Message from the Principal

From 2007 to Now

I enjoy being the Principal of a school from Prep to Year 12. The mixture of older and younger students reminds me how important the school years are in the formation of young people in preparation for successful adult lives. Students start school when they are formative and young, blossoming through the up and down pathway until they graduate, ready and prepared to face the world independently.

So much happens in those 13 or 14 years of formal education.

The last weeks of Year 12 always have me reflecting on the growth and change that has taken place in the lives of the soon to be graduating young adults. With the current Year 12's, it is hard to believe that 13 years ago in 2007, they were three terms into kindergarten and just starting to sound out, read and spell their first words? They have come a long way since then, through infants and primary school, making the step into Year 7 and moving through high school to a long-anticipated day when they stand at the end of their school journey. As I move from Kinder to Year 12 students during a day, I am reminded that the growing process is quite profound. Those so small will quickly grow physically but also in their learning and development of a wide range of skills.

It is incredible to think that when our graduating Year 12 started formal school in 2007, there was no such thing as an iPhone, with the very first model released in June that year. Facebook as it is now was a few months old. Twitter had recently launched its own platform; Bitcoin was newly introduced, and Cloud technology was a new innovation that year. Netflix released their first ever movie and the launch by Google of adverts on a freshly introduced video platform called YouTube took place.

During their schooling, from K – 12, the world has changed for our graduates and they have developed with it. Communication, the storage of knowledge, entertainment and learning has been transformed in that time. Who has an encyclopedia anymore?

Our school has altered in some ways too and some of the physical and structural changes have been challenging.

Some things haven’t changed and a most important one of these is the prominence of relationships. People are important and relationships between peers and with the staff are a vital factor. Despite advancement of technology and growth in automation, the human impact of the great teacher is still critical in the classroom. A good school is a learning community in which belongingness and inclusiveness are central. I am very grateful for our teachers who make a difference in the classroom and help shape our community life through positive relationships with students.

Another important constant is school culture and the values that underpin everything. I like the values of Calrossy: Selflessness, Integrity, Resilience and Inclusiveness.

They speak of the importance of each of us to another, the need to be friends, the importance of listening, learning to bounce back from adversity and a necessity for well-shaped personal character. These, added to high expectations, produces a climate that allows students to grow, learn and to be inspired to serve. Confidence is a critical factor in learning and success. It comes from feeling safe to ‘have a crack’, to try new things and to do one’s very best.

For our Year 12 Graduates, over their journey they have developed, the School and our world is very different to when they started. However, it is my hope and prayer that they leave with many of the relevant attributes that we promote at every stage of learning in our school and that their future is bright. I trust that the power of relationships, the positive culture and the confidence developed will serve them well in the next exciting part of their lives. For our younger students, the process continues with the overarching goal of producing great adults who will make a positive impact on their world beyond school.

Our Calrossy Graduate Attributes include:

Learning - Critical thinking, Knowledgeable, Creative, Collaborative, Articulate

Growing - Courageous, Resilient, Independent, Courageous, Knowing the Christian Message,

Serving - Selfless, Caring, Principled, Inclusive, Grateful

Don’t have anything to do with godless stories and silly tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Training the body has some value. But being godly has value in every way. It promises help for the life you are now living and the life to come. This is the truth you can trust and accept completely. This is why we work and try so hard. It’s because we have put our hope in the living God. He is the Saviour of all people.1 Peter 4: 7 – 10

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