The Anchor

Principal's Report

Mr Glyn Roberts

Glyn has been appointed Principal beginning in week 4 Term 3. Originally form Yorkshire, he emigrated to Australia after spending 7 years teaching English and Drama in the UK.

Since arriving in Adelaide, Glyn has taught at 4 schools, significantly spending 11 years at Tatachilla Lutheran College working in a variety of senior roles including Head of Senior School.

For the past 6 and a half years he has been Head of English and Director of Professional Growth at Saint Peter’s College, while he has also taught Curriculum Development and studied at The University of Adelaide.

Glyn is also a published children’s author and has his own local rock and roll band, The Timelords. He is ably supported by his wife Helen, two children Carter and Evie, and their pets Rosie the loyal dog and Hobbes the annoying ginger cat.

From the Principal

The first time you walk in to any school there is a real sense of trepidation. People have all kinds of memories of their education, good and bad, and there is always a sense of ‘what is this place going to be like?’ when you step through the doors into the new learning environment.

 

It took me about a microsecond to work out that Endeavour College was one of those places where there is a genuine sense of collegiality and fellowship. The positivity that exudes from the staff and students is tangible. There is an open, genuine authenticity to the conversations that are being had, a real sense that everyone is ‘in it together’. That sense of collegiality is a collective force for good in any community, and here at Endeavour College it is clearly the bedrock of what the school is about there is the presence of God in what this school does. It says a lot about this community that I have only been in the school five days and I have already felt the positivity and collective care that the school has for its community. 

 

Schools like ours are partnerships between the teachers, students and parents. We have to work together to build the best possible outcomes for our students. And while the research suggests that the biggest impact on a child’s education in school is how well a teaching community works together, and what their expectations are of the students, it also tells us that the single most important aspect of a child’s educational journey is how much their parents value what they do at school.

According to lead researcher William H. Jeynes at Harvard University “parental expectations have the largest effect on student academic achievement.” And it makes sense. Unsurprisingly , parents are the lead influence on their children.

 

What does that mean for us? It means that Endeavour College needs to work in partnership with you, and that we value the contribution that you can make. We have to work together to maximize the outcomes for all our students.

 

On a practical level day to day this is simply a case of asking about what your child did at school and being there to help, proof read and support their school work. As a school what it means is that we want you to be involved. We want you to be involved in conversations with your child and with us. We want to know what is working and what isn’t, and we need to be aware of things we can do to help. In the end, we can’t help if we aren’t in the conversation. So please utilize the school processes and help us to help your children.

 

I’ve only been here five days, but what I can tell you is that the genuine desire to help others pervades everything that Endeavour College does. It is an incredible, well organized and brilliant place, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me try and find my feet so far; you’re doing an incredible job! 

 

Glyn Roberts

Principal

 

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them - Matthew 28:19

 

The New TASS Parent Lounge is Live 

At the beginning of Week 2, the new TASS Parent Lounge went live, and all families were sent an email providing details on how to log in. Many families have already taken up this opportunity to enter TASS and update their contact details, as well as explore the other options within this site. 

TASS replaces the old Edumate portal. It sits alongside and complements Canvas. While Canvas continues to house student learning and feedback related to student learning, TASS allows you to see and interact with a range of other information. This includes: 

  • your address and contact details
  • the ability to change details without needing to call the school
  • check fee statements
  • let the school know your child is sick
  • see the school calendar or what’s on each day
  • see your child’s timetable
  • update medical information

We hope you like the many benefits of TASS and enjoy the clean styling and easy to navigate menus. We know many parents need to be able to access portals while on the move and we know TASS adjusts nicely for mobile phones, so why not save a short-cut to your phone home screen for easy access?

 

We have worked hard to make it easy for you to access. Simply: 

  1. Go to the parent portal on our website
  2. Choose TASS
  3. Login using the same details you use for Canvas

You will find a range of resources on the portal page should you get stuck, as well as a range of ways to get the support you need. 

 

Peter Pearse 

Deputy Principal