Heard on the Hill Term 2, Week 9
Bonjour à tous, Wanju and this week Konnichi wa!
With out competent staff who can rise to a challenge, the thought of taking leave can be daunting for a principal. Hence, I had no hesitation or spared a single thought for the running of the school, while I was away, as I knew that the school was in good hands. I would like to thank Andrew, Sarah and Nicki who all took on extra duties but also the thank the whole staff who continued in their highly effective manner.
My leave gave me a chance to visit my second home in Japan, visit family and friends and represent Australia at an International Aikido Convention.
It would be remise of me not to share some Japanese culture given the time that I had to reflect on the differences of life in both countries. You may have heard of a Japanese concept called “Ikigai”. This concept is founded in our wellbeing. It arises from devotion to activities that we enjoy, which brings a sense of fulfillment. This usually occurs when our body and/or mind is stretched to its limit in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
Education is a great opportunity for us to provide the context for our students to capture this feeling of Ikigai and enhance their wellbeing. Our challenge in doing so is creating the part that says “voluntary” and “stretched”. Our Shared Instructional Framework gives us a map to follow that can help in the classroom. If you would like to explore the concept of Ikigai further for yourself there is a lot more information about finding your own Ikigai. Given that it can lead to a great sense of wellbeing and happiness I challenge you all to investigate further.
It is great to be back, I have really missed the students, staff, and school community. Have a great week.
En Avant
Nuts and Bolts
I am looking forward to seeing you all at the staff meeting this week on Wednesday afternoon. Staff meetings area a great opportunity to work together as a whole school.
You may be aware that Sue Cuneo has won a position back in the South Metro education Office. After a process here Dainon Couszic has won the position of Director of Education in the South West Education Region Office (SWERO)
Staff Meeting - Wednesday 12 June, Library
A reminder that we have our General Staff Meeting, this Wednesday 12 June from 3.15pm - 4.15pm in the library. The Agenda is attached. If you are unable to attend, please direct your apologies to the Principal.
Performance Management
Performance Management processes will recommence following the recent SSTUWA Executive lifting all work bans. Given we have been unable to commence 2024 processes in Semester One of this year, 2024-2025 Performance Management processes will occur over an 18month period to allow for rigorous performance and development self-reflection, planning & goal setting and review.
The expectation is that the first meeting (self-reflection) will have occurred prior to the end of Term 3, 2024. If you have any questions or require support with the Performance Management process, templates or timeline, please liaise directly with your line manager. Relevant 2024 Performance Management templates can be found in the School Templates Folder.
Health Minds Teacher Training and Parent Seminar
We are very fortunate to have Dr Tom Nehmy, Director and Clinical Psychologist, available to deliver the Teacher Training for the Healthy Minds Program that we deliver to our Yr8 cohort. Teachers delivering this program in Semester Two will be completing the Teacher Training on either Wednesday 12 or Thursday 13 June. Additionally, Tom will be hosting the 7 Secrets of a Healthy Mind workshop for Yr8 parents on Wednesday evening from 5.30pm - 6.45pm in the library. This information session for parents compliments the Healthy Minds Program delivered to students, facilitating the promotion of mental health and wellbeing both at home and at school. If you are interested in getting some expert parenting advice in relation to building resilience and wellbeing as a proactive strategy in preventing anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, please feel free to register your interest with Ellie and come along.
Survey My Class
Do I want to survey my students?
Hopefully the survey results will provide you with positive feedback and some direction on areas to investigate for potential improvement.
What will I get out of it?
Obtaining student feedback provides valuable insights into teaching practise and classroom dynamics. Additionally, it empowers students in your class by giving them a voice.
Will they be rude/disrespectful?
The option for students to write anything has been removed, so the students will only click buttons to agree/disagree with the statements.
Carefully select which classes you will do the survey with. Sometimes a student may not have the maturity to be able to complete the survey with the right intentions. As with all feedback, you have the final decision on whether to take it onboard or disregard it.
