Principal News

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and SSPS community,

When I write the name Steve Jobs, most people know immediately who I’m writing about. The former CEO of Apple Computers, a visionary in the world of technology and a man who is largely responsible for the level at which computers are integrated within our everyday lives.  Steve Jobs, sadly, died at the age of just 56.

By today’s standards, his life was short. Despite this, he managed to transform the lives of millions of people. His legacy will live on with every iPod, iPhone, Mac, and iPad that graces a desk or coffee table around the globe.

He didn’t gain all of this because he was lucky, or even because he was super intelligent or amazingly creative. He had elements of all of those things. Jobs was successful because he was determined, curious and creative. He started Apple with a friend from his parents’ garage. His first product could hardly be described as an overnight success, but it got Apple noticed.

He went on to become a multimillionaire, only to be fired by the company. He didn’t wallow in self-pity or blame others. Instead, he was determined and persistant, eventually returning to Apple and creating technology that people around the world will line up for days to be the first to own. In a 1995 interview, Jobs said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance which is so hard."

To be determined is a necessary trait, which is possessed by all successful students. Determination speaks to a refusal to give up the pursuit of a goal despite obstacles.  It involves the ability to see failure as a positive learning experience and empowers our students to try and try again until the learning goal is attained.  As we try to teach St Saviour’s Primary learners the value of determination we want them to understand the value of hard work.  We want them to learn how to hone their problem-solving skills and take responsibility for their own academic progress. 

A key here for me is teaching our learners to not make excuses or blame others for failure.  As teachers and parents, we can foster determination by talking to our learners about the benefits of determination and informing them about famous people who personify determanation, such as Steve Jobs. 

Nowadays too many students try to avoid hard work.  They expect learning to be easy and they are all too willing to give up when the going gets tough.  They complain that academic work is boring and difficult.  Determination is vital because it plays a pivotal role in building a habit that keeps on no matter how hard things are. This acts as an inner strength that helps our learners ignore and overcome obstacles and keep moving forward towards their goal or their chosen path.

As we move into the midterm, the challenge is for all learners to develop that key habit of determination.  We want our learners to strive for accuracy in their formative and summative assesment.

The Year Ahead

It is that time of the year again that I begin the process of planning for 2022 enrolments, class structures, budgets and resources.  As you know our enrolments play a significant part in helping us stay focused and achieve our strategic priorities. While we have committed to a range of marketing strategies for our school, in truth, the word of mouth of current families is our best form of advertising and it is almost universally positive. I am always grateful for the parents, their kind words and continuing support. You cannot buy this endorsement but you certainly have to earn it on a daily basis. It is our staff who deserve recognition for this. They are committed and talented professionals who are motivated to do their best for the benefit of our learners. This applies not only to the teachers doing the vital work in the classrooms but the countless other staff who provide a range of support and service to our community. I am repeatedly inspired by their efforts.

Principal Summative Review Feedback

Thank you to our school community, parents, staff and students who were involved in my principal summative review in Term 1.  I was truly humbled to receive such a positive review and will continue to ‘strive for goodness’ for our school community by always placing our learners first.  I am forever grateful for being the leader of this wonderful community.  Following is a link to a summary of my review that has been presented to the staff, School Board and P & F at the recent meetings.

 Principal_Summative_Review.pdf

Wishing our school counsellor, Anne Woodcroft-Brown and her husband Alistair, all the best on the arrival of their first child in the coming weeks.  Anne will be taking leave from next Friday until next year.  We will certainly miss Anne's calm approach and expertise in her absence. We look forward to taking on babysitting duties very soon.  

The interview process has begun for Anne's replacement whilst she is on leave.  This will be communicated to the school community once the process is complete. 

With every best wish for the week ahead.

Madonna  Sleba