From the Principal: 9 Nov 2022

As we enter the final half of Term 4, preparations for the myriad end-of-year events are well underway, and arrangements for the beginning of the 2023 academic year are already taking shape.

Senior students exams
Last week, our BSSS senior students completed their classes for the year, and they will now begin their final examinations this week. Our IB DP senior students will conclude their external examinations later this week. We hope that all of our senior students will achieve the results to which they aspire, through their diligence and determination, coupled with their teachers’ expertise and advice.

Year 10 Camp
Our second Year 10 Camp group returned home late last Friday evening, and despite reports of some blustery conditions earlier in the week, all appeared to have a fantastic time. Comments such as, “It was so much fun”, “A beautiful bush setting”, and “I didn’t want to come home”, were being bandied around as the students alighted from the coach. Even though we had to shorten the length of time the Year 10s were away because of the inclement weather, it was really important to be able to get that year level to camp this year, after the two-year hiatus.

P&F Twilight Fete
The other major school event last week was of course the fete, and what an amazing day it was! After debating earlier in the week whether we should postpone because of the wet weather, the decision was made to soldier on and hope for the best. And the best did eventuate, with a perfect day weather-wise and a huge turn out of people. I cannot recall seeing such a large number of people at the Radford Fete previously, and it was actually exhilarating seeing long queues of people at almost every food and drink outlet. The new layout of the Fete seemed to work very well, and all the new inclusions were well patronised.

In my view, events such as the Fete are all about getting the community together and having fun. The funds that are raised are greatly appreciated, and of course extremely well used, but the real joy for me is seeing large groups of Radford families spending time together.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who assisted with the Fete, and I know there were literally hundreds who did, but in particular, I would like to thank the three people who were pivotal in bringing this year’s Fete to fruition. They were Mari Kirkpatrick, our amazing and talented Fete Convenor, Lisa McPherson, the hardworking P&F President and Monique Glavonjic, the P&F Administrator. Collectively, they were an incredibly hard-working and innovative team. Without those three people, the Fete would not have been the success that it was [see full Fete article in this edition of the Bulletin].

School Effectiveness and Teacher Retention
School effectiveness research examines the effectiveness of schools regardless of their socio-economic status, background of students, geographical location, or even facilities. It has occupied the interest of educators and academics from around the world for many years. The research has shown a varying number of influencing factors including:

• the quality of a school’s leadership
• the degree to which expectations are set within a school
• the collection and use of data
• the level of safety a student experiences
• the amount of parental involvement with the school.

There is usually one factor, however, that is clearly the most important in the research conducted to date, and that is the quality of the teachers.

Both research and anecdotal evidence show, time and time again, that teachers who are committed to their vocation and are passionate and knowledgeable about their subject matter will have the greatest effect on improving student outcomes.

It is for this reason that Radford College has always sought to attract and retain the very best teachers. In the current climate, however, where teacher workforce numbers are critically low, that is becoming increasingly difficult. At our recent Board Retreat, this issue was discussed at length, and a package of incentives for recruitment and retention was examined and ratified. The full Employee Value Proposition being offered by the Board will be released to our current staff in the next few months, and from the beginning of next year, will accompany all recruitment advertisements.

From time to time, Radford loses some of its best staff to other schools, as they are offered leadership positions or promotional opportunities. Therefore, as part of the retention and recruitment package, two new leadership roles have been introduced which will come into effect in 2023.

The first is an additional Assistant Head of Junior School (AHoJS) role, which will focus on PreK – K Teaching and Learning, in addition to the oversight and support for the two Education and Care Services operated by Radford College. These are a Pre-Kindergarten Program (Early Learning Centre) and an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program that provides before and after school care, as well as School Holiday Programs for students enrolled in years Pre-K – Year 6.

The current Acting Assistant Head of Junior School, Ms Jo O’Brien, who has done an outstanding job whilst Ms Emily Begbie has been on Long Service Leave, has been offered and accepted the new AHoJS role.

The second senior role to be offered from the start of the 2023 academic year is an additional Head of Year (HoY) role. At the moment, all HoYs move with their year level as they progress through the Secondary School. Once a HoY finishes with their Year 12 cohort, they then move back to Year 7 and start the whole process over again. Accordingly, Ms Bec Hunter, who is currently our HoY 12, will become HoY 7 in 2023.

The new HoY role will involve transitioning and orientating the 2023 Year 6s, and the appointee will then move through the Secondary School with that cohort from the start of 2024. At this stage, the College is still going through the selection process, but an announcement of the successful internal candidate will be made shortly.

Ms Jane Lilley (currently HoY 11) will then take on the Year 6 transitioning and orientating HoY role in 2024, and then move through with her cohort from the start of 2025.

Sports Precinct
Those parents who have been on campus in recent days will have noticed that we finally have some noticeable movement on the building sites that make up part of the Sports Precinct Project. Despite the recent wet weather, the walls of the Multi-Purpose Hall have started to emerge from the slab and it is definitely now starting to take shape.

Over the coming month, we will also see quite a deal of activity on the Cricket Centre and G Wigg Sports Centre extension sites as well. Following an up-dated Geotech report, the foundations for the Cricket Centre will be poured in the next couple of weeks, and around the middle of November, the current amenities, changerooms and storage annexe to the Sports Centre will demolished.

Although, like me, I am sure many parents feel that this Sports Precinct Project has taken a long time, the three major sections, (Sports Centre Extension, Cricket Centre and Multi-Purpose Hall) are all still due for completion in the third quarter of 2023 (July – September). Hopefully, by this time next year, we will be blissfully using our new facilities.

I thank all the Radford community - staff, students, and parents - for their patience while these facilities have been coming to maturity. I am sure in a few years' time, we will look back and say that a small amount of pain was worth it for a great deal of gain!