Deputy Principal (Kelly Anderson)

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

We have a range of programs that will run this year to support Staff Development. There will also be plenty of PL opportunities and collegiate groups that you can join specific to your needs or aspirations. Remember to use the new PL application form which is in the School Templates folder on your computer desktop. This has clear steps to follow.

Required Professional Online Learning

The DOE has a range of PL required to be completed by staff throughout the year, and repeated at certain times.  Please check your required PL by clicking on the Professional Learning tab on your Ikon main page and scrolling down to where this is listed.  Please make sure you are completed the required PL - your PC may provide some time for this during LA meetings.

We will be continuing a Graduate Support Group, which will be run by Cathy Watson this year, as part of her role as the Instructional Leadership Coordinator. These sessions will provide important "introduction to teaching" content, as well as support to complete the Graduate Portfolio, which is required for proficiency status.

I will also be calling for nominations for the new cohort for the Future Leaders Program. I will be running some after school sessions to support this, which will also be open to anyone who has leadership aspirations. The Program Coordinators will be actively considering who the potential leaders in their teams are, so talk to your PC if you would like to be considered.

The new Aspirants' Program will run every odd week on a Thursday afternoon, starting in Week 3. It will go from 3.30 to 4.30pm. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP your intention to attend to me by this Friday 10 February. My email is kelly.anderson@education.wa.edu.au.

Performance Management is an important process that provides structure to your goal setting and improvement plans for the year. Some of you may be continuing your goals from mid 2022 (as we started late), and others may need to start the process fresh. The documents that you need for this year are located in the School Templates folder in Performance Management templates 2023. Reflection that involves looking at some data is the perfect starting point. I recommend you spend some time reflecting before booking your first PM session with your line manager. If you have any queries about the PM process, please speak to your PC or you can pop in and see me, or email me on kelly.anderson@education.wa.edu.au

The Professional Learning Plan for 2023 maps out our planning regarding PL for the year. It is a working document, and suggestions for PL that aligns with our business plan priorities will be welcomed. You can find this 4 page A3 document in the Policy Documents folder on your computer desktop, in the School Policies folder.

STAFF HANDBOOK

The Staff Handbook has had some major revisions and updates. Please take the time when you can to browse through it if you are unsure of a process or procedure, or who to see for what.

The new version (which is probably already out of date!) is located in the Policy Documents folder on your desktop and in the School Policies sub-folder.

If you notice any errors, please email me - there are bound to be some. Thanks!

GENERATIONAL TRAUMA - The impact of the Stolen Generation on future generations

I wanted to acknowledge that Roy Tester wasn't easily heard during the beginning of his presentation. I apologise for that. He provided some really important information about the experiences for those people who were stolen from their families, right up until the mid-1970s. This fracturing of families, the years of abuse, and the removal from country has had a major impact on the future families of these people, including the students that attend our school.

Having an understanding of our students' backgrounds and their parents and grandparents' experiences is an important part of enabling us to develop empathy for those students.

How can we help them?

By listening more and speaking less. By being open to learning and understanding their lived experiences. By acknowledging our own biases and actively trying to be more inclusive and more aware of what could trigger a negative emotional reaction from aboriginal students or their family members.

If you are interested in learning more about this, you can visit some of the following sites:

Australians Together - The Stolen Generations
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Healing Foundation

Roy Tester is also open to receive feedback about his presentation, or to answer questions you may have. He has invited staff to contact him via his email rtester@bigpond.net.au.

Links to websites:

https://australianstogether.org.au/discover-and-learn/our-history/stolen-generations
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/stolen-generations
https://healingfoundation.org.au/who-are-the-stolen-generations/

GRIT AND A GROWTH MINDSET

What is that mysterious thing that results in some students achieving success and others do not, even when they have the same capacity for learning?

This link will take you to a video of Angela Lee Duckworth delivering a TED talk Grit: The power of passion and perseverance about her theory that “grit” is a predictor of success.

Angela Lee Duckworth says that through her research she has found that grit is about students having a positive self-belief and a growth mindset.

If grit is an important factor contributing to student achievement, how can we, as teachers, help our students to build their ability to persevere and pursue their learning with passion? How can we help them to develop a growth mindset?

Students in Year 7 and 8 who have social and emotional learning built into their curriculum are benefiting from activities that help them to reframe negative thoughts and beliefs into positive ones.

The concept of a growth versus fixed mindset was proposed by Dr Carol Dweck and she talks about the “power of yet”. Here is a great video of her speaking about this concept.

Carol Dweck Growth Mindset youtube video

This concept is also mentioned in the BSHS Best Teachers poster, in fact, it is the first thing on the poster. As teachers, we also need to have a growth mindset to persevere through the challenges presented to us each and every day, every lesson.