Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,
The 2014 school year is drawing to an end; what a busy and exciting year it has been for all involved. There have been a number of key achievements that demonstrate Busselton Senior High School’s successful progression forward:
• In Term 1 the Expert Review Group (ERG) deemed that we were operating as a normal High School should. Key targets were met as a result of this process.
• In Term 3 BSHS underwent a financial audit which resulted in a ‘Good’ rating overall, validating we are managing our money well and our financial processes are working efficiently.
• As a result of a rigorous selection process it was announced in Term 3 that BSHS will begin to operate as an Independent Public School in 2015. The school now has more flexibility to make decisions to meet the needs of our students.
These are major achievements that the entire school community should be proud of. To ensure that we continue improving and move forward, the staff, students and school community have developed the new Business Plan which sets out our vision, values and improvement areas that we will concentrate on over the next three years. As a result of this whole school community consultation process BSHS’s new vision is:
‘Busselton Senior High School will be known as an outstanding, inclusive school that effectively serves the needs of our community. High standards will be achieved by excellence in teaching and learning, developing respectful relationships and delivering curriculum that challenges and wholly engages all of our students.’
We will work towards this vision by operating and modelling our new values which are:
Excellence Respect Integrity Responsibility
We will endeavour to achieve this vision by implementing a number of key strategies and achieving our three year targets that fit under our four new Priorities that we will concentrate on:
Priority 1 – Successful Students
Priority 2 – Excellence in Teaching and Leadership
Priority 3 – Engaging the School Community
Priority 4 – A Safe, Supportive and Inclusive Learning Culture
I would like to thank the staff, students, the P&C, School Board and wider community for being involved in this process. Now comes the hard part; ensuring we action the strategic directions we have set out. An electronic copy will be provided to all parents in 2015. I know all staff are excited about working with the school community to achieve this vision. I certainly am.
Our other successes from 2014 include:
• BSHS was named VET School of the Year at the State Training Awards
• New car park and enhancement of the front of the school.
• Numerous Queens’ Cup Music Trophies.
• Certificate 4 Nursing is now offered at the school, increasing our Senior School course offerings.
• Ellie Sewell has been selected into the Perspectives Art Exhibition.
• There have been numerous camps, excursions, concerts, Drama production and competitions and other extracurricular activities that have also value added to the students lives at BSHS. A big thankyou to all staff that have been involved.
Students will receive their reports shortly. It is important they remember that the report is a summary of where the student has been - it is not the end game. Encourage your child to reflect on the report and use the information to plan for improvement and build even better results in the year ahead.
Finally, I would to thank all the school community for their support over 2014. Best wishes to all of you. May the festive season bring you much joy and keep you safe. I look forward to seeing you all in 2015.
Kind Regards,
Dainon Couzic