Conversation with the Principal

What excites you about coming to work each day?

The students and families, we have a wonderful sense of community which is central to all that we do.  I am very excited about student learning and our teaching programs which provide student opportunities for personalised learning and a strong focus on developing critical thinking and collaboration.  We work with students to form a set of values to help them investigate our global place in the world.

How would you explain Aitken College in 3 words?

Community

Values

Learning

In February, what were your main objectives/themes/focus for the year?

Our 2020 theme focused on relationships and how resilience was crucial in our ability to connect with our community.  We linked our College values of Compassion, Honesty, Integrity, Kindness and Respect to our theme.  We focused on how to grow as individuals and connect with learning, family and community. I shared the picture story book “What Do You Do With An Idea” which was encouraging critical thinking and exploration in our learning and our lives.  Exploring beyond what is presented is an important life skill to develop, as it encourages inquiry.

How did education change when COVID-19 altered school life, what were the challenges?

We were required to make many decisions very quickly, consulting with many stakeholders.  We aimed to support our community with up-to-date information and a framework which was adaptable and informative.  It was essential we maintained our teaching programs and provided a continuous learning framework of a full school day.

During the lockdown duration, I shared the picture story book “What Do You Do With A Problem?”  It reinforced that a problem should be seen as an opportunity and that we all need to work together and support each other.  The mental health of our community was important and we made a concerted effort to check-in on each other regularly, this has brought us closer together.

What have you gained from this experience and hope to maintain?

The new models of teaching and learning showed innovation and they involved all members of our community.  The continuous learning model was delivered on our learning management system called, My Aitken and also supported by daily Zoom sessions.

There was also collaboration in how we worked and all staff were involved – teachers and non-teaching staff.

The importance of communication and human interaction should not be underrated and we ensured our community did not feel isolated.  Wellbeing was our priority and we maintained contact with our staff, parents and children. We offered Parent Teacher Interviews that were delivered via Zoom, phone conversation or email which provided parents with feedback. We ensured our communication, emails, newsletters and social media were constant to provide a broad set of information. We maintained a network of consistent contact to reinforce to our community we were travelling this journey together. 

What celebrations have you identified?

It encouraged closer connections due to a strong focus on working together and wellbeing.  We found a different way of learning and we communicated regularly.  There was a focus on keeping healthy, mindfulness and new routines which was supported with fun and enjoyable activities.

There was more focused family time, in which greater connections were established.  Our busy and overscheduled lives changed and quality focused time returned.

What are some highlighted developments you recognise?

Relationships, they are the core to our College, and we wanted to ensure all had the confidence in the decision-making process, as this occurred at a fast pace.  We saw a greater appreciation, respect and perseverance for the challenges faced. 

There has been some interesting learning which has taught us to be resilient, adaptable and patient. Innovation has been highlighted, as our teachers have been creative in meeting learning needs.  Parents gained a greater insight into their child’s learning and also provided children with an opportunity to be active family members with helping out at home. 

I am very proud of our community. Our staff worked tirelessly, and our students and parents trusted our judgement.

Has your community changed? 

There is a sense of gratitude for the worth of teachers and essential workers in the community and we thank our staff and parents.  We also recognise the difficulty parents encountered to run a household, engage in Home Learning and to also work.  There was more patience, active listening and kindness. Our values were evident in how everyone engaged with each other and meeting individual and family needs.

What were you looking forward to?

Having all the children at school.  We missed them greatly, the empty playgrounds and classrooms were a sad sight.

We are hoping in due course, we can hold community activities and we all look forward to showcasing the talents of our students and physically re-uniting our entire community.