Newsletter Article: Term 2, Week 2 2024

Welcome back to Term 2

It is my pleasure to welcome you back to Term 2. I trust that the Easter break was fruitful and that you are ready to work together in partnership to build on the goals and vision of our Founder to progress our core purpose expressed in our recently launched 2024-2027 Strategic Plan to “Shape the girls who will shape the world”.

 Preparing our students for the future

Over the break I was delighted to attend the Australian Heads of Independent School (AHISA) National Conference on leading, learning and caring.

A key theme that resonated across the keynotes from Global leaders and workshops from educational experts focused on the complex world that we are preparing our young people to navigate.

I was really proud to work alongside our Principal – Mr Daniel Crump to represent Stuartholme and present a session on the progressive work we are doing at our school to support our students to have agency over their own learning and equip them with the attributes and employability skills required to shape the complex future which awaits them.

We shared simple measures we are taking including:

• “The Hive”: targeting senior students two days per week, providing additional mentoring. Designed to build students’ capacity to become agents driving their own learning, “The Hive” engages alumnae from diverse backgrounds to provide mentoring in learning practices, subject-specific assistance, and wellbeing. It provides students with flexible, learner-centred mentoring and support.
• “Specialist Learning Hubs”: offering flexible and targeted academic support for seniors. Stuartholme worked with staff to embed targeted academic support through subject-specific study with expert teachers. Stuartholme had scheduled study sessions in place already and redesigned these to enable students to opt in to targeted study in flexible ways. Staff now register their ‘specialist area’ and availability, providing students with Specialist Learning Hubs, enabling greater agency empowers students to explore careers-based learning in a targeted manner.
• “The SPARK Program”: providing opportunities for students through four programs using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics for high-potential learners. These opportunities are cultivated beyond mainstream classes to build character, resilience, and problem-solving skills.

Stuartholme plans to expand these trials to implement our new strategic plan as we move forward.

In all our work, we continue to be guided by the principles of our Founder, St Madeline Sophie Barat, and also remain responsive to society’s evolving needs.

I wish you all the best for the term ahead and look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming events.

Deborah Lonsdale-Walker
Deputy Principal