iServi News | 4 December 2020 | Term 4, Week 8
On Monday night, we had the privilege to gather together as a community to celebrate outstanding student performance and reflect on the year at our Annual College Awards Night.
As has rapidly become the norm in this tumultuous year, we implemented a different format for the Awards Ceremony to accommodate COVID-related precautions, which included live streaming the event for families to watch at home. We were thrilled to welcome the parents and caregivers of award recipients to the College to experience the ceremony live.
I reflected during the evening how our community, in true Servite spirt, responded to the challenges experienced this year with great courage, tenacity and grit. These attributes remind us of our own St Philip, who led the Servants of Mary through a period of uncertainty in the mid 1200s to secure their future as an Order. St Philip showed what could be achieved through positive action during times of adversity. In modelling St Philip, our community has risen to the challenges faced this year and has done so together.
Our dedicated and hardworking College staff are to be commended for their innovation in developing quality learning opportunities for students. Our students showed terrific agility in adjusting to the new norm in managing their own learning in differing circumstances. Parents and caregivers have shown great trust in the school and rich support, for which we are most grateful.
The year stands our community in very good stead for future challenges. Our world is rapidly changing, and so it is important that students develop contemporary learning skills and attributes to enable their success, despite the moments of adversity that they might face in their future lives. Our College values provide stability and a firm foundation for students as they navigate their world and support them in making good and positive decisions.
During the evening I also updated our community on the very exciting ongoing development of our College facilities to ensure the best possible learning environment for our students. In highlighting the recent completion of the Learning Diversity Centre and Piazza, I reflected on the positive impact the spaces are having on student learning intervention strategies, collaborative learning and social connections.
I also confirmed the commencement of Stage 2 of the Masterplan in mid-December this year which will include refurbishment to the bottom floor Shanahan classrooms, the development of a Student Services Centre that will connect all student support personnel in the one space and the integration of a balcony and stairwell on the eastern end of the St Alexis building to improve student access to the facility.
During the evening I highlighted our ongoing strategic acquisition of properties to grow the campus for the future expansion of student facilities and learning opportunities. I was thrilled to announce that the most recent procurement for the College is a 55 acre rural campus at Nannup in south west WA. This property will be developed in the ensuing years to extend learning pathways and provide rich pastoral, wellness and spiritual growth opportunities for students.
At Servite we believe that learning happens anywhere, anytime, so we look forward to extending our students to participate in the authentic learning opportunities that exist outside of a regular classroom setting.
Our southern Servite campus will afford students the opportunity to connect with the Nannup community and to fully engage in the local environment. It will expose them to new learnings and growth experiences that will help shape them as whole persons.
We will work through a renovation program of the site over the ensuing months and years to ensure the development of quality learning and accommodation environments. We will also continue to development learning, community and ministry programs across the years that harness the unique attributes of the Nannup local area and community.
Our southern campus will become a home away from home for our students and provide them with a rich array of life and learning experiences that will stay with them forever. We were very pleased to have the opportunity at Awards Night to reflect on an eventful year and to outline exciting plans ahead for the school.
The evening of course importantly allows us to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our award recipients. These students are to be applauded for their application and dedication and should be very proud of themselves. Our award winners are outstanding role models who demonstrate what can be achieved through self-regulation, motivation, resilience and hard work in working toward their goals.
Student Survey
We actively advocate individual and whole school improvement procedures and processes to ensure that we continue to grow our school and provide the best possible contemporary learning environment for our students.
Following our Parent and Caregiver Survey completed last term, I again invite input from our student community on the strategic development of our school through completion of our Student Survey which is available here. We look forward to your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, families are encouraged to evaluate the necessity and impact of planned travel over the upcoming Christmas holiday break. The latest advice from Catholic Education Western Australia is available here.
Should you wish to travel, or will be hosting international or interstate guests, consult the following websites and contact numbers to inform yourself about the most up to date border restrictions, exemptions and quarantine requirements:
Entry to Australia
Website: COVID-19: Entering Australia
Phone: 1800 020 080
Entry to Western Australia
Website: COVID-19: Entering Western Australia
Phone: 13 26 843
Mr Jeff Allen
Principal