I recently had the privilege of spending extended periods of time in several schools. I spent:
- a day with the staff leadership team and being shown around the school by the student leaders at Eastside Lutheran College in Hobart Tas,
- two days shadowing the principal at Geelong Lutheran College Vic,
- a day shadowing the principal at Concordia College SA,
- and will be in Port Lincoln SA to observe classes at Navigator College for a couple of days.
I look forward to planning future school visits where I will have the opportunity to further deepen my experience of the breadth of Lutheran schooling nationally. The passion, dedication and thoughtfulness of staff in Lutheran education is a delight to see everywhere. We often talk about the ‘Lutheran feel’ of our schools, and you really do feel it whichever school you’re at. It is the feel that comes from being Christ-centred.
These experiences have been invaluable in informing analysis, representation and discussions at the Commonwealth level. During my recent visits to Canberra and Melbourne, including the Independent Schools Association National Consultative Group meeting, I had the opportunity to engage with national leaders committed to supporting student flourishing. The Regional Executive Directors are excellent communicators of the issues arising in their communities. It is also useful for me in my role to have detailed local stories and experiences to share from the time I’ve spent visiting schools. Stories matter greatly and our school and ECS leaders, staff and students, are engaging and persuasive tellers of their community’s story. Thank you to all of you for sharing your stories with me, enabling me to tell the story of Lutheran education – who we are and who we are becoming – at the national level.