Staff Development Framework

This week I was visited in my office by Miss Kim (ECEC) and one of our youngest students (Ryan) who wanted to show me the book of jokes he had compiled / written – some old favourites and others original. He proudly read each one to me and then, in turn asked me whether I got it. It is moments like these that remind us why we became teachers and what a privilege it is to work with children and young people. With this privilege comes enormous responsibility and it is sometimes this that can overburden teachers sufficiently to prompt them to leave the profession within the first five years. To avoid this schools need to invest and support their staff in their professional endeavours.

At Hills Grammar we are very fortunate to have staff who are passionate and with all the best intentions in the world to do their best for, and by their students. Further, our staff are committed to Hills Grammar and serve us, often for extended periods of time, ensuring continuity of service, quality and consistency of teaching and maintenance of our ethos, culture and character. In turn, the School has a responsibility to nurture and develop it staff ensuring this remains the case and that they have opportunities for ongoing professional growth and development.

In 2017 we developed the Staff Development Framework which aligns and embeds various staff programs and processes – including recruitment, induction, teacher development and performance, accreditation, professional learning, leadership development, staff appraisal and staff wellbeing. This investment in staff brings, in both the short and longer term, improvement in practice, engagement and excellence in learning outcomes for our students. Such an investment is warranted for these outcomes primarily, but also for its own sake, for the love of learning, for the role modelling it provides our students seeing their teachers as learners, and for the job satisfaction it creates for our teaching staff. The School is keen to support its staff in their endeavours to be the best they can be and ensure that they remain of the standard and quality that the School seeks, parents expect and students need.

I write this Newsletter from Auckland, New Zealand where I have been attending the Educate Plus International Conference. Educate Plus is the peak body supporting independent schools in the areas of Fundraising, Alumni Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Admissions and Advancement. As you would expect, conferences such as these provide an opportunity to reflect upon current practice with a view to improve and provide a greater level of service and engagement to our community; past, present and future. The recent restructuring of this crucial area of the School’s strategic and operational practices makes this conference even more pertinent and I look forward, along with the new Director of Advancement & Engagement, Mrs Claire Napoli and Alumni Manager, Mrs Elizabeth Pellinkhof to bringing our learning back to Hills Grammar.

Following the conference, and in discussion with the Chair of School Council, I will be taking a week of long service leave (10 – 14 September), during which time Mr David Cook, Head of Senior School will be Acting Principal. I look forward to returning on Monday 17 September to prepare for farewelling the Class of 2018 at Graduation and Valedictory event as as their time at Hills Grammar draws to a close – a special time for all involved and, again occasions which remind us that we are proud members of the best vocation in the world.

Michael Smith | Principal

Twitter: @Principal_Hills