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Last week was the school’s
sixty-fourth birthday, and on Founder’s Day every year, our school
representatives lead the assembly and remind us how far we have come as a
school. One of the things they mentioned was all the previous principals this
school has had over the years.
This is when I am reminded
that I am one of only five principals who have lead this amazing institution
through its history. Five principals in sixty-four years, you ask? Averaged,
that is almost thirteen years for each term of office.
I have been principal at
Pinelands North for fifteen years and I can’t imagine being anywhere else! Let
me tell you why……
Our school draws amazing
families from all over the peninsula – families who come to interviews and tell
me why they could never imagine their children anywhere else. We are truly an
integrated society of wealthy and poor, of all religions and races, who have
learnt that by their children living and working side by side, they learn to
live in peace too.
Our school governors commit themselves
to hard work every three years, particularly in the finance department. Because
of astute management in the past, and constant vigilance, our finances are
healthy, and we are able to plan for the future, and carry out extensions to
buildings and buy new equipment when necessary. 
Our children are taught and
disciplined gently, at school and at home, and so they learn that you can live
‘gently’ in the world. This gentle way of living only becomes obvious when new
children join us in the older grades – these new pupils stand out because they
react so differently in conflict situations initially. I therefore seldom have
to be the ‘bad wolf’.
Our staff are exceptional!
Any new opening results in many applications because, in education fields, our
school is known to grow people. Expectations are high but so is performance!
Our staff engage in professional development throughout the year, often during
holidays and weekends, so they are at the cutting edge of new education
thought. Departmental officials know that if they want a new theory piloted,
Pinelands North is a good school to use.
Our campus is small but well
utilized. Our children have spacious classrooms, fields and a pool, a brand new
aftercare centre and an environmentally friendly playground.
Indigenous gardens surround
the buildings and our school ducks roam unhindered.
Few principals could say that
they love their jobs – I can say honestly that I love mine every day of the
year!
