Principal
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
Aristotle, Greek Philosopher
This quote, which is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher, possesses an essential truth that continues to apply to the modern day workplaces, as well as to our lives in general. It is also true that on almost a daily basis I receive some form of praise, or recognition, of a student, a staff member or a parent within the school community.
In the case of our teachers and support staff, it is often the recognition of an individual taking the extra step to assist with a student’s learning or to care for them when they need support and guidance. On other occasions it is the recognition of the quality of a whole school event or for the work quality of a group of staff members. In essence in each of these emails, letters or conversations there is a recognition of the high standards of the College that we strive to achieve on a daily basis.
At the College, we aspire to excellence. This aspiration is expressed in the five College values that are contained in our Faith Star. Excellence in our context is being the best that we can be in all our endeavours, individually and collectively. To quote from our Strategic Plan: ‘Excellence is expressed through our aspirations and actions to be that we can be in all our endeavours, individually and collectively. We enjoy and celebrate our successes with humility and place effort and commitment into areas where we have potential to develop and improve’.
So it is with a sense of pride that I share with you the news that the College has been nominated as an Excellence Awardee for the Australian Education Awards 2021 in the category of Secondary School of the Year (Non-government). We are one of eight schools in this category. These annual awards have been recognised as the leading independent awards event in the school education sector. The awards showcase the top-performing schools, principals, heads of faculty and teachers for their outstanding achievements. The final winners in each category will be announced at a dinner in August. I am grateful for the work of Ms Bonnie Becker (English staff) and Mr David Johnston(Deputy Principal) for their work in preparing the nomination. Further details on all the awards can be found at the link.
Such public recognition is an acknowledgement of the combined efforts of all staff to make excellence a daily habit at Nudgee College.
Other matters:
- As we enter the shadows of Term 2, our students in Year 5 to 10 are encountering various forms of assessment and study deadlines. This looming assessment creates a powerful motivator for some students as well as an undue pressure for others. Where you have worries for your son at this time please encourage him to seek out his teachers for assistance or contact his teachers yourself, if necessary. For Year 11 and 12 students the rhythm of assessment is now changed from previous years. There is much less end of term, or end of semester, assessment. However, the content of current Units of study requires ongoing commitment ahead of the assessment that occurs early in Term 3. Senior students need to be self-motivated enough to maintain their focus. Certainly, Year 12 students on an ATAR pathway have some challenging months ahead in Semester 2 and need to be applying themselves now.
- The College Musical “High School Musical – On Stage!” launches this Thursday and we wish the best for all the students and staff involved in this year’s production. The sell-out of all the performances is an indicator that it will be highly entertaining.
Finally, we currently have an unusually high number of families who are dealing with serious health concerns, most of them related to various forms of cancer. Included in this group are three of our current students as well as over a dozen families who have parents in treatment. I know that the school community is providing some inspiring levels of support and care and I thank those many individuals who are discretely doing so. As a Catholic school, we know that the power of prayer is a unifying and healing force and I would respectfully request that you keep Nudgee College students and parents in your prayers at this time.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal
