Principal Report

Principal Message – Week  Term 1

The start to 2023 has been the first uninterrupted period of learning onsite in a very long time and over the term we have seen our children settle into school routines and re-establish and develop relationships. We have had this term, as a school, a very clear focus on wellbeing and learning. This has been intentional and as research shows, wellbeing is inherently linked to student outcomes. Learning is a social construct (students rely on others to help create their building blocks and learning from others helps them construct their own knowledge and reality) and building on children’s social capital and learning has been a priority this term. 

At St Columba’s we pride ourselves on providing a nurturing and personalised educational experience for the children at our school. Whilst we may be small, we are big on opportunity.  As the year progresses, we know by taking the time now to invest deeply in the foundations and conditions for which the children need to flourish, we will be setting our children up to become confident and capable learners for years to come. 

As an IB World school the following stance is a given 

- education is enhanced by the creation of affirmative, responsive environments that promote a sense of belonging, safety, self-worth and whole growth for every student 

 - all students in the school community develop the IB learner profile attributes and develop into inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. 

At St Columba’s the learning environments consist of:

• people, that is learners and teachers
• spaces, both physical and digital
• resources, that is the content, supplies and infrastructure needed to keep the environment healthy
• policies, that is the rules and agreements of the school community that support learning and teaching

At our school, it is important to us that teachers and support staff get to know each child’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, as this allows them to provide tailored instruction and support. As we are specifically a primary setting, we have a greater ability and autonomy to be more flexible and responsive in our approach to learning and teaching. Teachers can adapt based on the needs of the children in their class, and as a school we can adjust schedules and curriculum as needed without being beholden to secondary school constructs.

Taking time to foster a close-knit community by providing a warm and welcoming environment where everyone knows each other’s name and children feel like they are part of a larger family is a commitment we have always stood by. It is important to us that our older children serve as mentors to younger students. This helps younger children to feel supported and encourages older children to develop their leadership and communication skills. This is not just reserved to Prep and Year 6 buddies but extends beyond to St Columba’s kids, which aims to have every child known by all children and staff, which in turn leads to the playground, sports days and whole school events, including extracurricular activities, clubs and sports. It is important that children, regardless of age, have the chance to try new activities and explore their interests in a supportive environment. We saw a wonderful example of how really knowing one another works at our sports day last week. The camaraderie and genuine encouragement of each other’s endeavours and effort, regardless of team colour, was inspiring.

Providing the children at our school with opportunities to develop their leadership skills and to help them build confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of responsibility is an important developmental skill. At St Columba’s, all children will have many leadership opportunities as they progress through the school and particularly once they reach Year 6. 

Voice, choice and agency is an important part of wellbeing, and we have a very active student representative council that provides a platform for student leaders to voice their opinions and take part in whole school decision-making processes. Our Friendship Fair – for Caritas Project Compassion, next Thursday, at the end of this term is one of the highlights of the year facilitated by the children for the children, and where all children have ownership. These activities help children to understand the importance of giving back to their community and to develop a sense of social responsibility. 

Providing leadership opportunities for our students is essential to helping them develop into well-rounded, confident, and responsible individual; a key tenet of an IB education. It is important that children take on leadership roles within their classrooms such as being a classroom monitor, leading class group projects and helping peers, as it helps to personify and embed the Learner Profile. 

Our Year 6 leaders all contribute to one of the following leadership groups: Social Justice, Sport, Wellbeing, STEM and or the Arts leadership positions. Together with a staff mentor they plan, facilitate and coordinate school-based projects, events and activities that are designed primarily to create connectedness and belonging. They have stepped with confidence into their roles, and we can see their potential growing in the way in which they have led school assemblies, Masses, Project Compassion and the Sports Carnival this term.

April 13 will mark my eighth year of principalship, and I wanted to express to you why I am so proud of our ‘little school with a big heart’.  At the recent IB Global Conference in Adelaide I was asked to speak as a panel member on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and to share our story with educators from around the Asia Pacific and I have had many requests from schools nationally and internationally to connect with and to visit our school.

We are a school with 105 years of history, and this is just the beginning!

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”

John Dewey