PRINCIPAL REPORT

“The sooner you get feedback, the sooner you break bad habits and build good ones” 

Adam Grant

Our senior students are currently in the middle of exam season, taking the opportunity to practise the skills, study habits and practices that are important in undertaking formal exams. Great learning is about far more than exam outcomes, but exams continue to be a key feature in our education system, so helping our students prepare and become familiar with exam processes and procedures helps build confidence in our students, reducing exam anxiety and helping students develop an understanding of study strategies that work for them. Whilst exam practice is one element of learning, seeking and responding to feedback is the key to learning growth so, regardless of exam outcomes, I encourage all our students to take the time to seek constructive feedback, and to use this to understand how they performed. Moving from ‘feedback’ to ‘feedforward’ - turning constructive feedback into positive improvement actions for the future - is a key process in learning growth. 

This past couple of weeks our school captains have been focusing not just on their own development but on building the capacity of others, planning a leadership conference for our student leaders to be held next term. Our leaders will also be working beyond the college with younger leaders at our feeder primary schools and I look forward to sharing more about this initiative later in the year. 

Last week was reconciliation week, and this began with Mabo Day on Monday followed by a range of student-led activities designed to bring our college community together. Staff vs students Kabi Kabi Boroinjin brought out the competitive streak in some of our players, whilst our student band performances on Friday provided a more relaxing end to the week. Well done to all our students who led or participated in events across the week.

Shortly our students will move to their semester two classes and, as I recently messaged to our community, our new timetable will now follow a consistent five day schedule with the withdrawal of PEP from our Thursday program. 

The new semester is a great opportunity for our students to reflect on where they are, which good habits they can build upon and where they’d like to be at the end of the semester…and to put that feedforward into action!

Anne Stout,

Interim Principal