The Journey Continues

Peter Candotti Chair, Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School Board

Andrew at the Opening of the Gentle Café event in 2019

FAREWELL ANDREW HILL and WELCOME DIANA DRUMMOND

I wrote to members of the Glenaeon community earlier in the year to advise that our long-standing Head of School, Andrew Hill, would be stepping down from the role at the end of this year.

Andrew has served the Glenaeon community with distinction for over 28 years since joining as a Class 1 teacher way back in January 1994, taking two classes through the class-teacher period, and then taking on the Head of School responsibility in 2010.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have had an educational leader of Andrew’s calibre at Glenaeon. He has been an outstanding advocate for Steiner education, both within and beyond Glenaeon, and has established himself as one of the pre-eminent Steiner educators in Australia.

Andrew’s achievements at Glenaeon have been exceptional.

Most significantly he was instrumental in stewarding the School through the implementation of the new management structure that came into effect following the Renewal process of 2007. This set Glenaeon on a new course of achievement, enabling us to meet the challenges and demands of contemporary schooling whilst remaining true to our core Steiner principles.

Organisationally, Andrew has developed the School Executive into the professional team that we see today; facilitated successive Strategic Plans that have guided the School’s achievement of its educational mission; and instituted AEON now its 15th edition.

Educationally, Andrew initiated a new direction for Glenaeon’s High School programme which has resulted in HSC results that are consistently within the top 10% of high schools in NSW; guided the re-visioning the Class Teacher journey in the two sections of Primary and Middle School; was instrumental in establishing the Mentor system of vertical pastoral care in Years 9-11; and championed the music program that is such a distinctive feature of Glenaeon’s offering.

On the facilities front, Andrew spearheaded the establishment of the Gentle Café and Deck; as well as numerous improvements to our facilities and grounds all the while ensuring that our natural bushland setting was protected and nurtured.

Above all, Andrew will leave behind an outstanding legacy of a flourishing contemporary school in which Steiner education and its underlying philosophy remain the foundation of both our teaching practice and our community spirit.

On behalf of the Board and the entire Glenaeon community, I would like to thank Andrew for his enormous contribution to the success of our school over the past 28 years and wish him every success and happiness in the next stage of his career.

IT was always going to be a challenge to find a new Head of School to follow on from Andrew, however the Board drew comfort from the fact that such a strong platform had been built through Andrew’s leadership. Following an extensive and robust process to find a successor for Andrew, we were delighted to announce the appointment of Diana Drummond as Glenaeon’s new Head of School with effect from January 2023.

Diana will join Glenaeon having completed more that 15 years in leadership roles, most recently at Wenona, where she was a Deputy Principal, before finishing up at the end of Term 3 this year.

Diana is a committed and passionate educator and leader, whose values align with Glenaeon’s holistic, nurturing, and creative approach to teaching and learning. The Board and I have full confidence that Diana will build on Andrew’s legacy and continue to inspire, build, and sustain Glenaeon’s unique culture that optimises learning for all – students, teachers, parents and the community.

Please join me in welcoming Diana to our Glenaeon community and wishing her every success as Glenaeon’s new Head of School. 

Peter Candotti Chair, Glenaeon School Board

Above. SMH photographer Steven Siewert gets the shot. Left. Meet the Parents event June 2022.