The Principal's Door

This was the door at Coolum State High School through which I met the new staff and families of Peregian Springs State School in 2009. It was usually propped open while I was there and from my desk I could look out over the front of the school, and through my door I watched the high school students passing by.

My 'new' door is at the end of a corridor. I can't see anyone passing but I can usually hear them coming.

My door is always open; well, maybe not 100% always but pretty much always.Through it comes many members of our school community every day - kids, staff, parents, carers, grandparents and other family members; community representatives, local business owners, the school's owners and care takers, the maintenance staff, more kids, staff and parents; journalists, builders, plumbers and electricians, contract staff, ICT techs, safety inspectors, teachers and Principals from other schools (from all over the world), our Japanese Sister school staff, wistful teachers looking for work, high school students, new enrolments; regional and central office staff (and once, the Director-General); and you guessed, more kids, staff and parents.

The common entree as the heads appear around the frame is 'Gwen, have you got a minute?' It's never a minute - but I don't mind. Through my door comes happiness, hopes and wishes; excitement, smiles and laughs; success, good ideas, and achievement; dreams and stories, pride and satisfaction. And sometimes frustration, disappointment, anger and tears. The carpet is wearing thin near the door but still they all come in.

The Principal's door is always open.

A Year in Review - in the words of our Student Leaders

Last week at the Year 7 Graduation Assembly our Student Leaders reviewed the year. It was an excellent snapshot of what we've been up to - the words of kids. If you were unable to attend and hear them speak, I hope you enjoy this blog post  (edited).

Jadyn:

I feel honoured to be given this opportunity to address you today. Our school is amazing and as student leaders we would like to talk about a number of events that make it so special. 

Due to our location and easy access, Peregian Springs State School lends itself to be a strong participator in Travel Smart events. Many pupils live close to the school and this provides them with great opportunities to walk, skate or ride. Not only does this improve the environment, but it also benefits the health of each individual. We are one of the highest performing Travel Smart Schools in the Sunshine Coast.

All the Student Leaders for 2013 were fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the Brisbane Leadership Convention in February. When we arrived at the conference, we were surprised by the large number of students seated in the huge Auditorium. They had journeyed from many different schools across South East Queensland. It was interesting to see the range of school uniforms and behaviour but our school was definitely the one that stood out as having the smartest uniform and exemplary behaviour. The individual guest speakers who came on stage were very inspiring. They explained through their personal life experiences and practical applications what leadership skills meant to them in everyday life. They talked about how everybody can be a leader in everyday life, in their own right. I will always remember the very funny moments and stories shared on that trip.

Makayla:

I am sure that all the students in Years 4, 5, 6 and 7 enjoy the school camps which  are really fun and exciting. We learn so much about getting along with others and  Year 7s will soon learn some life skills such as how to cook up something to eat for dinner. I will really miss the home cooked meal on the night we camp in the bush with no electricity or tap water.

 

Every week we have the most amazing assemblies!  One of the most memorable performances that was so so funny was when the Preps were pretending to be the teachers and staff. And that was very cute too.  

Elise Bampton:

This year we have had so many exciting school events such as

- swimming, netball/ basketball, tennis hot shots, athletics, cross country, and ... surf skills.

Yes, we actually went to the beach this term to learn about swimming in the surf! Well, I think the idea was to swim but unfortunately many of the Year 6 and 7 students found themselves with their noses buried in the sand under the waves!

I am sure that you would all agree that one of the best events was the fantastic Lapathon. It was great to see everyone who participated running in their costumes, leaping over obstacles with music, getting prizes but most importantly having fun. It was a fun way that we, as students could help to raise money for the school. We would like to especially thank Mr Hutchins for organising not only this event, but every sporting event in the school in 2013.

Tomorrow, we have our swimming carnival for Year 4’s to 7’s. Good luck to everyone participating in such a great event.

Krishan:

I have been at this school since the foundation year and since then the school has grown so much. We now have around 740 children and more coming each week. With all the new students arriving at our school, it has just kept on expanding. This year we had the two new demountable classrooms built and the construction of the hall has fianlly started. When these new buildings were being built some of our routines were changed, and it meant that we had  to adapt and cooperate by sharing our limited play areas with each other. But that is something that we are very good at doing at this school.

Our school is very multi cultural, and we have students from all over the world. Some of the students arrived here and could not speak a word of English, but since they have come here they have learnt very quickly. The biggest multicultural event this year would be the two Japanese tour groups that have visited our school. This year was the first year our school has had a group of students from another country come and visit us, and I know sensei wants to do it again.

Caitlin Savic

Something else that is great about our school are all the other extra-curricular activities such as the Lunch Clubs which many students participate in. These include Robotics, Chess club, Radio Ramblers, Film Club, Sing Groups, and many more. These lunch clubs provide a great opportunity for students to meet other kids and when you want  to do something different at lunch.

Book Week was great fun. This year’s theme was Out of this World. It was great to see everybody participating and dressing up. Pete and Mr Hughes performed their story with Mr Thomas’ song at the end. Pete’s story telling is definitely out of this world.  Book Week 2013 will be one of the best memories from this year.

