Principal's Report 

Dear students, parents and carers,

Thank you very much for your work and support over Term 1. 

Our improvement plans for 2021 and 2022 both include the key goal that:

Students experience meaningful learning and authentic care in calm, collaborative settings.

You will recall that a major focus over that time has been on assisting students to recognise, and stop or replace, unproductive and/or unsafe behaviours. Staff have worked on a coherent language and approach to allow students time and space to replace a behaviour. The Living Well, Learning Well Framework  has emphasised building student connection to school over increasing ‘management’, ‘control’ and ‘discipline’ for children and young people. We have in most cases received strong support from families when an unproductive or unsafe behaviour has required a positive partnership of family and school to improve the situation.

Here is some data showing the impact of that work:

The improvement has been accelerating over Term 1 this year. Observations from staff, students and visitors suggest that:

• Most classes are calm and free of interruption, most of the time.
• More students are displaying care, character and consideration for others.
• More students understand that interruptions to learning disadvantage other students.
• In calmer classrooms, better learning and teaching is happening.
• Many students have taken the opportunity for a fresh start this year, both in replacing behaviours and improving work habits (one student with more than 50 behaviour interruptions in 2021 has 0 interruptions for Term 1 2022).

This calmer and more considerate setting is an important first step in building learning culture. An equally important step is to ensure that excellent teaching and learning is happening in each of the 40 or so classes running at any time in the College. Most rooms are now fitted out as collaborative spaces like those below. At the start of next Term all rooms will be set up to allow faster feedback, more student collaboration and interaction, and more teamwork.

Our first day next Term is a Staff Learning Day, explicitly targeting these next improvement steps. Staff will be working on using Mentor Group time for student support and coaching, use of the new Diocesan Data Dashboard to better differentiate learning, and further implementation of a coherent instructional framework. 

Thank you and congratulations to all students and families who have contributed to these improved conditions for supporting learning and wellbeing. 

Holy Week begins next week beginning with Palm Sunday and leading us into the great feast  of Easter. After the preparation and reflection of Lent, the good news of Easter Sunday provides a life-affirming and hope-affirming foundation to our Christian faith. 

I thank you again for the work of Term 1, and wish all a Term break that allows students and staff to come back recharged and ready to go for a productive Term 2.

Mr Rod Whelan - Principal