From School Council President
Emma Zipper
Welcome to Term 4, when we will see students and staff back on campus after a long period of remote learning. I know that lockdown in Melbourne has been especially tough this time around so it will no doubt be a delight for us all to get back to some degree of normalcy and to reconnect in person as a school community.
For those who do not know me, I joined Council 4 years ago as the parent of a then Year 9 student and as of Term 3 this year, I became the President of the School Council. I am a lawyer with corporate governance experience and am looking forward to serving the Preshil Community in this new role as we move into an exciting new era for the school. I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the leadership from both my predecessor, Andrew McMeekin and former Principal, Marilyn Smith for over a decade - a period of incredible growth and expansion of the school, including the era that saw a move to an IBO world school.
I would like to thank all of you – staff, students, and families – for persevering through 2021 with us. Marilyn Smith’s retirement as Principal at the end of 2020 after a decade of service left very big shoes to fill. The added complication of a global pandemic and closed borders delayed the process of finding her replacement by some months. A big thank you also to both Natalie and Cressida for stepping into the breach in 2021 as we pivoted in the context of the pandemic.
We are delighted with the appointment of our new Principal in 2022, Joshua Brody. Josh is the Head of School at the Sequoyah School, a successful progressive school in Pasadena, California with an educational philosophy that aligns with Preshil. His international experience and expertise in progressive education is first class, and this is an exciting prospect for Preshil. Whilst Josh is still Head of School at Sequoyah, Cressida and her leadership team are already liaising with him behind the scenes in anticipation of his formal start date in January 2022 to ensure a seamless transition.
We are conscious that, in an ideal and pandemic-free world, Josh and his family would have loved to come out to meet the Preshil Community in person. To try and replicate this in a digital world, we wish to let you all know what we have planned to get to know Josh in Term 4 and beyond. We invite you to:
- an entire Preshil Community webinar to introduce Josh formally on Monday 25 October at 5pm.
- register your interest for smaller informal “Hello Josh” Zoom sessions in groups. You can do this by completing the google form here.
Josh is keen to meet as many people in the community as possible, so please come along. It would be nice for the Brody family to have some friendly faces when they arrive in Melbourne from the US, to feel welcomed by the Preshil Community before starting formally in the role and before the children start at Arlington in Term 1 2022.
We are also planning to implement a community-wide survey when Josh first arrives in Term 1 2022 and then on a regular ongoing basis. This is a great place to give feedback on your experience of the school and its operations, and it will serve to inform Josh, the leadership team and the Council. We know that not everyone’s experience of a school is identical, however, everyone’s voice is important. We want to hear from as many of you as possible and to have regular actionable feedback for management about our school in the spirit of continuous improvement.
Finally, I would like to let you all know that my door is always (figuratively) open. There is a dedicated Preshil president’s email address:
council.president@preshil.vic.edu.au
Thank you to you all for continuing to be a part of this lovely and inspiring Preshil Community.
With warmest regards,
Emma Zipper
School Council President