Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Families and Friends,

While on leave last term I visited many schools and the number one thing that all schools try and create and protect is ‘culture’, a positive culture. This then poses the questions; what is a positive culture and how do you create a positive culture? My answer is that culture reflects behaviours of the school leaders, the staff and the students at that school. So, what are the behaviours at St Philip’s College which create and support our positive culture? Some of them are …

• Kindness and politeness - RUOK, saying please and thank you regularly
• Arriving at school on time (between 8.00 to 8.10 am) ready to learn 
• No phones or headphones outside class
• Hats ‘off’ in class, hats ‘on’ when outside
• Accept and embrace difference 

To me the key to a successful culture is Working Hard and being Kind.

On Wednesday this week the College’s LOTE department conducted their annual LOTE (Language Other than English) Assembly. In this assembly we celebrated the Japanese, French and Arrernte languages which are all taught here at St Philip’s.

In the world there are 6,500 different languages spoken, making it a wonderful and beautiful diverse place to live. English is the most spoken language by 1.5 billion out of nearly 8 billion people on this planet. But this does not make it the most important language. All languages are important!

So, when you are talking to someone who is struggling a little with English or the nuances of the English language then please think that they are probably proficient in one or more of the 6,499 other languages spoken. In the world 40% of people are monolingual (speak one language), 43% are bilingual (speak two languages fluently) and 17% speak more than two languages fluently. Many of our students arrive and speak two languages and often English is not one of them.

As Federico Fellini said “A different language is a different vision of life” 

Be Kind Always.

~ Roger Herbert

  Principal