Assistant Principal's Report

Last week at our principal forum, the Deputy Secretary, David Howes, used a deep-sea diver metaphor to speak about the importance of how schools re-emerge as we come out of the deep dive of lockdown and remote learning. We have been pleased to observe how well our students have transitioned back to onsite learning, but we are cognisant that we are still living against a backdrop of unpredictability.

Without question, this is a time of renewal, but we must remember that the transition is not a straight line, and we need time to decompress as we re-surface. For the last 18 months, students and educators have been forced to deal with the social disruption caused by COVID-19. This disruption has had both an emotional effect and a social effect. Now more than ever, we need to focus on building resilience. There's no quick fix but working together gives us the best chance of supporting students and one another. It is also important to acknowledge the intersection between student and teacher wellbeing. 

We thank all the parents who have expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the work of our teachers, and we want you to know that your positive feedback goes a long way in boosting morale. 

With this in mind, student wellbeing and engagement are now a central focus. At DPS, the leadership team is committed to sharing best practice approaches, tools, and strategies among teachers and across our school network, as we believe this is key to ensuring success in this space. Our robust curriculum and embedded literacy and numeracy practices support high student engagement levels by challenging students and teaching to their point of need. Student voice and agency play a vital role, and this will be a focus moving into next year. 

Rest assured that at DPS, we are working together and taking a team approach to building student resilience moving forward. I am confident that this work will see us emerging stronger and more resilient. As Mr Hill always says, 'together we are better".

Mrs. Vesdrevanis

Assistant Principal