Principal's Reflection
We never seem to have a quiet week at Shalom! Last week there was lots on. We’re losing some very significant people from our community next year with the retirement of Mrs Mary Taylor and the announcement that Mrs Kim O’Shea-Hard will be the next Principal of St Patrick’s Bundaberg. It is hard to understate the impact for good these two wonderful educators have had at Shalom. Both of them live and breathe the best of the ethos of Catholic Education and Shalom. Mary deserves a wonderful, long and enriching retirement. Kim will be a wonderful Principal. That said, in regard to Kim, it is one of the wisdoms I have learned in a long career that ‘it’s always better to follow an idiot into a new role’! You just have to turn up, smile and everyone thinks you’re a legend! This won’t work for Kim because she is following Mr Mark Fox. There are few Principals I have come across in my career who would hold a candle to Mark. He prioritizes people and especially young people, he is courageous and he is capable. His retirement, like Mary’s, will be a huge loss to Catholic education and losses that won’t easily be replaced. I am very confident though, that Kim will do an outstanding job at St Pat’s. She and Mark are cut from the same cloth and hold the same values.
Last week we had the presentation by Hollie Siebold. If your child, or you, uses social media, and you weren’t able to attend the session, make a cuppa and sit down and watch the recording of this talk. She was excellent.
I watched last week a show on Sky called, ‘Haters Online - Erin Molan Fights Back’. It is really worth watching as well. Molan interviews the E-Safety Commissioner who says that the issue of safety online is the biggest issue for 95% for parents but only 10% of parents do anything about it. Let’s not be in that 85%.
Download Hollie Seibold's Social Media & Emotional Wellbeing Handout HereI had to have an interview with a parent last week who was querying a practice we have at Shalom about how we deal with students who use a Vape, or supply a Vape or who are silly enough to stand beside someone else using a Vape. I pointed out that automatic Suspension has been clearly spelled out in Newsletters and to the students. This parent replied that they don’t often get time to read the Newsletter! (a small piece of my heart broke off!) The weekly Newsletter is one of the most important sources of communication for us. I really hope that every parent would make it a priority to read each week.
On Friday, I sent out a letter to all parents about the issue of student absences. I will speak to the students about this on Assembly this week. I dread having a conversation with a parent when they discover that their child won’t be able to attend the College Formal or be selected in representative sports team or be eligible for a Leadership position and they tell me that they have never heard of these procedures! Here it is again if it was missed on Friday.
Since I sent this out, I have had a few responses, happily, all positive. One of those emails had a great line, “I just wanted to reply to this email for a few reasons. Firstly, the cartoon image you used was great and my response to all of those excuses when my kids attempt to use them is… I don’t mind what others do - they’re not my monkeys, and that’s not my circus..”
The Year 12s had their last day of classes on Friday. External exams began today. Many of our Year 12s, who don’t do General subjects, have virtually concluded their time at Shalom. To all of these wonderful young people, we wish them every success and happiness. We hope and pray that they are quickly growing to be the young adults each one of their parents dreamed of.
The retirement of Mrs Taylor and the departure of Mrs O’Shea-Hard will mean changes in the Leadership team at Shalom in 2023. Mrs Sandra Freeman has been appointed as Assistant Principal Mission and will do a great job replacing Mary. Mrs Austin-Campbell will move from her current position looking after student welfare and well-being to take over the portfolio of Kim O’Shea-Hard being responsible for staffing. We will advertise for an Assistant Principal Student Formation. I am enormously grateful for the work Mrs Austin-Campbell does in this role. She always looks for ‘win-win’ solutions with students but is also able to hold our young people to a high account. She is a wonderful educator.
I hope that parents did that bit of ‘homework’ that I set in last week’s newsletter and sat with their kids and watched the five minute clip from Neal Daniher. I have watched it about six times since last week and continue to find it powerful –
*this clip is longer – 15 minutes – I came across it looking for last week’s clip. Daniher is talking to a different group. I think it’s even better than the shorter one!
Mr Dan McMahon
Prinicpal
mcmahond@shalomcollege.com
