Principal's Report
Welcome to this edition of our newsletter
Last week I was reading a social media post and it contained the following quote: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you will feed for a lifetime.”
Whilst the origin of this quote is highly contested, it did provoke my thinking about its relevance to education today. I thought about my own secondary education. We sat in rows, were fed a great deal of content we had to write down from the chalkboard and then had to recite it when asked a question or use the information to respond in tests and exams. Some students may have preferred this industrial method of education whilst I can honestly say I didn’t, and consequently took another pathway prior to pursuing a career in education. Today, I use my experience to strive to create a better learning environment for all of our students. The quality of Scoresby Secondary College teacher’s instructional practice inspires me. Every time I walk through classrooms, I see how committed our teachers are to developing positive relationships with students, creating a hook to engage them in their learning, and then use multiple teaching strategies to deliver programs. By ensuring our students can make relevance and meaning of information and then apply it to real world contexts, allows for opportunities for growth and an openness to continuous learning for a lifetime.
Successful Funding Grants
I am pleased to announce that our application through the State Government Inclusive Grants Fund was successful with $174,000 provided for the redevelopment of the Junior School Outdoor Courtyard so it is more inclusive. The redevelopment will include synthetic turf and landscaping.
We were also successful in obtaining another grant of $1500 applied for by Mr Stirling as part of the Climate and Health Small Grants Program from EACH Prevention and Population Health Team. This grant will support the VCAL students to create a kitchen garden and commence works on a student retreat garden adjoining the Senior School area.
National Reconciliation Week
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
2021 marks twenty years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process.
Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action,
Staff Leadership Development
There has been a commitment in the annual goals for Scoresby Secondary College to staff leadership development to create a strong foundation for the college as we continue to grow. There are four key staff leadership programs each with a key improvement focus.
1. Strategic Leadership Team
The Strategic Leadership Team, is made up of the principal, assistant principal, leading teachers, learning specialist and business manager. The team meet every week for two hours before school and focus on development, implementation and review of strategies to meet the college goals and priorities. Each member participates in high - level professional learning through programs conducted by The Department of Education and Training, Bastow Institute of Leadership, Australian Council of Educational Leaders and other organisations.
The past seven weeks for Chris Knight and myself have undertaken a Harvard University program titled ‘Navigating Complexity’. The program was challenging yet provided incredible opportunities for us to work with and learn from some of the best leaders from across the globe (including educational leaders in the United States of America, Europe, Asia and New Zealand).
2. Leadership Coaching
Leadership coaching for five designated teacher leaders takes place annually. The coaching provided to enhance each teacher’s leadership skills by providing each leader support to work on goal related to their individual leadership roles. We are fortunate to have an experienced former Principal and Senior Education Improvement Leader as their coach.
3. Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders Program commenced this term with six teachers. Emerging leaders are aspiring teacher leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to the college community and are interested in expanding their capacity for leadership to successfully transition into management and higher leadership positions.
4. Teachers as Leaders of Learning
Teachers as leaders of learning is a program for all teachers. Teachers in Term 2 undertook professional learning focused on their role as leaders in the classroom and the skills and knowledge they can apply to support all students to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Mrs Gail Major
Principal