From the Principal: 12 Oct 2022

Sabbatical
I begin my first Bulletin article for some time to say that I am genuinely pleased to be home and back at Radford for the final term of 2022. I had a very productive and incredibly educational time abroad whilst on sabbatical, however, it is always comforting to return to normal routines and spend your days doing the things you love to do!

Both before going on sabbatical and since I have returned, I have had a number of people asking me, “What exactly is a sabbatical?” According to the English Language Learners definition, a “sabbatical is a period of time during which someone does not work at his or her regular job and is able to rest, travel, and do research, etc”. That is exactly what I did for the eight weeks I was out of the school. I travelled, took some time to rest, undertook some study, and spent a large amount of time in schools in England, Denmark, Italy, and Spain. All the schools I visited were closely aligned with Radford in that they were IB, Round Square, (mostly both) or Reggio Emilia schools. Some of them were schools we have had ongoing relationships with in the past (i.e. we have had reciprocal exchange relationships for some time), while others were schools with whom we are looking to consolidate a relationship in the future.

After nine years at Radford, and at a time when international borders are starting to open up again, I believe the sabbatical was well-timed, and hopefully will result in some very positive experiences for our staff and students in the future.

This weekend, the Board and senior members of staff will be coming together for our annual Board Retreat. As detailed by our Chair, Vicki Williams, in a Bulletin article last term, the Retreat will cover a wide range of issues including staff recruitment and retention, progress with the Strategic Plan, master planning, sustainability, governance principles, and the future of IT for educational purposes. Over the two days of the Retreat, I will also be presenting to the Board on what I have achieved and learnt over the course of my sabbatical. I have no doubt that the Retreat will be a very busy but worthwhile examination of what we have been doing strategically over the past 12 months, and where we go from here in the future.

I take this opportunity to formally thank Mr Andy Gordon for the amazing work he did as Acting Principal. From all accounts, he managed to successfully juggle both the Head of Junior School and Acting Principal roles very well over the time I was out of the school.

I would also like to thank Louise Wallace-Richards for the work she is continuing to do as Acting Head of Secondary School, and those who have stepped up to assist in the Secondary School Executive, namely Nick Moss and Jason Golding.

Brad Cooney, our recently appointed Deputy Principal, Head of Secondary School, will start at the beginning of 2023. He is currently Principal of Xavier Catholic College, on Bathurst Island in the Northern Territory, and was formerly Principal of St Clare’s. Brad is coming to Canberra in early November to spend a week here, as part of his transition back to the ACT. He will spend some time at the College during that week, and is looking forward to attending our Fete – we have him rostered to work on the sausage sizzle that day! I encourage parents to come along and meet Brad on the day, and of course buy a sausage or two.

Whilst I was away, the College interviewed staff for a replacement for Claire Melloy, Assistant Principal, Students, who takes Long Service Leave for Semester 1 next year. As a result of those interviews, I am delighted to announce that Justin Wood (currently Head of HPE) will be the Acting Assistant Principal, Students for Terms 1 and 2 in 2023. Justin was formerly a Head of Year and did a great job in that role, so I have every confidence he will do a fantastic job as an Assistant Principal.

Year 9 Camp Coordinator, Sam Lonsdale, is currently dealing with a very difficult family issue and our thoughts and prayers are with her at this time. In addition to accepting his new role, Justin Wood has also very kindly offered to step into the Year 9 camp coordinator’s role. Year 9 students and parents will also be advised through Nexus.

Round Square International Conference
Over the holiday break, a group of ten students from Years 10 and 11, accompanied by our Round Square Coordinator, Ms Kath Notley, and Acting Head of English, Ms Ailsa Mackerras, attended the Round Square International Conference in the United Kingdom, this year entitled Take Less, Be More. The conference began at Oxford University (19-22 September), and then moved out to four host schools for the remaining four days.

Over the past two years, we have not been able to offer any international opportunities to our students, so it was an important milestone for everyone as we start to re-engage with the outside world. The conference helped our students to be outward-looking and develop as young people who will work together to solve global problems and understand the needs of others.

The IDEALS (internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership and service) of Round Square are central to a Radford education, and in attending the conference, our staff and students have had the chance to think again about how best to integrate these values into every day of school life.

Round Square Conference 2022 - at Oxford
Radford staff and students attending the Round Square Conference "Take Less, Be More" in Oxford


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Nexus – an essential communication tool
Since returning to work last week, I have had a number of staff speak to me about the fact that they have become aware that some parents are simply not using Nexus. As the primary source of all information within Radford, it is critical that parents regularly access their Nexus account (via their browser or using the app) and routinely check for information pertaining to their child.

Parents who are not using Nexus to access information are missing out on a huge amount information including assessments, reports, co-curricular news and details, uniform shop messages, camp details, etc. It is vital that all parents use Nexus: it is an essential communication tool for parents of students at Radford College.

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