From The Board

FROM THE

BOARD

Leadership is a critical factor in a school’s success. How we lead shapes all that follows and not only shapes the direction of our School but also how we interact with the community. More importantly, it shapes how we connect with the community, contributing to it through our skills and with our people – students, staff, graduates and allies.

As a Board of such a community-focused school, the leadership we provide influences and shapes how our teachers lead and how our students lead; this influence can last generations. We know this and take the responsibility extremely seriously.

Our leadership model is based upon respect, collaboration and feedback to inform our planning. As Board Chair, I have discovered as much about how to lead by what we may get wrong as I have by what we get right; we are constantly learning.

Some may see School leadership figures and the Board as separate from the School community, but this could not be more untrue; you are not alone. Creating that partnership – between you, our community members, the Governing Board and the Senior Leadership Team – takes time and depends on having the right people in the right places, but it makes the ‘team effort’ mantra accurate.

Much of the Board’s job is to give our School leaders the confidence and the space to lead. We believe in their ideas and provide the community with the guidance to grow and develop through oversight and frameworks. Not only is there room for creativity and innovation in this governance but also room to cultivate a community. This should be especially so in the independent sector, where distinctiveness must flourish. Beyond the day-to-day running of the School, this growth is essential to chart the future. When doing so, plan what is best for everyone and you will have helped shape the School’s future. The Board is here for you, not the other way round. As a Board, we contribute to the community and welcome your contributions. Through collaboration, respect, a positive mind frame, planning and feedback, we are setting our plans for the future of our School. This year we saw the completion of a significant planning phase with the launch of the new Louis Williams Arts Precinct, and now we will be planning for a new future to enhance our School and community further.

We look forward to this new stage in the School’s development and wish all our students the best for the coming year and beyond.

Go, Team Firbank!

Jennine Ross

Chair of the Firbank Board