“Life is not measured in time, but in love, contribution, and grace.” – Carly Fiorina
The busy routine of school continues with our senior students doing their semester exams. Younger students are working towards completing a semester of learning, mindful of the reports they will receive to reflect their overall achievement at the end of term. Staff are currently working through the Year 7, 2019 enrolment process. This is a very positive experience for members of the College Executive as it provides wonderful opportunities for meeting new students and their families. We always ask families why they have chosen SFX and the answers consistently reflect the work we do as a College to care for students, as well as the exceptional learning experiences we offer in an innovative and stimulating environment.
We find that parents conduct research into decisions about which school will best suit their child (sometimes over several years) by asking their family, friends and neighbours about the College. They say wonderful things about our school and encourage them to choose SFX. Prospective families also report that they were very impressed with our Open Days and Information Evenings. One parent told me that the SFX Open Night was the first of many they attended and that we ‘set the bar very high’ for the other schools they visited. I especially love hearing the positive feedback from parents who regularly comment on our wonderful volunteer student-guides who ‘do credit to the school’ and that these students are so confident and obviously very proud of their school. I also appreciate the comments parents make about our staff being incredibly helpful and welcoming.
That is who we are: we are a welcoming community that works to help students achieve their potential. Another feature of SFX referred to in the decision making is the work we do to support students in times of transition. The Middle School Program and the teaching teams who understand the needs of young students ensure the transition to high school is as smooth and stress-less as possible (as well as being exciting and stimulating).
I recently shared the concept of transitioning with our parents of Year 10 at the Senior Subject Information Evening. I referred to a recently released study by PISA which aimed to establish a profile of what 15-year-old students across the world. This report explored students’ more general attitudes towards school, specifically their sense of belonging at school:
Our Student Satisfaction Survey for 2017 provided great feedback for the College on our students’ sense of belonging as they rated the College highly on these questions:
This gives us the imperative to continue to develop this sense of belonging and the programs dedicated to caring for our students as well as the structures and transition processes we have in place for students across the three levels of school: Middle School, High School and College. At present, energy and resources are being directed at programs to assist Year 10 students to make informed choices about the course of study they will pursue in College. We have great expertise on staff and a wealth of experience in supporting students to achieve their best in the College years and in guiding students into future post-school pathways. Our new Careers Officer, Mr Ben Archer, is currently working with our Year 10s to set up work experience opportunities and our Year 12s providing advice and information that will support them into the challenging but very exciting world beyond school.
I will end with a focus on some recent achievements of our students, it’s very pleasing to congratulate several students on success in different fields:
SFX certainly has a lot to celebrate.
I hope the weeks leading up to the winter break go well and that the holidays are relaxing for students and hopefully parents too!
Colleen Rowe
Our Prayer:
Gracious God provide us with a listening heart, that we see and
hear the voice of each of our students.
We ask you God to strengthen and guide all in our community.
Grant us the ability and time to listen carefully when people come to us seeking help.
May our school and families respect, listen and do what is required to help all children feel safe.
Let your grace and love fall gently upon our students giving them the inner strength, peace, and resilience to navigate their journey in Your wonderful world.