Message from the Headmaster

‘Unless the Lord
builds the house, the builders labour in vain…’

Psalm 127:1

Dear Students, Parents and Carers

What’s Happening at Shore?

One important finding from the recent survey of Shore parents conducted by the Macquarie Marketing Group (MMG) is the desire for greater insight into Shore’s plans for the near and more distant future.  While many of these have been conveyed in a range of communications, there is certainly merit in consolidating them into several editions of the Shore Weekly Record. The following list does not indicate that the School is ceasing undertaking many valuable activities – they are business as usual – the initiatives below are being prioritised from next year to beyond. 

The Master Planning for School building and renovation is well underway. It has distinct phases. Initially, a management company with architectural expertise have been appointed to assist in guiding our thinking. Consultation has occurred with representatives of Shore Parents’ Association (SPA), the Foundation, the Old Boys’ Union (OBU), staff and student leaders. This may be described as setting a vision and determining its practicalities, literally, on the ground. The Assets and Infrastructure Committee of School Council are managing the governance aspects of Master Planning. In order to gain most value from finance, we need an assurance that we are building for the future, not the present. This requires Shore to attempt to predict what schools will be like, what students and parents will need and what teaching methodology will be like in decades to come. This is very difficult but needs to be done in order to avoid the immense difficulty of constructions or renovations which are quickly obsolescent. Accordingly, we are looking at the school design literature, acquainting ourselves with Scandinavian school design which is seen as particularly innovative practice and, perhaps most importantly, visiting other schools of similar type to see what they are building, i.e. what they think will remain relevant. 

This Term, the School has gone out to tender for architects who wish to bid for the design of the School’s Building Master Plan. A shortlisting process occurred with three finalists. Each of these finalists have been invited to submit, initially, a Concept Plan, including drawings and virtual tours. The School has paid for this service, which has the advantage that it now owns the intellectual property and so the School can invite the successful architect to draw on particularly attractive concepts submitted by the other finalists. 

We are now at this stage. Once the architect has an overall design, the School will then go to tender for the actual construction. What may be constructed? What may be renovated? Everyone in the Shore Community has ideas on these matters. The answers will emerge from the interplay of design, finance and urgency. They will embrace both campuses, i.e. Northbridge and North Sydney. Once we have clear building goals and renovation intentions, a capital appeal will be launched. This is a lengthy process and the School has taken the view that it is very important to make good, rather than quick, decisions. These plans are so critical to Shore’s future that they are the subject of much prayer; as the Psalmist writes:  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain…”(Psalm 127:1)

The search for the next long term Headmaster or Headmistress was commenced by our School Council this Term. This is a protracted process which has its own sequencing and Council hope to be able to make an announcement towards the very end of the year, with a view to that person commencing in January 2026 at the latest. The timing takes account of the lengthy period of notice most schools will require if a current Head is leaving a position to move to another. Naturally, the process is very confidential and so Council are limited in what they can divulge about the various stages of the process but will no doubt share information at the appropriate time.

Further editions of the Shore Weekly Record will provide insights into other developments current and envisaged at Shore. 

Dr John Collier
Headmaster