Assistant
Principal Report
At Edenhope College we promote the values of being safe, being willing to learn, and being respectful. Our young people have shown a lot of resiliency over the past 18 months; as have parents and community members; but it has not been easy. On top of this, our young people have to manoeuvre through adolescence, ever changing shifts in friendships, whilst also navigating between the rules and expectations of home and school.
Over the past 12 months we have made a range of structural and procedural changes at the College to provide a multi-layered approach to supporting all student, helping them feel safe emotionally and physically and to provide an environment where respectful relationships flourish and a willingness to learn is championed.
Examples include:
- The establishment of the Core Wellbeing team (inclusive of a counsellor and mental health practitioner)
- Introduced sub-school managers (F – 6, 7 – 10 and senior) to provide a layered approach to student support and behaviour management
- Emphasising the importance of Home Group teachers as a first point of contact for parents/care givers and as point of need support for our young people.
The School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) program is the overarching framework from which we work to bring together our school community, developing positive, safe, and supportive learning cultures.
In line with our AIP (Annual Implementation Plan), as a staff, we are focusing on improving our communication with our wider school community through regular calls home and check-ins with families. Evidence suggests that when schools and families work together, our students are more engaged, feel safer and supported, have greater levels of achievement, stay in school longer and develop better social skills. At Edenhope College we use a range of platforms to communicate, including: Xuno, Facebook, e-mail, phone and, of course, the Whytalla.
Recently, a community member brought it to our attention that there was evidence of cyberbullying occurring amongst students whereby young people were making hurtful and isolating comments about their peers. Whilst the incidents were occurring out of school, it is clear the impact at school could lead to safety concerns whilst on-site. The communications from the community member clearly highlight the importance of us all working together to support our young people and to help us, at the College, to investigate, address and support all young people involved.
Being safe and respected is a fundamental human right. At Edenhope College we are working extremely hard to uphold theses values and whilst each young person’s experience will be different, it is absolutely clear, that families and school must work together to uphold this right for our young people. We need to promote positive working relationships and two-way communication, demonstrating to students that they are at the heart of our decisions and our work as teachers and parents.
If you would like any assistance on accessing any of the platforms (Xuno, Facebook), please make contact with us at the College.
Firearms Licence
On Friday, March 25th, 26 students undertook a Junior Firearms Licence course with local policeman Darren Ferluga. It was a fantastic opportunity for our young people to gain real life and important skills and knowledge around gun safety as well as leaving with a tangible asset. Moving forward we will be seeking expressions of interest from students to build and develop a field and game team to compete in inter-school competitions across the state. The Field and Game competitions are a great opportunity for young shooters to to practise and maintain their marksmanship outside of game seasons as well as providing an alternative sporting activity to the traditional sports such as netball and football.
Chad Frost
Assistant Principal