Principal's Report
Welcome to a new school year and a special welcome to new families, particularly those Year 7 families who join us for the first time.
We are also delighted to welcome new teachers and support staff who bring with them, fresh eyes and new gifts that we embrace as they join our community. Teachers include: Renae Brown, Alex Fiegert, Paul Glovitch, Mikaela Pearce, Stephanie Ray, Richard Schomburgk, Carol Thomas, Meera Venkataraman and Renee Wood. Lutheran Support Officers include: Daniel Booker (Innovation Zone Coordinator), Erin Lockwood (Administration / Uniform Shop), Bella Materne (PE & Sports Support), Hannah Pavlovich (Workshop Technician) and Peta Triggell (Learning Support Assistant).
We also congratulate Gemma Colagiovanni for taking on the role of Year 8 Year Level Leader for Term 1, replacing Simon Maddern who is on Long Service Leave. We look forward to her leadership in supporting the Year 8 cohort.
Beginning a new year brings great expectations, anticipation and excitement. What will the year bring? Much of what the year brings is beyond our control and our 2020 experience of COVID is a great example of this. How open we are to embrace and learn from whatever we are presented with, will determine the outcome of the year for each of us.
The theme for the term is GROW! What an awesome theme to start the year. Every day this year, regardless of whether we are new to Endeavour College, or have been here for a while - we will be presented with challenges in our learning, in our relationships with others, in our faith (or indeed figuring out who God is), in our physical pursuits and in our leadership. How we approach each challenge will determine our growth. Embracing the challenges and finding the positive perspectives of each task, ensures we continue to grow.
One man who embraced growth and learning, was the founding Principal of Endeavour College, Mr Michael Leske. As was shared via email and on our Facebook site, Mike sadly passed away in January.
Mike had a profound impact on Endeavour and indeed, all those who knew him. Pioneering the vision of Endeavour College, he was a passionate educator and a deep thinker. Building a school from scratch was a challenge that Mike embraced. Supported by his wife, Fran, three staff members, and a dedicated band of parents, he certainly set up a thriving environment in which his legacy can still be felt today. David Thiele, History teacher at Endeavour, shares his reflections on Mike’s time at Endeavour that can be found on the Tribute to Mike Leske page.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike’s wife, Fran and children Ben (dec), Claire, Steve and Khang at this sad time. My sincere thanks to the Year 12 student leaders and Ms de Lacy who attended the funeral last week on behalf of the student body, to show respect and acknowledge Mike and his service to the College.
Growing is part of life. Our College today still reflects Mike's vision for the school, and remains a place where we can all grow, through our learning, in our passions, in our connections with those beyond our school, and in our search for Jesus.
Congratulations to our 2020 Year 12 students. In this edition of the Anchor, you will find a summary of their outstanding results. We are proud of all of the achievements of our students and congratulate in particular, those students who achieved SACE Merit awards.
Congratulations also to Muhammad Faraz Mangi on achieving the 2020 Dux Award! The opening Service was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of our Year 12s with our current staff and students. We wish all 2020 Year 12s every blessing as they move into their next stage of study or work!
At the Opening Service we also acknowledged David Thiele’s 20 years of service to Endeavour College. David has contributed in a significant way to the History learning area, both in the development of curriculum, but in many other contributions beyond the classroom. The Endeavour College community thank David for his service and prolific contribution to our College and wish him many more years of inspiring young historians at Endeavour to come.
As a Connected School, we also welcome a new Principal to Golden Grove Lutheran, Mr William Wallace, to our broader learning community. We pray blessings and a smooth transition for William and the Golden Grove Lutheran school community as he begins his leadership there.
Over the holidays, a space in the round building of the College has been reimaged for the purposes of supporting wellbeing in our community. It is an exciting and new venture where the College counsellors and ministry teams together with other pastoral staff will be able to support students. More news on this new initiative will be shared as the centre becomes functional.
By now you would have received the communication about my resignation, effective at the end of Term 1. Of course, making this decision was not easy, however I have been richly blessed in my role here and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity I have been afforded to lead this wonderful community and to work with so many creative and dedicated staff, supportive families, and vibrant and talented students. I will enjoy my final weeks at Endeavour!
As we begin another exciting year, I wish all students and families a wonderful year of learning and growth as you engage in the exciting opportunities available in 2021.
Blessings,
Heather Vogt
Principal
Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Saviour, Jesus Christ - 2 Peter 3:18.