Principal's Address

Final edition

As I write this final edition for 2022, I am sitting in my car at the locked gate into Redlands High Country Campus, just outside of Jindabyne. I’ve just finished my 7-hour drive from the Primary Excursion in Dubbo to find the gate locked and my phone flat from using google maps and listening to an audio book all day. As I wait for my phone to charge from my laptop just enough to access my text messages and access the gate code, I thought it might be a good opportunity to write my final Principal’s report for the year. I always like to use my time effectively.

As I mentioned in my speech on Presentation Night, the year started with a bang with Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb APM, being inaugurated as NSW Police Commissioner at Boorowa Central. Since then, it has felt like we sprinted for the rest of the year. With the easing of COVID restrictions we looked to reengage with many opportunities for the students that had been lacking for the past two years. Whilst it was great to see the students enjoying school again (especially in secondary), the additional planning, organisation and additional activities saw the staff quickly become fatigued and wondering how they lost their ‘game fitness’ so quickly. Activities that were once organised autonomously, now took considerably more time and effort to plan to ensure all requirements were in place. This combined with an ongoing casual teacher shortage, staff found themselves more tired than ever before. 

It is no secret that there is a teacher crisis gripping NSW, Australia and across many countries in the world. School leavers are turning away from teaching more and more as it is not seen as the career of choice it once had been. It is a profession that has evolved to the point that teachers are now expected to complete much more administration than ever before without consideration of the already full workload they have in planning, delivering, and evaluating lessons to ensure every student learns every day. On top of this, schools are expected to prevent, support and address the steadily rising mental health issues of the students and find solutions for the anti-social behaviours that once were addressed by the use of corporal punishment. This just does not seem to be attractive for university students.

At Boorowa Central, I know we did better than most in 2022. The teaching staff are some of the best I have ever worked with and the support staff are second to none. We continue to be extremely fortunate to have our children educated and supported by this great school. However, having said this, staffing schools with high quality, fully trained teachers is becoming harder every day and it will only get harder until the government can find a practical solution to the problem. Unfortunately, there is no solution on the horizon to solve this critical problem just yet. So, in the meantime, Boorowa Central will continue to do what it does best, put the students at the centre of its decision making and provide the absolute best education it can for all of its students.

Looking ahead to 2023, I am excited to be welcoming some new teachers in a variety of different positions across the school. They will bring with them new ideas and different ways of thinking that will provide the oxygen for ongoing innovation and growth.

Sadly, to make way for the new teachers, others have chosen to depart. Miss Paris Corcoran is moving to the ACT to take on a new and exciting teaching position in a Canberra school. Mrs Anna Dreverman has already departed and is making her new role her own within the Hilltops Council. Mrs Debbie Valencic has decided to forgo another year of delivering the secondary COVID intervention so she can concentrate on being a grandma on a more regular basis. And finally, Mrs Debra Eustace has decided to take a year of leave to see if it is now time to take a step back from over 40 years of teaching at Boorowa Central School to focus on her family and her health. I thank each of these dedicated educators for their service to the school and wish them the very best for their next journey, wherever it takes them.

And finally, I would like to wish all of our students, families, and school community members a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. You all deserve to have a break and to enjoy time with your loved ones.

Return to school dates for 2023:

Years 1-7, 11 and 12 – Tuesday 31 January 2023

All students – Wednesday 1 February 2023

Mr Graham Jones - Principal