As I sit in the Archives room in Torrens Park House waiting for a meeting to start, I am listening to a piano student playing “Bohemian Rhapsody”, students are playing tennis on the new courts and I can smell the delicious aroma of the morning tea and lunch being prepared for our Rosevear boarders. What a dynamic environment Torrens Park Campus is (and incidentally I will be indulging in a sneaky morning tea)! 

This week I have had the opportunity to get around campus life and see Year 10 students in classrooms, cook scones with Year 7s, watch the same year level prepare for their upcoming camp program and work with our Year 12 leaders as they prepare for a big week of events which build the bonds of community.  Outside of the regular timetable I have seen many nervous and excited students auditioning for our College Musical, Beauty and the Beast, students asking erudite questions of Mr Ross Garnaut at our first Scotch Presents for 2021 and Junior School students rehearse and then participate in the Student Leadership Induction Service. I also joined our Year 10 students as they commenced the Kick Start for Kids volunteer program and attended a wonderful reception event for our Foundation members who give a tremendous support to the College and our programs for students. The village is swinging into action! 

These have been some of my experiences and I can only imagine that you are hearing similar yet different recounts of what is happening at Scotch. 

On Thursday I asked a student who joined us in Year 9 last year what is it that he enjoys about Scotch? Without hesitation he replied, “There’s a lot more happening here and its good!”  Our expectation of ourselves and our community is that we need to be a vibrant and engaging place of learning that takes place anywhere (and sometimes anytime!) and is not restricted to conventional approaches. Going by the buzz in the playground right now we are far from a traditional schooling model.

How do we get that dynamic culture? It’s simply about the good people of Scotch. This year my focus will be to continue work with an amazing team of leaders, teachers and professional services staff to nurture and grow our campus life and all that means for great educational outcomes. In addition to being a safe and respectful learning community I would like us to work harder on inclusion, kindness and service. We have the structures, the attitudes and values which will enable us to flourish and grow. Now is the time to put our shoulders to the wheel to bring out the best of who we are as individuals and as a community.  Nothing is achieved without attention to what matters most…it’s just at Scotch we find a lot of things matter! And so, it needs to be as we aspire to be a leading school with a desire to support the betterment of our society. 

In this Enews you will be introduced to our new staff whom we are welcoming to our community. You will hear from Winter Birkett the leader of our Politics society who spoke with insightful intellect in her closing remarks at Scotch Presents. You will also be introduced to our College Captains, House Captains, Middle School Leaders, Student Ambassadors and Student Action Team Leaders. An amazing group of students who are responsible for the programs that generate conversation and action which enables our community to flourish.

Deputy Principal for Teaching and Learning, Teresa Hanel also writes a regular article in Enews to update you about the important Academic matters which you need to be informed about. Teresa gives great insight into the machinations of SACE, the dynamic learning our staff are undertaking, and the programs being developed for students in the classroom.

Of course, it is easy for me to gloss over the things that may not have run so smoothly as we commence the year and paint a picture of Utopia. Scotch like every other community has challenges and we make mistakes. We don’t always get it right. BUT what I do know is that we welcome you as parents and wider community members to get involved in the conversation. To work together to address individual needs or matters of concern which impact on others. That to me is the Scotch difference. It can be uncomfortable at times, but we engage with the hard conversations because the intent is to be better at it – yes as hackneyed as it sometimes is, continual improvement based on feedback and interactions on things that matter, is what drives us forward.

I look forward to the many events and opportunities for our community to come together.  The first Year 12 Principal’s Welcome function, Back to the Boatshed and Pink Ribbon Breakfast are just 3 wonderful occasions taking place this weekend. Summer Sport is underway, and our teams are already hoping that through training and effort we reap rewards.

Here’s to a great 2021 at Scotch!

Dale

PS the morning tea was a freshly made yummy chocolate éclair! A fab Friday treat!