From the Principal
College Structure in 2024
Earlier this week, it was a pleasure to meet with families of students who will enter Year 6 in 2024. The purpose of the meeting was to share information about changes to our College structure and how these changes will better support the learning of our students. I would like to share this information with all families in this edition of The Good News.
In 2024, Good News will transition from the current three-tiered system of Junior, Middle, and Senior Years to Primary and Secondary sub-schools. This change is driven by a desire to provide a more rounded and effective education for your children. The Christ-centred holistic education provided at GNLC will not change, as we remain committed to creating success together through the Australian Curriculum within an International Baccalaureate framework wrapped in Christian Values.
The top 6 benefits of this new sub-school structure are:
1. Seamless Transition
One of the most significant advantages of Primary and Secondary sub-schools is the more seamless educational journey they will offer students. Transitions, which can be disruptive, will be significantly reduced and students can focus on learning rather than adapting to new environments, making their personal educational journey more continuous and fluid.
2. Consistent Educational Framework
Under the new structure, students will follow a more consistent educational framework throughout their primary and secondary years. This will help build a strong academic foundation and enable educators to better tailor their teaching methods to meet individual student needs. It also ensures that essential concepts and skills are reinforced over a more extended period, reducing the risk of knowledge gaps.
3. Improved Teacher-Student Relationships
Arranging the College into sub-schools will extend student interaction with teachers and contribute to strengthening teacher-student relationships. Stronger student-teacher relationships can lead to a better understanding of each child's strengths and weaknesses, allowing teachers to provide more personalised support and guidance. In turn, students can feel more comfortable seeking help when needed.
4. Extracurricular Opportunities
Diverse extracurricular opportunities will continue to provided and enhanced. Extracurricular opportunities allow students to explore their passions, build confidence and develop a well-rounded set of skills, providing a more holistic educational experience.
5. Streamlined Administrative Processes
The move to Primary and Secondary sub schools will lead to more streamlined administrative processes across the College. This efficiency should reduce the number of communications and administrative processes for parents, and the College, allowing for the allocation of more resources to improving the quality of education.
6. Greater Parental Involvement
The new sub-school structure will provide additional opportunities for parents to engage more deeply with their children's education. Fewer transitions will provide parents with additional time to build stronger relationships with teachers and participate more actively in the educational journey of their children.
The transition from the current three-tiered system of Junior, Middle, and Senior Years to Primary and Secondary sub-schools will provide students and their families with key benefits without loss to what we know you love about GNLC. This transformation is designed to ensure that your children receive the best possible education and are equipped to face the challenges of the modern world. We look forward to seeing the new structure come to life in 2024.
Uniform in 2024
As the College transitions to a new sub-school structure in 2024, we will also commence the process to streamline the current student uniform with a new supplier. Rather than three variations to uniforms over the course of a student’s journey at GNLC we will slowly move to two variants, one for Primary Years and one for Secondary Years. To minimise the effect on families the College will have a significant two-year changeover/transition period with some new items being added in 2024. We ask that parents carefully consider what new items are required by their students in 2024 as the range is currently being finalised and a catalogue with further information will be provided, including an illustration of all items available.
Timetable Update
To complement the introduction of the new sub-school structure, a one-week student timetable will start next year. This will simplify the daily schedule for students with consistent learning experiences on each day of the week and for parents it means no more wondering if sport is on Tuesday or Wednesday or are we in week A or week B!
This time of the year is a busy one for our students, particularly our Year 11 and 12 students who are in their exam period. We wish them every blessing for their studies and to all families, every blessing as we quickly approach the end of the academic year.
Fiona McAuliffe
College Principal