I Love Our Vibrant Community
There is so much to celebrate and be grateful for at Annesley! One of the things I love most about Annesley is the rich and connected community. Being Principal is a diverse role and one that is truly a privilege to hold, especially in such an outstanding school and caring community. Here are some of my highlights from the past 7 days…
Stay and Play
With the warmer weather and longer days appearing, it is a true delight having our families staying after school and enjoying our beautiful outdoor spaces together.
Reception Dad’s Night Out
I love hearing about (and participating in, with my ‘dad hat’ on), the many and varied social opportunities for families, parents and caregivers to connect outside of School. Last Saturday evening a large group of ‘Reception Dads’ got together at the newly opened Webber Grill Academy. We prepared food together, cooked on some amazing BBQs, shared stories of our various adventures and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company in this new venue.
Team Sports
Cheering for our children as they develop skills for a new sport and collaborate together is a true joy as a parent. It is wonderful having teams playing for Annesley in the competitive netball and basketball leagues this term. I love my role as ‘assistant-assistant coach’ of the Year 2/3 netball team and training with them during Monday lunch times is a highlight in my week.
The Great SA Road Trip
It was brilliant to connect with students and staff on the Year 6/7’s ‘Great SA Road Trip’. I joined the adventure on Thursday to embark on a 4 hour kayak adventure in the Riverland. I was blown away by the physical ability and collaborative skill set of our students as they created rafts with their kayaks, set up their tents on the river bank and worked together to unload supplies form the convoy of vehicles making this 1200km+ road trip across our great state.
Adelaide Lions Club – Guest Speaker
It was an honour to be invited to speak at the Lions Club of Adelaide. This is a club that boasts a growing number of Annesley families in its membership. It was a pleasure to share about how schools are called to ‘rethink’ the way we go about our business in line with the recommendations of Australia’s Education Ministers in the Alice Springs Declaration (2019). I highlighted the meaningful ways that Annesley is able to provide varied, challenging and stimulating experiences that allow all learners to explore and build abilities, interests and experiences, develop initiative, be creative and enterprising.
I hope you enjoy the introduction video below. It was a surprise to me! Annesley’s Cubs Club will be setting up a stall near the front gate after school on Tuesday 10 November to sell their recyclable artwork with all funds raised going to their chosen foundation (ALCCRF) to support research into childhood cancer.
IPSHA Aspiring Leaders
As a leader of an independent school and a Board Member of the Association of Independent Schools in SA, it’s important that the school and I contribute to the development of the independent schools sector as a whole. It was a privilege to host the ‘wrap up’ of the IPSHA Aspiring Leaders Program in Gillingham Hall earlier this week. The Aspiring Leaders Program identifies teachers with great leadership potential and empowers them to make a positive difference in their respective communities and sector as a whole. I honour and commend Alicia Clare, Annesley’s Reception Coordinator, for her valued contribution to this program and her leadership within our School.
What a week! That’s a summary of some of the highlights. We have much to be grateful for in a place that truly prioritises what is best for children.