Welcome to our new year that is proving to be one of excitement, opportunities and collaboration!
Walking through our College and observing the interactions of students, I was quickly reminded of how fortunate I am to be a part of this growing community. To be greeted with beaming smiles and loud voices of several of our Senior Year students who remembered me from my year here in 2012 made my return to this this community one to look forward to! Having worked in Lutheran Education for over 18 years, it was obvious that the values which resonate across all of our schools, certainly shape our sense of belonging and helps identify who we are.
My name is Steven Tkaczuk and I am the new Head of Middle Years. I’m privileged to be working amongst colleagues who are excited about creating broad and diverse learning opportunities embedded with necessary ‘soft skills’ ready to equip students for life within, and beyond, the classroom. Establishing and maintaining a close working partnership with parents and caregivers enables us all to work together to meet the needs of each individual student in our care.
Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit classrooms, attend camps and interact with the students. One of the very first things that stuck out to me was the strong sense of ‘community’ that students exhibited. In Middle Years, we value the importance of excellent academic teaching and learning through the framework of the Middle Years Program (MYP), however, it is obvious that the students also highly rank other skills and attributes. These include establishing positive relationships with friends and staff, being supported emotionally, living the values of the College and being able to just be themselves without judgement. We recognise that from time-to-time minor mistakes will be made in the journey of a child, but through the Grace and Forgiveness that God granted us, we too aspire to forgive and restore relationships.
Ensuring that timely and open communication occurs between our families and the College community is imperative for student success. We recognise that there are varying means that the College uses to share information and make our community aware of the diverse range of experiences that we have on offer for both students and families. We encourage you all to become familiar with these.
SEQTA is one effective method of communication that we use at our College. It allows parents to communicate directly with staff via direct messaging to alert them of anything that they need to be aware of including small issues that may arise from time to time. It is also the method teachers use to communicate with parents. Should a longer discussion need to occur with a teacher, please communicate this via SEQTA or a phone call to arrange a time. We value the opportunity to work proactively in partnership with our parents and caregivers.
Finally, early in Term 2, you will each have the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher during ‘Student Led Conferences’. We encourage you to book a time during these conferences and allow your child to share their learning journey here at our College.
I look forward to meeting each of you as the year progresses.
Richest Blessings,
Steven Tkaczuk
