our students for their hard work and dedication. Notably, this past Wednesday, we hosted four HSC exams on the same day—an unprecedented occurrence at O’Connor. A big thank you to our Presiding Officer, Tony Dubois, for ensuring a smooth exam experience in our gymnasium. Tony, a former Principal of O’Connor, has done an outstanding job making our students feel comfortable during this important time.

Thank you all for your ongoing feedback and support of our wonderful school. I look forward to coming to work each day!

Best regards,

Mr. Stephen Chapman

Assistant Principal - Curriculum

"Never stop learning; for when we stop learning, we stop growing." — Jack Lewman