In the coming weeks, we will finally (after two postponements due to COVID) commence our School Review. This 4 year process is aimed at ‘improving learning outcomes, promoting excellence across the curriculum and enhancing the health and wellbeing of students’. This completely aligns with the aims that we have and the journey that we are on. Below, is a representation (designed by Art & Technology Leader, Siobhan Finn) that captures our Annual Implementation Plan to a tee: we are pursuing the main aim that the School Review process intends to deliver, that ‘high achievement (is) in the grasp of every student’.

‘In the grasp’ is such a powerful statement because it means that three things are happening: teachers are creating high quality opportunities for students to learn; parents are encouraging their child to be motivated and try their best; and students are brave enough to seize their moment and pursue their dreams. The tragedy of being a parent is that we can look back on our own lives at all the chances that we didn’t take and we can’t do anything about it. The beauty about being a parent is that we can influence our kids to make better choices and to learn from our mistakes. And the challenge of being a parent is that we have to manage the rebellion of youth, so that our kids can get the best out of their time at school and learn a little from the wrong turns we might have taken. What success means to our students is different for each of them, but the importance of attending school, doing their best and being a positive influence always result in the best outcomes. The School Review will move us closer to this point.

We know that each student is at a different stage of their learning journey. Success has to be judged on the progress that they make and it is down to us to do everything that we can to support them in this. We have come a long way in our first 2 years and our review couldn’t be better timed to help us assess how far we have come and how we can identify the next important steps.

Where I want us to get to (and get there soon), is a space where students, families and teachers work closely together in order to make our school the best that it can be. 2020 made it difficult for us to work with families in the way we had planned due to a wide range of COVID restrictions. We have to view our review as providing us with an opportunity to develop greater links between home and school, as well as ensuring that all voices are heard. Over the course of the next week, I’ll be asking parents and carers to take part in the parent forums, an integral aspect of the school review. I want our whole community to believe in what we aim to build at Woodmans Hill and to believe with a deep connection. School plays such an important role in the life of your child and if we can collaborate together we can be a learning community that is a force to be reckoned with. There have been massive steps forward in our development, but we know that there is a great deal that we have to improve. One of our strengths is that we know what these areas are and we are working on them, day-in-day out. Your feedback is critical to what happens next in our story. Woodmans Hill Secondary College belongs to its community and, as a community, we need to work together to keep getting better and better.

What surrounds all of this work is the aim of increasing teacher capacity and the ability of the Woodmans Hill staff to meet the needs of all students. This requires different responses and different ways of working with students. This year we have employed a mentor to work with Y8 & 9 (Michelle Hulse) students who we have identified - through tracking - need a helping hand in Maths and English to catch up with their peers. We also have a senior school English mentor (Angie Crace) to target support and we aim to recruit further in the coming weeks. These mentors are qualified teachers with real expertise in supporting students with a range of needs. It is important that our students are confident learners and feel that they can improve if they are to grow. We are also working closely with our high capacity students to extend and challenge them further so that they can continue to improve at the same pace as students from both private and public schools.

I look forward to hearing your voices and seeing your needs reflected in the strategic plan that will chart our journey for the next four years. I also appreciate your support in setting shared high standards and expectations around a range of areas such as work ethic, determination, school uniform and positive behaviour. Together, we are in the fortunate position of helping great kids become amazing adults that make a massive difference in their community. I am looking forward to the next stage in our journey as Woodmans Hill Secondary College.

Stephen Fields

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