Headmaster's

Message

An Unfamiliar Friend

Each one of us is, to a lesser or greater degree, is mourning the loss of the richness of our pre-COVID lives. During this lockdown, every single school day, I have driven to the Wentworth Falls campus, placed my computer on my desk and then lamented that which is missing; people! Just yesterday I bumped into a teacher on campus and the day before I bumped into a student in Wentworth Falls. Those brief social interactions were the highlight of my work day. There is also a missing ingredient in my home life; people … my children, my parents, my friends! My most recent video chat with my family was the highlight of my week; but not the same as sitting around a table for a meal.

Our lives are so much bigger than our work or our hobbies. We are so much more than what we do. Our lives are multi-dimensional and made ever more so by the complex network of precious relationships in which we live. This network is what we call community and the value of each of these relationships is one reason that we find it difficult when people come and go from that network.

Recently, the School farewelled Mrs Gillian Martin and Ms Laura Van Uum. Mrs Martin, one of our Senior School administrators, has crossed State borders, relocating to South Australia. Ms Van Uum, our Communication Officer, has accepted her dream, fulltime, job in Sydney’s CBD. We also recently farewelled a Senior School teacher, Ms Laura Hall and come year’s end, will farewell Mr David Rajasekar, both taking new roles in ISA Schools in Sydney, so it could be that we see them from time to time at Saturday sport.

Each of these valued members of the BMGS staff team has served the School for a chapter of their careers and their service has been invaluable. They have touched many hearts and minds and contributed significantly to the wonderful School we are today. In response to these and a range of other needs, the School is currently advertising for a range of positions for 2022. These include executive, teaching and support roles. The advertisements for these positions will shortly be posted on our website (bmgs.nsw.edu.au/employment) so please survey the upcoming advertisements on our website and forward the link to any suitable candidates you may know.

After a period of extraordinary stability (by industry standards) in its staff team, in recent years our School has experienced levels of turnover very typical in Independent Schools. This movement has some people asking why and my answer to this question is that movement is good and healthy for a School and for the staff and students therein. Please allow me to explain.

To best serve the wellbeing and education of students, our School needs a diverse staff team. One important dimension of diversity is career stage and so a healthy school needs long-serving teachers, experienced teachers, mid-career teachers and early career teachers. Long-serving teachers, at established schools like Blue Mountains Grammar, are the custodians of the most valuable elements of tradition and culture. Experienced teachers lead schools through change and improvement, monitor quality and ensure it is maintained, and mentor other teachers through the various stages of their careers. Mid-career teachers are developing their leadership and perfecting their practice. The rigour and passion they apply to these processes benefits their students, challenges their colleagues and adds tremendous value to a school. Finally, early career teachers bring fresh energy, question traditions, challenge existing assumptions and inform colleagues of new and innovative practices. They are also great consultants for new and emerging technologies. Essentially, teachers at each career stage make a different contribution to school programs, to quality and improvement, to professional learning, to school culture and ultimately, to the life and health of a school.

School leaders are also responsible for the wellbeing, professional learning and career development of their staff. For this reason, since I have joined BMGS, we have encouraged all staff to select professional learning and experiences that serve a career development plan. I encourage early career teachers to spend a few years at a variety of schools to accumulate a diversity of experiences and learn from a range of colleagues. In my experience, this is the most reliable way to nurture truly excellent teachers. Whilst we value their expertise and commitment, and whilst we will miss them, this is the reason that part of me rejoiced when Ms Hall and Mr Rajasekar informed me that they were moving on from this, their very first school. We encourage mid-career teachers to hone their teaching practice through action research and further study. We also encourage them to seek leadership opportunities so that they might expand their circle of influence and bring further benefit to our students and their colleagues. Finally, we encourage experienced teachers to serve in a variety of leadership portfolios to round out their perspective on the more challenging aspects of school leadership. We then encourage them to aspire to executive positions at our School or other Independent Schools. I am glad that BMGS continues to make its contribution to the development of the next generation of school leaders, for the sake of our School and every other Independent School, because every school needs high quality leadership. This is the reason that part of me also rejoices when leaders from our School are appointed to leadership positions in other Independent Schools.

It is optimal for teachers to make a move at year’s end, however schools must manage the complexities of teacher movements whenever they occur. Once a vacancy is created in one school, for whatever reason, it begins a domino effect of opportunity that tumbles through the lives of schools and families throughout the education sector. We manage mid-year movements as best we can, placing our students and their learning at the top of our priority list. If we can provide a teacher with the same expertise we will do so. If not, we will find another very capable teacher and support them with all the expertise and resources the School has until we are able to do so. Movement is very normal in schools and if we look beyond operational considerations and to our priority, our students; change is good for them. Different voices, perspectives, teaching styles, personalities and life experiences bring a richness to their lives. This richness enhances their learning and aides in the development of character and capability. 

We never want to lose good people; however, the world of Education is much bigger than Blue Mountains Grammar School and so should be the life of many a growing teacher. So as good people leave us, we wish them well and pray that God will draw others to serve here at Blue Mountains Grammar, for as long as is good and right. As a School, we must accept change; not as an adversary, but a friend.

Per Ardua Ad Altiora

Mr Ian Maynard

Headmaster