From the Associate Principal

Its with a tinge of sadness that I write my last article for the College Chatter. Rather than talk about student progress and achievements, I want to focus on the College and all that I have seen over the last 9 months. Apologies for being long-winded but I wanted to provide parents with an insight into the human resourcing that makes Cunderdin ‘special’.

The first thing I noticed was the positive relationships between all key stakeholders. The way the students interacted with staff and with each other was something exceptional and is the thing that stands out the most for me and makes Cunderdin unique. I have always said, that “positive relationships will solve any issues” and Cunderdin Ag College has it in truckloads.

The College staff are outstanding operators and everyone of them puts the students first which is the most important quality that a school can possess. That includes every staff member and not just the instructional staff. The cleaners, gardener and kitchen staff provide a clean, safe environment that all enables parents to feel secure in the knowledge that their children are living in a home away from home. Miss KV and her residential staff are the glue that holds the College together and the love and empathy they show to every student, enables parents to feel secure in the knowledge that their children are catered for 100% of the time they are within the College.

Coming from a school that has is its own Registered Training Organisation in Perth, I was amazed at the scope of Cunderdin’s vocational opportunities. Simon Longmire and his staff offer Certificates that are the envy of all WA schools and dare I say, many TAFEs. Cunderdin could provide advice to every school in the state on how to improve student achievement through Vocational Education and they are a major factor behind students achieving their WACE.

Steve Skinner does an amazing job, ensuring every child has IT access and that the school is well resourced to provide this support. The quality of internet provision in regional areas has always been concerning and Mr Skinner ensures that the College can function effectively.

Mr Daniel De Beer, Mrs Madison Corsini and all the farm staff, do an incredible job in maintaining a working environment as well as providing a real-life learning opportunity. Arriving at Cunderdin I knew absolutely nothing about farming but leaving now, I understand the complexities of managing a farm. I see the passion of farming families and the work done by our farm staff positively contributes to this passion.

Stephen Prangnell and his staff in the Trades Centre continue to achieve outstanding results across all their Certificate courses. Every school in Australia should be envious of the work that is produced in that area and parents can feel very proud of the learning that occurs from the ‘tradesman’ who lead the skill development of your child.

Miss Kelsey Smith, Mrs Sarah Aynsley and the class staff work tirelessly to develop the literacy and numeracy skills of every student at the College. They work tirelessly to provide the traditional learning requirements and are always prepared to provide additional support through their work in literacy and numeracy interventions and ‘prep’ classes. They have directly impacted on our OLNA and WACE results and their passion will be something I will miss.

Ms Yvonne Bopp has led the human and financial aspects of the College. Her office staff are always ‘front and centre’ in dealing with parents, trades people, couriers, and most importantly, your child. They treat students with respect and provide students with a safe environment. Ms Bopp extracts every resource possible to make sure that the College functions effectively and efficiently.

Our new Positive Culture and Well-Being Coordinator, our Chaplain and our School Psychologist, haveredirected the emotional well-being of our students. Mr Paul Lock has now created an environment that has moved away from punitive measures and has focussed on creating a culture of optimism and support. Statistics speak for themselves, and Mr Lock has driven this area with empathy and genuine concern.

Its not difficult to sing the praises of our Principal Mr Matt Dowell. Cunderdin is unique in many ways and it requires a unique someone, who has knowledge, empathy and passion across so many facets that a traditional school would never encounter or understand. I can’t thank him enough, for the opportunity to work at an amazing place and to gain life-long skills. He has always had the student’s best interests at heart and has shown a level of empathy and understanding that many other school administrators could only dream of. 

I hear people say at times, that “the College is not the same as it was when I went there” and it shouldn’t be. School is not the same as when I was a student. Education is constantly changing and Mr Dowell and all the staff have changed with it, in a positive and professional way. The educational requirements and opportunities change every year and the College has been at the forefront of dealing with these changes in order to improve student outcomes.

Finally, I will miss the students more than anything else. I have treasured every moment working with them both individually and as a cohort. They have provided a level of support to each other, and to staff, that I have not seen in my 30+ years of education and it has renewed my passion and faith in our system. I will follow their achievement throughout the years to come and will enjoy reading the paper in January when I see their successes published. 

Again, apologies for the ‘speech’ but I wanted to reaffirm why you chose Cunderdin Ag to educate your child. An amazing institution that is focussed on social development, developing values and educating every student that steps through the doors. Thank you all and I wish everyone the best of luck in life…….