If you do get anything concerning, chat with your Line Manager or colleague.
What are the questions? See attached.
How should I do it?
The students need to access the survey link. Below is how I have set it up in the past:
- Select your class or classes that you want to focus on.
Post the survey link into Connect so the student can access it easily. (https://www.research.net/r/BunburyJun2024)
- Set aside some teaching time. Chat to them about the process and why you are asking for their feedback. This may help them to understand the process and act with maturity when providing feedback.
- Allocate some class time, allow enough time to do the survey and don’t back it onto lunch. The kids will skip through it without any thought to ensure they are able to leave on time.
- Make it clear to them you that you want the feedback and respect their opinion, and they have a chance to tell you how the class is going.
Who gets the results?
The survey data for each individual teacher remains private to those teachers. Student names are anonymous. You will receive an email with your compiled data at the end of the process.
The combined data of all BSHS staff is compiled into a report for the Leadership Team, which is simply another piece of data used to inform our school improvement plans.
Again, this is private regarding individual teachers’ data. The report that the Leadership Team sees only has a list of the staff members names that have participated and the aggregated data of the school.
The class survey opportunity is open now. This year we have staggered the process to prevent students from having to do lots of surveys in a short amount of time.
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When |
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Week 9 Term 2 |
Teachers from Arts, Technologies, and HPE learning areas |
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Week 10 Term 2 |
Teachers from Arts, Technologies, and HPE learning areas |
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Week 1 Term 3 |
Teachers from Maths and Science learning areas |
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Week 2 Term 3 |
Teachers from English and HASS learning areas |
https://www.research.net/r/BunburyJun2024
Ultimately, we are always looking to enhance the overall quality of teaching and learning in our school, and it would be great to have all teachers participating in this process. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Adam on 78905.
English/Arts Corridor for Duty
With the change in weather, we will be opening the English/Arts corridor for students to sit during lunch breaks. This is a passive seating area.
I will update the duty roster with an allocated teacher from the front lawn moving to supervise this area.
We have some upcoming staff changes in administration over the next two terms. While we're still finalising some details, you'll notice a new friendly face at reception starting today. Please extend a warm welcome to Eva Hooper, who joins our admin team as receptionist until mid-term 3.
As we prepare for staff leave in Term 3, we're currently training staff for temporary roles:
- Tonya Ince will be on leave for the entirety of Term 3, and Sharon Hooper will fill her role temporarily.
- Ellie Horsfall will begin maternity leave at the end of Term 2, with Fiona Dyer taking on most of the Media portfolio.
- Christine Hunter and Bobbie Arvidson will be focused on the Kingia Magazine.
- Toni Hotchin is now the Year 12 Presentation Evening Coordinator.
There will be further staff changes in admin/student services mid-Term 3, and I'll provide updates accordingly.
Education Assistants:
We bid farewell to Tara Gell this week after her service since 2017. Tara, thank you for the great support you have provided to our students and staff, and we wish you the best in your new role.
Welcome to Jamie Lang, who joins the EA team. Some may recognise Jamie as an ex-Bunbury SHS student. After a few weeks as a relief EA, Jamie now joins us permanently. Congratulations, Jamie!
In the recent appointment process for an AIEO, I'm pleased to announce that JJ (Jason) Goodlad is the recommended applicant and will become a permanent staff member in this role.
Please make sure you welcome new staff to our fabulous school.
Promoting Bunbury SHS
Please continue to email and submit posts for our Facebook and Instagram pages!
We love seeing students in action, whether in a classroom setting, in an incursion or off-site for an excursion or camp.
If you are conducting any activities you think are suitable for our school's Facebook or Instagram pages, please submit your content through the link below.
Please contact me with prior warning if you would like me to attend a session, lesson, activity etc if you would like me to take photos/videos to accompany your story.
If you have taken photos on your phone/iPad and are unsure of how to transfer these to me, please send me an email or come and visit me and I can assist you.
What’s OnTerm 2, Week 9
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Mike's Calendar |
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