We are building a new Kindergarten Centre from July this year, anticipating that it will be ready for students next year; so the opening of that new Kindy classroom complex will begin the 20th year celebrations with lots of colour, no doubt. We are looking forward to a big year ahead. I’d love to be able to announce a 20th year project soon for the College community to join together in celebrating 20 years of the growth and development of this unique learning community.
The opening of the current project - our new Physical Education Centre and Oval will take place just ahead of the South West Festival in August this year. To be named the ‘Rawdon Middleton VC Sports Complex’, after the WW2 flying hero and the namesake of our suburb, the new complex is nearing completion. We will certainly be using the Physical Education Centre and classrooms in Term 3, and we are taking careful steps in the preparation of the Oval surface so that this magnificent facility will be at its very best for every student.
This week we have hosted the leadership teams of our 2 interstate Sister Schools – the Tyndale Christian School in South Australia and Nambour Christian College in Queensland. Mr Young, Mrs Bessant and our Executive staff have hosted a conference around the theme ‘Building a Learning Culture’ and the interstate school teams have been very interested to understand the issues for our College in the journey to achieve high quality learning for every student.
Continued discussion around the future agenda in education is occurring at national, state and corporation level. The Gonski 2.0 ‘Review to Achieve Excellence in Australian Schools’ report is underway and we highlighted this report in our last issue of the newsletter. Significant change envisaged in this report will impact over the medium term. At state level, Education Minister Stokes has prompted debate about the future of the NAPLAN testing regime, and has also suggested through the Accreditation arm, NESA, that NSW should undertake a major review of curriculum. Teachers, already working through significant changes to their work in a professional accreditation scheme, will now and across the next few years, face additional work around the content of their subject area. It’s an interesting time of change.
NAPLAN exams are coming to a close for another year for students in Years 3,5,7 & 9. Our students have been involved in the online testing this year, and while there has been a significant effort and training to achieve this platform, most reports are positive about the changes for the students. Thanks to our organising teachers. We await the outcomes.
‘I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ … may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better’ Ephesians 1:17