Principal Communications, 21 August 2023

Dear Parents and Carers

It strikes me that these past few weeks have demonstrated beyond a doubt that Calvary staff know that learning extends beyond the classroom and that belonging to community is a significant aspect of the human experience for children. In fact, as we work to ‘grow the whole child’, the two often coincide: our classrooms are learning communities and our fun in the sun or under starlight combines community and personal growth as well as many examples of what can be regarded as ‘learning’. Learning covers so much more than the formal academic mastery of curriculum content!

We have had many sports teams out competing, our team at EKKA last week certainly fits the bill, our Year 10s completed their ‘classroom in the city’ experience. We are preparing to send our Year 9s off to ‘classroom in the country’ in a few weeks. The Year 9s will experience the ‘stuff that makes leaders’- an aspiration we hold for every Calvary student in a world crying out for ethical and responsible leaders who care about the lives of others.

And then there was Good News Week, Science Week and we are heading into Book Week. Life at Calvary is never boring!

This week I also want to provide you with an update of our Enrolment contract. Some of you joined the community many years ago and you may not have had cause to read the enrolment contract for a while. You may also be aware from press reports of the increasing compliance and regulatory burden on schools.

At Calvary, our policies and processes are constantly in a process of systematic review, and we update these regularly. My team and I always want you to be confident that your child is safe at school and that we are meeting the requirements for our Accreditation with the NON STATE SCHOOLS ACCREDITATION BOARD (NSSAB). Last year we were successful in an accreditation review and given the maximum extension on our licence to operate.

The enrolment contract aims to be a clear statement of how we operate, what you can expect of us and our expectations of you as we seek to partner with you in the education of your child. The changes made in this update spell out the requirements of the Privacy Policy, provide clarity about how we support those living with the complexities of blended families, and our expectations around social media. All three areas have been subject to changes in schools in recent years. Across all areas, the contract is a reflection of how current policy is implemented.

This contract is signed by new families joining us and it applies to our whole community. We are not asking you to sign again. I am, however, asking you to read it as it is useful to you as a manual for how Calvary manages the day to day. If there is anything that raises a concern for you or anything you would like clarified, please get in touch with the College and an arrangement will be made for you to speak with the relevant senior staff member who can help you.

You may notice when you visit the College website that we are constantly reviewing and updating to ensure the website delivers an intuitive user friendly experience with relevant up to date information you can rely on.

I hope to see many of you enjoy the fun of Book Week – my costume is ready as I am looking forward to celebrating yet another of my favourite picture books. Who will I be? Come and see for yourself or look out for our College social media posts!

Yours sincerely,

Cherylynne Gostelow
Principal & CEO