From the Principal
Heightening student agency to unlock their potential Jonathan Walter Principal
It is no longer enough for our students to be passive consumers of knowledge and information. Students want meaning, purpose and passion, and they want to have some sense of control over their own future. As educators and parents, it is our job to guide them towards this. We are all dealing with the challenges of living in a volatile, uncertain and fast changing world. We don’t know what the future will look like, but in order to support students to thrive in an unforeseeable environment, we have to help them discover what their purpose is and what will give meaning to their lives. They have to be able to figure out what matters to them and establish their own set of values. And then we have to provide them with opportunities to act on these, test their boundaries and take responsibility.
Forging their own pathways In order to get the most out of them and do the most for them, we have to let our students forge their own pathways, pursue their interests and find their passions. Happy, engaged students are those who are surrounded by supportive, strong relationships;
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have access to creative and physical outlets; and are empowered to have agency over their own learning. On the back of the pandemic, we are defining a new space for education that allows wellbeing to co-exist with performance and striving for excellence, where we have academic rigour without rigidity, and where character is built alongside competence. We believe school needs to be a vibrant, evolving combination of experiences that develop the head, hand, heart and spirit. We are placing a stronger focus on supporting our students to develop the skills and attributes that help them to work effectively with others and use their knowledge to improve our society and strengthen our culture. It is important that we open up more choices and pathways for our students so they can acquire the skills and knowledge they will need for their journey beyond school. In practice, this means that as they move through school, they all receive the foundational knowledge and skills, those things we know they need to have to ensure that the essential building blocks are in place. These are delivered through
Happy, engaged students are those who are surrounded by supportive, strong relationships; have access to creative and physical outlets; and are empowered to have agency over their own learning.
