The Collective

From the Principal

Dr. Andrew Cousins

As another term draws to a close I pay tribute to our staff, students and families who have contributed to such a successful term in the classroom, on the performing stage and on the sporting field.

 

I am pleased to report some encouraging news for the College on a number of fronts.

 

It was exactly this time last year that we announced the College would be transitioning to a fully co-educational school from 2023. As we reflect on the past twelve months, it is so encouraging to see the significant increase in enrolment enquiries, indicating that families see value in our unique Parallel Learning Model. 

 

In particular, I wanted to share: 

  • Our Pre-Prep, Prep and Year 1 cohorts in 2023 are now waitlisted
  • In the month of August, we received a record number of Enrolment Applications, ranging from entry in Term 4, all the way through to 2035! 
  • We have seen a 276% increase in Enrolment Applications this year compared to the same period in 2021, and a 426% increase compared to the same period in 2020! 
  • Our Principal-led Tour in October is already full (with a waitlist to attend), with our final Head of Primary-led Tour also nearing capacity

Our College tours are certainly a team effort, and I want to especially acknowledge our student ambassadors, across all year levels, who are the face and heart of the Clayfield experience. Thank you for so proudly representing and showcasing our College.  In addition, thank you to the members of our engagement team (Stuart Charlton, Emma Dixon, Alice Wilson and Katie Probin) for their drive, passion, and vision. 

 

Feedback from our August Tour Attendees 

“We heard about Clayfield College and its reputation through friends. We came for a tour today and were impressed with the school and teachers, and we loved the warm and friendly atmosphere.” 
 
“We attended the Primary School tour today and are very excited for the opportunity to access co-education/parallel learning for our sons, particularly given the lack of co-educational options on the Northside. We would have registered our son for Pre-Prep if we had been more organised, as the prospect of being in one school community for circa 12 years appeals to us.” 
 
“We attended the recent tour which we really enjoyed and were impressed with the direction and focus the school is taking.” 

 

To support this enrolment activity the second half of Term 3 has been filled with recruitment for the additional staff required to support our growing primary school.  In addition to these roles, there are also several leadership roles currently being recruited including a Head of Secondary which will be a Senior Leadership Position and support the guidance of our Care@Clayfield framework. 

 

I also am pleased to announce that Adrian Walker will rejoin the College from the start of 2023 as our inaugural Artistic Director – Creative and Performing Arts and Robert Simmons will join the team from the start of next week as our ICT Manager. 

 

We also welcome the following staff to the Clayfield College family Julie Parianos (Executive Support Officer) and Natalie Klemm (Finance Manager) who have commenced over the last couple of weeks and thank Chris Byrne (Project Manager) who finishes at the end of this term.  I would like to extend my thanks to the number of staff who are involved in the recruitment process, it is very much a team effort.  I particularly acknowledge the members of the SLT and Deborah Sharkey (Human Resources / Payroll Administration Officer) for the quantum of work that this process requires. 

 

Following the extraordinary success of our inaugural Giving Day in June, when over $300,000 was raised from our Clayfield community, the Clayfield College Foundation has approved their financial support of the following projects as the immediate beneficiaries of this philanthropy.  The Foundation will provide financial support for the construction of a Learn to Swim Pool adjacent to the 25-metre pool on Bayview Terrace, upgrades to the current Drama Room to revamp the space as a “black box” performing space and sound recording studio and support the ongoing upgrades to the Boarding House.   I am incredibly grateful for the support of the Foundation Chair and Board of Directors (Nick Vincent, Laraine Kelley, Alison Chalmers, and Troy Green) and look forward to sharing more about these projects as they unfold as we head towards 2023.  These upgrades and additional facilities were only possible through the generosity of the Clayfield College community and will provide an additional to benefit our current students and provide a valuable contribution to our local community. 

 

Again I thank our community for your whole-hearted efforts on behalf of the College this term. I wish you all a restful break and look forward to seeing you all in October.