Heard on the Hill Term 1, Week 10
From the Principal
Bonjour à tous, and Wanju
Holidays are around the corner. I hope that you have some plans to escape and relax. Please make sure that part of your planning for holidays has COVID risk management worked into it. We have all had enough of wearing a mask and washing our hands but it still is the best way to minimise our risk of catching the virus.I hope that this term has not been too difficult. I would really like to thank the Executive team members who have tried to shield the PCs, teaching and support staff from the administrative burden of working in this COVID environment. We have taken a pragmatic approach balancing risk with as normal a life as we could for our staff and students. It certainly has been very different in other schools.
From my perspective it appears that we have continued to push forward with our improvement agenda. There have been great achievements and improvements. One such one is, the energy and revitalisation that is occurring in the Year 10 transition. This includes upgrades to the operational plan, integration of promotions and marketing and the refining and expansion of the scholarships and support for students in our Senior School pathways. Congratulations to all involved as it is a large group of people all feeding into this improvement.
On the business link front, there are a core group of people beavering away at building our vision of a school working in conjunction with business, industry and higher education to build real, relevant experiences for our students. A number of PCs have been working with ECU to create opportunities that will strengthen links and create pathways for our students. Also the Bunbury Geographe Chamber of Commerce and Industry have stepped forward to support the students in the Individual Research Project course. It is an exciting leap forward amidst the management of COVID. Well done everyone – go put your feet up and take a well-earned rest.
En Avant
COVID news
During the holidays be aware of managing your own close contacts. WA Health have stopped list exposure sites for anything but major events.
There is a lot of talk about Country Week at the moment. Country Week has been given the green light by the Chief Health Officer albeit in week 7 of Term 3. This is not ideal but the leadership team have already been thinking about how best to work our way through this. I have consulted with the South West Secondary Principals Network to ensure that we have a common approach. We will consult with our school community early next term and provide more detail of our plan.
Nuts and Bolts
If you are due a booster before you return to work please make that a first priority. The department still has stand down orders in place for people who are not triple vaccinated and could be.
As our numbers settle there is an opportunity to be more financially efficient and redirect spending. The reduction in numbers enrolled in Human Biology has allowed me to reduce two classes to one. There will be other instances as this term and next draw to a close where this will happen in other classes.
Due to the reduction in Human Biology I have asked Cathy Watson to lead a revitalisation of the Instructional Leadership Committee until the end of the year. Cathy has a long history with instructional leadership, having been trained by Barrie Bennet in Cooperative Learning Strategies. She is Cat 2 trained in CMS and has qualified to deliver the CMS training. The SSTUWA chose her to deliver Australian Curriculum PL to staff across the state and she has volunteered to work with our Coffee Club for the last 12 months. At the end of the year we will review the position.
SWAN-South West Arts Now 2022
 South West Art Now (SWAN) is a biennial survey hosted by Bunbury Regional Art Gallery which presents new work by artists and creatives living in the South West of WA, extending from Mandurah to Albany.
Art historian Dr Diana McGirr has been invited this year by BRAG to curate SWAN 2022 and has selected 55 local artists who will be showcasing their new creative works.
South West Art Now 2022 will be on display at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery from March 26 to May 15.
Paul Reynolds work 'My heart is just not in it' has been acquired for the City of Bunbury Art Collection.
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Looking After Yourselves During The Holiday Break
With the ever evolving landscape of Covid-19, the experience of some tragic events and the normal workload stressors of the job, it has certainly been a challenging term for us all. I am sure many of us are looking forward to some much needed time to rest and recharge.
In light of recent tragic events, I just wanted to reiterate to you all that grief is a very individual process with no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ways to experience it. Some people may feel sadness, others anger or disbelief, anxiety, irritability or numbness may also be experienced. Some may even fluctuate between these emotions, everyone grieves in their own way.
Grieving does not have a timeline and grief may be felt over an extended period of time. Please be mindful of your own wellbeing during the school holiday break and practice self-care.
Some of the self-care strategies outlined below incorporate a mental activity identified by David Rock and Daniel Siegel to be part of ‘The Healthy Mind Platter’ and necessary for optimum mental health.
Some suggestions for private self-care strategies to get through difficult times include, keeping a diary, allowing yourself to express your thoughts and feelings privately (Time In –Healthy Mind Platter), exercise (Physical Time – Healthy Mind Platter), meditation (Time In – Healthy Mind Platter) and maintain healthy bedtime routines (Sleep Time – Healthy Mind Platter).
Self-care strategies involving other people include, sharing your feelings/thoughts with trusted loved ones, allowing others to help you or joining a support group (Connecting Time – Healthy Mind Platter).
Wishing you all a safe and restful break, take care and keep well.
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Something interesting happening in or around your classroom? Having an incursion or excursion this term? Please let me know!
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What’s OnTerm 1, Week 10
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Greg's Week
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