iServi News | 13 April 2018 | Term 1, Week 11
As the first term of the year draws to a close I have been reflecting on the many and varied learning opportunities available at Servite to support the whole development of our students. Our very busy calendar has been designed to support the different learning needs of our students across the years both in and outside of the classroom.
Learning can happen anywhere and anytime. By providing multiple formal and informal opportunities we connect with students, cater for their differentiated learning skills and engage them in deep learning. By integrating core skills into our learning opportunities we are setting our students up for success in a future world. We are focussed on providing a fertile learning environment, enriched by our Gospel values, which allows our students to confidently explore their talents, to be well and to thrive.
Our vision is to engage students in learning. Leading global educationalist Ken Robinson, suggests that this implies keeping students “involved, curious and excited about learning”. He highlights the importance of “instilling a joy of learning” and encouraging students to “see class time and the work that comes with it as something to be anticipated rather than endured”. Robinson says that we should be aiming to “set off sparks of curiosity in the classroom” as we never know “what these sparks will ignite”.
Students too of course have an important role to play. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and, again according to Robinson, to “get interested”. At Servite we want to build self confidence in our students and empower them as learners. We aim to help our students to utilise their own individualised strengths to learn and also to provide the knowledge and skills for them to develop and become independent learners.
These ideals resonate strongly with our thinking around learning and supports our philosophy of the integration of genuinely authentic, contemporary and engaging learning opportunities into the educational lives of our students. We strive to offer multiple pathways for students that provide connection and the capacity for them to personalise their learning experiences. This supports engagement, caters for their specific skills and creates a sense of joy around new learning and discovery in areas of particular interest.
We regularly review our curriculum and learning pathways to ensure that we catering to the needs of all of our students. We hope that students take the opportunity at the end of each term to reflect on their own performance to support their own continued growth as whole persons. The upcoming Interim Reports provide an excellent vehicle for this type of reflection. They are designed to create a conversation between parents/guardians, their children and the school around areas of celebration and potential future growth.
Staffing Update
We are sad to be farewelling a number of staff at the end of this term. We thank Ms Megan Manocchio for her contribution to our community for a number of years and wish her well on her future teaching journey. We are also most grateful to Mrs Carmela Kriszyk for the positive impact that she has made to Servite this term and thank her for her contribution. We thank Ms Krystal Grace for the contribution that she has made to Servite since her arrival in the latter stages of this term. Finally, we thank our resident Chef Mr Scott Horston for the terrific impact that he has made across our community and wish him well for the future.
Term 1 Holidays
On behalf of everyone at the College, I wish our families all of the very best for the Term 1 holiday break. We thank parents and guardians for their ongoing support of the school and their partnership in ensuring the growth and development of our students.
We look forward to all of our staff and students returning to us safe, well and rested at the start of Term 2.
Mr Jeff Allen
Principal