Head of Senior School

Earlier in the year I mentioned how we are focusing on raising expectations to promote student outcomes.

This continued focus is aligned with our College Vision & Values and Wellbeing Framework. Developing students of character, caring for the whole child, enlightened academic rigour whilst encouraging students to, amongst others; be kind, seek wisdom, build connections, and show gratitude.

We have all heard of IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Given a suitable level of effort, this can correlate to strong academic success. As students’ progress through their teens, they are building their EQ (Emotional Quotient) & SQ (Social Quotient). These are more closely aligned with their character, the ability to build connections, be responsible, genuine and honest. Academically, we need the support of parents to help their children deal with a fourth type of intelligence, AQ – the Adversity Quotient. This is related to resilience and the ability to bounce back from disappointment. Children need to experience failure, for during times of discomfort we all have a greater ability for growth. Two quotes that relate here are:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor E. Frankl

“Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.” – Thomas Froese.

In the former, students need the time to learn from their own mistakes. If we smooth the road too much, we remove the opportunity to make mistakes and how to learn from them.

I would also like to thank all those involved in making Foundation Night such a success. I am particularly thankful for the contribution of Chris Low, 2003 Old Oxleyan and Head of Vibe at Canva for his speech. The Old Oxleyan speech is targeted at the student body and in this case, Chris gave a clear example of how there are multiple pathways to success, his experience overcoming challenge and how, for many of our students, their dream job does not exist yet!

We have at least twelve more Alumni returning on Friday 14 June for the Oxley Alumni Careers Day. In the morning, students in Year 11 and 12 will get to hear from a variety of Alumni in a range of industries from Occupational Therapy to Engineering, along with a Q & A. In the afternoon Year 10-12 will visit the HSC & Careers Expo in the PCC. I would like to thank Mrs Liane Bull, our Futures Co-ordinator, for all her work in this area. She meets 1:1 with every student in Year 11 and 12 to provide insight and support, along with arranging experiences such as these for our students to get as much information as possible to decide on their next steps when they leave Oxley.

I would like to welcome two new staff members to Oxley; Mrs Deanna Benardos in the Mathematics department arrived straight into Year 8 Student Parent Teacher Night this week. We also welcome Mr Nicholas Elliott in Design & Technology.

In conclusion, thank you to our students, parents, and staff for their support and dedication to our school community. We are committed to providing the best education and opportunities for our students, and we appreciate your partnership. Let’s continue to work together to help our students grow and thrive.

Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you at our upcoming events.

Warm regards

Mr Tristan Bevan
Head of Senior School