From the Head of Junior School
Dear Members of the St Gregory’s College Community,
Well, hasn’t the world changed over the past fortnight since the last Newsletter. I trust that you are all well and I thank you for bearing with the College community through this difficult period. One thing is for sure, the community wellbeing is paramount for us.
Home Learning
By now you would have all been seeing plenty of communication from Mr MacMaster in regards to where we are as a College in regards to COVID-19. Rest assured, we are prepared for Home Learning if this eventuates. We will all continue to communicate this in regards to how this progresses.
Primary Years Programme
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of discussing the PYP or Primary Years Programme with parents at the forums. In each Newsletter, as I did last week, I will try to give more information into what this looks like as a reality for students learning. In this Newsletter, I want to focus on the role of the Learner Profile.
As parents, we have dreams for our children – something along the lines of “to be happy, healthy and safe in their lives”. But is this sufficient for their future?
As educators (parents and teachers), we must have aspirations that are richer and more specific than this; a complementary set of goals that are explicit and detailed, that provide a road map of values and characteristics which our children will be able to uphold all their lives and that we, as educators, uphold, value and feel are imperative for our children to be the lifelong learners that they will need to be to be happy, healthy and safe in their lives.
At St Gregory’s College, we speak about being a holistic learner, we focus on the person and not just academics. On our journey to becoming a College that offers the PYP, we will be focusing a lot on what we call the Learner Profile.
So, what is the Learner Profile?
The Learner Profile is the heart of the PYP. It is an explicit description of our dreams for our children and their future. It is also the realisation of the International Baccalaureate mission, a way that the mission can be achievable. This mission statement and Learner Profile work together in providing a long-term vision of education – a set of principles that inspires, motivates and focuses our learning and teaching which we actively promote in all facets of our lives at St Gregory’s College.
The Learner Profile describes the kind of person necessary to make a better and more peaceful world as well as representing the best expression of the core values of teaching and learning in the PYP. They shape the principles and practices of our College; our vision, mission and commitment to learning for the twenty-first century, for our children as global citizens. These also go hand in hand with our Marist Values.
The attributes and descriptors of the Learner Profile define the type of learner the PYP and St Gregory’s College endeavours to develop through the PYP.
Therefore, as learners we strive to be:
INQUIRERS: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
KNOWLEDGEABLE: We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
THINKERS: We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
COMMUNICATORS: We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
PRINCIPLED: We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
OPEN-MINDED: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
CARING: We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the world around us.
RISK-TAKERS: We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
BALANCED: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve wellbeing for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
REFLECTIVE: We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.
In developing these traits, students and teachers build both the motivation and capacity to make the world a better place.
As our St Gregory’s College motto states, ‘You will reap what you sow"
Joel Weekes
Head of Junior School