On 14th May, I addressed the Community, and share with you some of my words below:

I join you with a listening ear, with curiosity and compassion. It is my intention to be visible and present, to listen deeply, to observe the school’s operations and culture, and to bring us back to our strategic vision and ensure a sustainable future for Bold Park Community School. “You cannot figure out where to take a new organisation if you do not understand where it has been and how it got to where it is” – Michael Watkins, “The First 90 Days”

I know last year was hard, and Felicity wrote beautifully about this in her Term 1 reflection. Our children are watching us, on how we deal with difficulties, to see how we rise from the lows, what choices we make, what actions we take. It is therefore important that I acknowledge you all, for how you came together last year. I hope our future years are united not by crisis, but through our vision to believe in our youth, to nurture self-confident, self-aware, and socially responsible citizens. Through strategy we shall remain focused and champion the reimagined school. I am optimistic that our children will flourish despite the many uncertainties we fear. For they will live in a time different to ours, but nonetheless, with our care, they will experience joy, fulfilment, and success.

My path to Perth was far from the 17-hour direct flight from London. Ten countries, eight schools, many curriculum frameworks, and a variety of educational environments have led me here, to a school I feel immensely connected to already. My journey may have been convoluted, but it brought many experiences and much learning. I learned that school is not just a place of learning, but a place of belonging. Reinforced in the international school setting, where the majority were away from their home, their families, and their support networks. I am lucky to have worked at some amazing world-class schools, fuelling my zest for future-focused education. I have met some incredible people who pushed for excellence, challenged the why, explored the how, and kept the child at the centre. Sound familiar? Well, I believe this school can be up there too, on that world stage.

Pre-kindy to Year 12, is 15 years of a child’s life. The experience of school matters! We cannot simply focus on the end game; the ‘now’ matters too. It all matters. During the recent Australian election, the major political parties spoke to aspects of parental choice in education, but there is little choice out there. Many schools offer the same bulk-billed experience. Daniel Pink questions why so many schools are still focused on perfecting a 19th century education system. The Reggio Emilia approach is not something you deserve only until you turn six years old – “nothing without joy” is not time bound.

There are too few progressive, innovative schools such as Bold Park Community School. Every child deserves a school that is bold enough to rethink education. A school that intentionally designs its environments to lower stress, anxiety, and worry. Your child will experience the difference, but schools like ours are few and far between.

Happiness and success are not at odds with each other. Rigour need not carry anxiety. Commitment should not be driven by control. With an emergent curriculum, our authentic, honest, compassionate approach is something to be treasured, something to be celebrated, something all children deserve. This leads to an educational environment that nurtures joy and respect, and we can embrace the freedom to learn.