From the Principal

Finding a way forward with creativity, adaptability and perseverance

Jonathan Walter

Principal

The Carey torch has been burning bright in 2020 as, together, we have navigated extraordinary challenges and adapted to living in an uncertain and volatile time. We have witnessed the strength and resilience of our community, an enormous spirit of generosity and great creativity as we have transitioned to the new world of remote learning.

In my first six months as Principal, I have learnt much about the Carey community and it gives me great hope for the future. We have a world-class learning environment, including our outstanding new Centre for Creativity and Collaboration; professional, creative and agile staff who have displayed a willingness and ability to adapt to the changing circumstances; and a community eager to engage with the School in a partnership to guide and develop our students.

As the first school in Melbourne to be impacted by COVID-19, we charted our own path through the early stages of this pandemic. Our students are to be congratulated on their resilience and persistence as they embraced the online learning model, and we can all be enormously proud of the staff for their adaptation to remote learning without preparation time. I also thank our parents for their patience and helpful feedback as we together developed the best way to continue the learning journey for all students.

The online learning mode has allowed teachers to connect with individual students and personalise their learning to a greater degree than ever before. Through the extended periods of remote learning, we have established an improved learning model, which supports every student to progress at their own pace, uncover their strengths and nurture their passions. We want every child to experience excellence in their time at Carey so they can leave school confident in their own abilities and ready to make a positive contribution in the world.

I am energised and filled with hope for the future, and I am sure we will finish the year stronger than we started, taking on board what we’ve learnt from this experience to deliver the education our students need to thrive.

It has been exciting to see Carey’s culture of innovation on full display these past months, with students and staff finding new and creative ways to maintain the strong relationships between classes, House groups and school sections. Initiatives such as CareyTV – which consists of weekly collaborative video updates featuring musical performances from students filmed in their own homes, online interviews between students and alumni and inspiring words of encouragement from teachers – have leveraged the technology available to enhance connectivity within the School.

The online learning mode has certainly had many other advantages. At every level of the School we have seen inventive learning experiences emerging, from live readings of bedtime stories, including The Magic Faraway Tree, for our youngest students at Donvale, to Year 10 English students experiencing the classics read aloud by David Crawshaw. A range of experiential and interdisciplinary learning festival days supported students to apply learning into a real context and provided a break from the regular timetabled classes. And now, through online conferencing platforms, students can readily connect with experts around the world to enrich their learning experience. We have developed a new and impressive network of international and interstate artists, authors and experts that we have been able to bring into our students’ learning program. The online format has allowed our students to access a world of new and rich experiences, many of which will continue into the future.

In the broader Carey community, we have seen the importance of connection to others and experienced a sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves throughout this time. When the pandemic first hit, we made a commitment to ensuring that no student would need to leave our community as a result of the financial impact of COVID-19 throughout 2020. Collectively, we have supported our families who were hit hardest by the pandemic. I have been so heartened by the response of so many current families and alumni who have made wonderfully generous donations to the Carey Student Fee Support Fund. These contributions, along with additional funds from the School, have offset the fees for families facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. We have also developed the Carey Family Business Directory to create awareness within our community of businesses owned and operated by Carey families. You can read more about the Fund and the Directory on page 34.

Many have expressed that it must be a dreadful year to have started my Principalship at Carey. On the contrary, I feel very fortunate to be leading our community at a time that brings out the best in people on a daily basis. I feel that, as a community, we have approached the COVID-19 crisis with a degree of optimism, as we recognise the emerging opportunities to adapt our educational model to meet the everchanging needs of our students.

This pandemic has certainly presented challenges, but the display of creativity and perseverance that has emerged as a result is truly inspiring. We have been provided with an exciting opportunity to step into new and innovative models of teaching and learning. I am energised and filled with hope for the future, and I am sure we will finish the year stronger than we started, taking on board what we’ve learnt from this experience to deliver the education our students need to thrive.