Staff Insights
By Mr Christopher Bradbury, Principal
We extend our sincere gratitude to our parent community for their enthusiastic participation and insightful engagement at the recent Evening with the Principal event hosted by the Parents and Friends Association. It was a privilege to share our vision for Radford College and to hear your thoughtful perspectives on the future of our school and education. Your presence underscores the strength of our partnership and your commitment to student success.
The significance of the occasion reinforced to me a quote from the researcher Mark McCrindle who said: “The strength of a school comes from its stories and traditions, but the future of a school rests in its relevance and innovation.”
The "relevance and innovation" largely resides in understanding both the strategic and operational direction of a school. Schools need to ensure they have the operational capacity to achieve their goals and objectives on a day-to-day basis, while also having the strategic vision to future-proof, so our students are prepared for life after school.
Success in this instance can be achieved by having a clear understanding of our community expectations and meeting the challenges of future learning. Through his research, McCrindle presented some interesting data demonstrating community perspectives about the future of education, and the importance of establishing processes and systems to achieve the best possible learning experience for our students.
The relationship between home and school has never been more important and an understanding of parent expectations is vital in establishing the right balance between the interests and needs of the community and the school.
McCrindle's research highlights the growth of parent engagement in recent years through the following observations:
- In the past two years, two in five parents (41 per cent) have become more engaged with their child’s school.
- Almost half (46 per cent) are making it more of a priority to be engaged with their child’s schooling.
It is clear to me in the early stages of my tenure that we are fortunate at Radford to have a well-connected parent community. Our parents are heavily invested in the education of their children and there are very clear expectations regarding the learning experiences we establish for our students. The level of support we receive from our community is instrumental in building a sense of pride and collaboration to achieve positive learning outcomes. Parents are investing more time and energy into their children’s education because they recognise its value, and they do so under the growing demands of work commitments.
Human flourishing needs to be at the heart of our educational mission and in terms of community expectations, well-being is a growing priority—and rightfully so. McCrindle's research made the following observations:
- Almost half of parents (48 per cent) have increased their expectations of their child’s school to support well-being.
- Almost all parents (97 per cent) believe schools should have a holistic focus and play some role in the management of well-being.
Part of preparing students for the future is equipping them with the skills and dispositions to handle pressure, be organised and develop competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and creativity.
As we embark on the development of our next strategic plan, the cornerstone of our success will be the robust partnership between home and school. Your insights, perspectives and continued commitment to our students' well-being are vital in shaping a vision that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of our community.
Community engagement at Radford College is not merely a component of our strategy, it will be the very essence of it. We are committed to fostering an environment where every voice is heard, every idea is valued and every member feels a sense of belonging. Through open dialogue, collaborative initiatives and a shared dedication to excellence, we will craft a strategic plan that not only propels Radford College forward but also strengthens the bonds that make our community so exceptional.
By Rev. Dr Katherine Rainger, Senior Chaplain
But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
- Job 12: 7-10
I live close enough to All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie that I can hear the bells when they ring on Sunday mornings. Often, I’m still making my way to church when I hear their call. If I attend the 10:00 am service, I can hear the bells heralding the 8:00 am service in my living room. It is a reminder of the call to worship and prayer that has shaped communities for centuries and continues today.
The Irish poet David Whyte was recently interviewed by Sarah Kanowski on ABC Radio's Conversations. I was particularly taken by his story of an Irish monk from the Middle Ages who heard the bells ringing in the chapel. The monk thought to himself, “That is the most beautiful sound in the world, the call to silence, prayer and intimacy with God.” At the same time, the monk heard a blackbird cry in the garden, and he thought, “That is also the most beautiful sound in the world.” The monk was caught up in a moment of transcendence as he encountered the call of God in the bell and the birdsong.
In a moment of synchronicity, poet David Whyte’s wife came up behind him in his study one Easter morning. She rang Tibetan bells and David says, “The sound went straight through me.” At that exact moment, a red-winged blackbird called from the garden. He penned the following poem in response.
