From the Principal
As this term draws to a close, it brings up the end of my first year at RBSC. I want to sincerely thank the senior leadership team I work most closely with, Cathy Archer, Elise Waser and Ian Godby for their leadership, support, friendship and the genuine care they consistently show for our community.
Whilst this has been a tough term for all in our college community and the wider community as well, I prefer to focus on the positives this situation has shone a light on: the wonderful sense of community that exists at Rose Bay Secondary College; the extraordinary support provided by our Parents & Citizens association under the leadership of Kara Mikler; the outstanding student voice and leadership, showcased most recently by our 2021 Captains, Hattie Shand and Hordur Zoega; the professionalism and commitment of our teaching staff who expertly pivoted to online learning and have continued to build strong and caring relationships with the learners in their care; the relentlessly caring Wellbeing team who have checked in on students, ensured supports have been put in place and kept spirits high; the unsung heroes, our non teaching staff, who have kept everything going, ensured communication lines and have been effective and have continued to provide additional support online to our learners with additional needs; our parents and carers who have selflessly supervised learning at home and managed the juggling act of completing their own work requirements with supporting their child/ren; and of course, our amazingly resilient young people who have put their heads down and got on with it, staying connected, learning and looking out for each other.
There is no doubt that this has been a struggle and will continue to be, but together we have much to celebrate. I look forward to continuing the privilege of working with you all as we look forward to return to a greater sense of normality over the coming months.
Just under twelve months ago we asked out parents for their three top wishes for Rose Bay Secondary College. Our parent group who examined all of the responses provided us with the overall top 3. They were:
1. Consistent and high expectations for student behaviour and the management of it.
2. Engaging teaching programs which inspire a love of learning for all
3. Better facilities and resources
The staff of RBSC have demonstrated a high level of commitment to achieving each of these and I share with you today some of the progress we have made.
1. High expectations and consistent management of behaviour have been a focus of our teachers in 2021 and the graph below shows the impact this has had (NB: in this graph Period 2 is semester 2 2020 and period 1 is semester 1 2021).
The data reflects a growth in reported positive behaviours and a decrease in reported negative behaviours.
2. An executive leadership team developed a high expectations framework for programming which has been adopted school wide. On September 15, the department released the updated Implementation document for Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K-12 policy. The work done in the first half of the year by our executive team meant that we were already compliant with the latest policy updates. There has been further demonstration of our ability to deliver engaging teaching and learning programs to students as evidenced by the continuity of learning delivered during this past term. The diagrams below indicate the degree to which parents and staff have been happy with the way RBSC has managed this period of learning from home.
We have also been able to measure student engagement with a tool provided by the department which shows us the number of students using a particular online tool each day.
3. Supported by our P&C, who work closely with our Business Manager, Jacqui Giles, plans are in place to significantly increase shade in outdoor areas, beautification of the grounds continues to be a priority with new planter boxes with trees being put in place just last week.
It has been a very productive year and one which I believe everyone in our Rose Bay Secondary College should be proud of.
I wish all in our community a safe and restful break and encourage us all to shut down the screens, put away the phones, leave emails unread and focus on the beauty of our surrounds and the bonds of family and friendship. See you all next term, hopefully in real life!