Message Mr Mark Doran - Acting Principal

Many of our day student and Boarding families would probably have an awareness that our school runs a distance education program, but not know many of the details. A small number of schools across Australia have some form of distance education, but I am not aware of another with the model we operate.

In 2023 we have 4 classes of eCalrossy students: a Stage 3 class (Years 5 & 6), a Year 7 class, a Year 8 class and a Year 9 class. Some of the Year 9 students started with us in 2021 and have benefited from the live interaction between the students in the class and the specialist teachers allocated to teach them. This is not a model based on accessing pre-recorded videos or a student independently working through reams of worksheets and written explanations. Our teachers have live lessons in which students can ask questions, participate in discussions and receive feedback from the teacher.

Students in our program live all over NSW and even interstate. Some connect to the zoom lessons each day from their underground homes. Many have benefited, for the first time in their schooling, in a quality of education which they have not previously known.

Particularly encouraging has been the success of our first Stage 3 class. This was not part of the school’s original growth plan for eCalrossy. It came about because families could see the quality of teaching and learning which friends or older siblings were experiencing, and then approached us to ask if it would be possible to expand the offering to include older primary school students. This first year has been so well received – thanks to the professionalism and enthusiasm of the core teacher and others who contribute weekly.

We look forward to the year’s second Residential Week for eCalrossy students, starting 25 June, when these students from geographically scattered locations and circumstances can enjoy a week in our Boarding House, have the thrill of spending time together as well as work hard at learning some of the lessons which require physical resources not available over a screen.

For some of the eCalrossy students, a year or two in this program will be their only 

connection to our school. Others, however, will have eCalrossy as the first step in a much longer association with our community, as they later move to becoming day or boarding students.

If you have friends whose circumstances might mean eCalrossy is the unique offering which could meet their needs, it would be good to urge them to make contact with our enrolments team.

Mark Doran

Acting Principal