The Talent Show is also another great memory from this year. With the help of Chloe, Eliza, Mr Wise and Mrs Hobson we selected 10 people out of about 60 to perform in front of the school. Even if you did not make it into the finals you all had great talent. Our Talent Show ended with the Pssst Teacher Band. With Miss Hobson and Miss Bridoen as the singers fighting against Mr Hughes who argued back using the Take 5. Over all, the Peregian Springs State School Talent Show 2013 was a great day.

Jayden

Finally, to conclude our Student Leader’s Speech, I would like to say - wow what a year it has been. We have laughed, we have cried. We fell, we stood up. We have made friends for the rest of our lives and have had the pleasure to spend time with teachers that will stay in our thoughts for ever. But most importantly I’d like to make the most of this opportunity to thank Ms Sands for creating such a fantastic learning environment. 

Fellow students in Year 7 - we are just about to embark on another exciting journey that will take us to places that will expose us to new challenges and new life opportunities. We extend our greatest thanks to the hard work and dedication of the teachers of this school. They have done everything they can  to prepare us all for our journey, and for that, we will be forever grateful. We wish you all the best for your future.

I would like to ask everybody to give a big clap for our great school.

Herding cats ... and small children

There's a great You Tube clip called Herding Cats. It's actually an advertisement for EDS.  As someone who loves cats, I find this clip very entertaining; however, watching it also reminds me of my job.

I love this (source unknown)

Every day something at work amazes me. I use the term ‘work’ lightly, as it’s not WORK work – it’s more ‘play work’. I love my job and the work I do.

Working with kids is rewarding, challenging, funny, and heartbreaking at times – there is never a dull moment. There is no such thing as a plan – except to go to school every day ready to influence a life.
I love working with Teachers and Teacher Aides even more.  At Peregian Springs I’m blessed with the best team on the planet and together we make a difference in the lives of kids every day. It’s what gets us up in the morning; it’s what generates the energy to keep going against all odds, and it’s what keeps us together as a great team.

Herding cats? It’s exactly like trying to herd cats – 740 kids and their Teachers and Teacher Aides all learning and laughing together. So I don’t try – they don't need herding.  My job is to nurture all the conditions required to help them all experiment, innovate and be happy.  I do all of the things in the graphic above - except perhaps offering fish as a reward - I don't think that strategy would get me anywhere!

My version of herding consists of tweaking the culture, doing up a shoe lace in the Pick Up Zone, organising some training, drying a 6 year old's tears when he can’t find his Mum, making sure there's a capable teacher on a class when the 'real' teacher is away sick, finding the money for the latest in learning technology, teaching our PE teacher how to use his MacBook (and now he has an iPad!), considering the latest idea the Year 7 teachers have for engaging their students in learning, listening to a distressed parent, negotiating for new facilities, recruiting staff for the next year, and planning for a future that’s 20-50 years from now – a future my own daughter and all these youngsters we 'work' with every day will live in.

Tomorrow is Monday again - it's nearly time to get on my horse and see what herding cats looks like this week.

Conversations about life, learning and growing up

The school holidays always afford a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with our children. Gone is rushing out the door with brief cases and brief kisses goodbye, with a sandwich hastily made, and the cats protesting about having to spend the day outside. And in its place are long sustained conversations over breakfast and the paper or morning coffee in a cafe - or in the case of this last holiday, midday rests between hitting the underwater world for Dive No 2 of the day.

Stories anchor children to their futures

During one such conversation, Maddie, my daughter, suddenly said 'well, you know, it was never an option about whether or not I would go to uni - the conversations about post high school always included a certainty I would have a degree.'  And she's right -  our conversations and discussions since she was the tiniest thing were about creating a picture of what her future could be.

Parents are very powerful and influential in helping to create the stories that children see in their heads about a lot of things - not just their future possibilities but also about their self-worth, their capability and their attitudes to school, learning and life in general. If we know this, then we need to take care with the stories we tell and the conversations we have. Which ones will be the most powerful in helping our children develop an overarching life story of positivity and fulfilment; one in which they embrace learning and change as a natural part of life?

I think we could tell stories about taking risks, persevering, setting goals, planning for success, personal organisation and leadership. These are far better stories for anchoring the future than those stories about school results, getting good grades and doing homework.

The stories could be about ourselves succeeding or failing, about other positive role models in society (who our heroes are and why), about what's in the news and what we think about it, about our observations of daily life, and about what life could be like.

Maddie's comment got me thinking about the conversations I've had with her for the past 18 years - these conversations have already taken her to some pretty special places (both physically and metaphorically); she has learned to set goals and persevere and manage her time well; she's prepared to try for things I would never have thought of when I was 28, let alone 18, and I believe she will be a great leader in the future. As far as personal organisation goes - by the look of her room, I need to lift my game with these particular stories. I'm not sure which ones I was telling but they have not resulted in tidiness. Last year she won an award at college for having the cleanest room at the end of the semester (so clearly it's possible) - anyway, this provided an endless source of amusement for my husband and I who have never seen a clean and tidy room we haven't orchestrated! And perhaps herein lies the answer - the story we were telling wasn't often about success in the area of a tidy room - and more about how like my brother she is!