From the Principal
If you receive both the Primary and Secondary school newsletters you will have noticed that my article each fortnight is the same for both; there is purpose to this. When I sit down to write and reflect on our school I like to ensure that each developmental and educational stage is appreciated. There are so many obvious links, whether we are talking about consent in the Kindergarten - respecting space and body - or the more complex issues of consent with our teenagers. Although our campuses are separate, our philosophy and values are the same.
The encouragement of children to embrace and enjoy their childhood is never taken lightly at Preshil. We are in no rush for our children to ‘hurry out’ of childhood. We act as enthusiastic supporters of our cubby builders, we share quiet words of encouragement as children climb trees, oversee them navigate risks and we carefully construct the curriculum with our children at the forefront of our minds.
PlayWorlds at Arlington has the adults contributing, not overtaking; guiding children through imaginary journeys where they are met with and challenged to engage in STEM concepts.
At the Secondary School we move away from subjects in silos and help find connections and meaning with learning, for example, through the conceptual lens of ‘systems’ where in Individuals and Societies we investigate systems in Parliament or, as in Science, we look at body systems. Our learning is relevant, responsive and transferable.
We nurture academic growth for the individual child and ensure that our children do not define themselves by a percentage or grade. There are no ‘students of the week’ or charts, no smiley or sad faces drawn on the board to communicate our expectations. We celebrate learning, not by how high the grade is but how much growth students have made. We are a school that creates self efficacy, building confidence, and this is not just for our children and young adults, this extends to our teachers and staff.
At school tours this term we have had parents supporting us as we take prospective families and visitors around both campuses, answering questions, sharing personal experiences. Having the support of our families is highly treasured. Making connections is important and while we cannot quantify a lot of what we do, we appreciate and honour it.
Natalie Jensen
Interim Principal