PRINCIPAL

Tickets are bought, hair and make-up booked, dresses and suits clean and pressed, cars polished and ready for next Friday's big day when we hold our annual School Ball at the Mantra Lighthouse in Bunbury. I am looking forward to my second School Ball for the year and welcoming all the students and their friends to a wonderful night among the stars. No doubt there will be the usual crowd of proud parents, carers and family in attendance to witness the red-carpet arrivals. 

WASSEA Conference 

At the start of the week, I attended the annual Western Australian Secondary School Executives Association (WASSEA) Conference in Perth, which was an opportunity to network with other principals and gain some insight into contemporary educational issues that affect all secondary schools. 

The main theme of the conference was schools' ability to generate creative and inclusive strategies for student health and wellbeing in an ever-changing and more complex world. I found this particularly poignant for us as a school that cares for students 24 hours a day. We were also inspired by talks from people such as former Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan, who spoke about the value of prevention rather than reaction. 

I am continuing to look at all the operations in and around the school with an open mind to determine if any areas need some extra support or assistance. I am meeting with the Student Councillors on Monday to get their perspective on the systems and supports we have in place around the whole school. We can then use these perspectives as we plan for the coming year to welcome another cohort of students into this rather unique setting and provide them with an excellent career and lifestyle pathway.