The Bell and the Blackbird
The sound of a bell
still reverberating,
or a blackbird calling
from a corner of the field,
asking you to wake
into this life,
or inviting you deeper
into the one that waits.
Either way
takes courage,
either way wants you
to be nothing
but that self that
is no self at all,
wants you to walk
to the place
where you find
you already know
how to give
every last thing
away.
The approach
that is also
the meeting
itself,
without any
meeting
at all.
That radiance
you have always
carried with you
as you walk
both alone
and completely
accompanied
in friendship
by every corner
of the world
crying
Allelujah.
Click here to watch David reading the poem.
Yesterday, at the Principal’s Commissioning service, we affirmed the call that our Principal Mr Christopher Bradbury has answered in joining the Radford community. It was a significant occasion as we prayed that he might have the wisdom and insight needed to live into his calling.
I wonder where is there a sense of calling in your life? What is it you hear? What do you notice? Which moments offer a glimpse of the transcendent as we embrace the randomness, joy and sadness that comes with being human together?
News
By Mrs Sue Hassall, Secondary School Teacher
Jack Heath, a Canberra novelist whose work includes 300 Minutes of Danger (for children), Kill Your Husbands (not for children) and 40 other books, translated into ten languages, accompanied 215 Year 7 students on a mystery tour around Canberra on Wednesday.
The purpose was for students to record notes about the features, objects and atmosphere of the various locations to help them craft a descriptive passage of one location that evokes an emotional response in the reader.
Church bells welcomed us to St John’s Churchyard, reverent silence blanketed us in the cool crypt where Bishop Radford was interred, a helicopter hovered noisily over the graffiti-covered wall near a stormwater drain in Woden, and a verse from Dorothy McKellar’s poem, I love a Sunburnt Country, was read to students as they scrambled over the poem’s word sculpture. Students were required to observe sounds, smells, images, textures, colours and their responses to the settings, and there was plenty to record.
The patience, competence and attentive care shown by Radford College Teachers Mr Cameron Brown, Ms Angelina Browning, Mrs Maddie Keogh, Mr Brett Lamson, Ms Megan Reed, Ms Kate Wales and Ms Maria Whiting ensured all students engaged with the task of recording information and ensured we had zero minutes of danger and instead just had focused engagement.
By Mr Brett Lamson, Head of Year 7
Last week, Year 7 students travelled to the beautiful bush retreat of Biloela, a grassy valley within the NSW state forest near Moss Vale. Students were excited, a little nervous and full of energy as they boarded the buses, bright and early on Monday morning. After a two-hour bus trip, they met their camp leaders and started learning about map reading and navigation in preparation for the roughly six-kilometre hike to the campsite itself. The walk through the bush was beautiful, and the weather couldn’t have been better.
After arriving at the campsite, students quickly set up their tents and divided responsibilities for the first day. Some students were responsible for cooking, others for cleaning, hygiene, or navigation. It was wonderful to see so many students taking a proactive approach to the camp, showing initiative by looking for ways to get involved and collaborate.
Over the course of the week, students took part in a wide array of activities, all of which helped students bond and build relationships with their mentor group. There were relaxed activities such as canoeing, hiking and catapult building, while other activities were more adrenaline-filled, such as abseiling and the giant flying fox. The motto for the week was ‘challenge by choice’, inviting students to challenge themselves to a degree they felt comfortable with. Many students surprised themselves with what they were able to achieve.
At the end of the week, students hiked back to the staging area, and the pride and sense of achievement radiating from the students as they completed the camp was clear for all to see. I couldn’t have been prouder of the way students stepped up to the plate, undertook challenges and supported one another to help make the camp a resounding success. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Director of Student Experiences, Mr Dylan Mordike, for all his hard work in the planning and execution of the camp, as well as to all the Year 7 mentors and additional staff members who attended. The camp would not have been possible without these people.
It has been an outstanding start to Week 4, and I’ve been delighted to see how comfortable, happy and connected students are within their mentor groups, having been through such a seminal shared experience that is Year 7 camp.
