MasterClass

Riding on the wave of TV successes like MasterChef, I spent the last 2 days attending a Principal's MasterClass. An interesting concept which was structured so that principals spent extended periods of time interacting with 5 accomplished and innovative principals from both Australia and New Zealand.
A little bemused at first by the idea, I left on Wednesday afternoon absolutely blown away by the inspirational commitment and creativity that was exhibited by these great educators.
They each spoke of possible new ways of operating a school, yet all have successfully implemented strategies, which you and I might think are unconventional, non traditional, risky.
All of them had the same message...keep the student at the centre of the learning; make learning relevant and meaningful...AND then the students will be totally engaged AND their skills always improve.
I left wondering how I can bring some of this to my students?

Building Project to begin!

During the holidays I attended the next building meeting for our school project. At this meeting we looked at the staging of the project which will begin with the extension and refurbishment of the classroom block which begins around the 3rd of May. A significant part of this process is shoring up the existing building correctly by installing foundation piles and footings. Once this is completed work then begins on the actual building. At the completion of the building work, around November, the external works in the area of the flagpole commence.
During each stage of the works we will be reorganising how students and parents move around the school. Please make sure you read all special notes about the building project as they are sent home.
It is exciting news for us, now that it is a reality.

Almost Ready!

As we gear up for the beginning of our building program which I am told will be approximately 1st May, it is time to revisit some thinking about learning space design and the reasons we are embarking upon this educational venture.
Our current Year 5 teachers and students are working differently and very solidly to create and explore student focused learning.
The following video may just give another slant on this idea and then we will follow it up with more snippets of information as we proceed.

Steep Learning Curve

After our successful Parents and Friends meeting last week, I have been thinking about parents comments to do with the use of technology. We are lucky at our school to have so many computers for student use. This is due to parent fundraising and commitment to learning over time.
We have just purchased a further 30 Macbooks for distribution and use in all classes. We are indeed lucky!
I asked the question last Wednesday...what educational input would parents like during 2010?
One of the answers was can you show us what you do with computers in the learning space.
Well we are only learning ourselves...out of interest how many of you use Apple rather than PC?
Have you asked your children about Macs?
Our staff are beginning to learn about them..but you know what??? They are learning from each other and your children. Yes, they know so much so easily!
Here is a link to how some schools are dabbling in Macs.
ENJOY! Post some questions and we will include them in the upcoming presentations. Thanks.

Another Perspective

For those parents who have not seen it, there was an interesting article on our CEO system website recently about learning spaces and a visit from members of the Catholic Education Commission last September.
As we prepare to begin construction work for our own learning spaces for Year 5 and 6 it is good to see what some of our other Catholic schools have been doing and the response from visitors.


http://www.catholicschools.nsw.edu.au/latest-news/school-news/news.aspx/catholic-education-commission-impressed-with-parramatta-diocesan-schools.aspx

2010 - Welcome Back!

I hope everyone has had a peaceful and relaxing Christmas break. Our school is gearing up for a busy and interesting year as new developments come to fruition.
During the holiday break we have had a roof replaced on the Year 1 and Kinder block..so hopefully no more leaks.
Our Year 5 learning space has had acoustic baffles installed on the ceilings which will help to reduce excess noise. Other furniture for Year 5 has been ordered and we are awaiting delivery.
Our teachers have been in and out preparing for great learning in every grade of the school.
Architects and builders have met again to address the ideas teachers came up with when we met over the last 2 pupil free days of school.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back next week and hope the weather is kind to all our children and is not too hot to start our year!
See you soon
Paul