From the Principal

A TOUR REFLECTION
I write this newsletter “on tour” with our Year 6 students in Canberra. Though I have visited our Nation’s Capital more times than I can accurately recall, each time I am accompanied by students there is always an element of seeing it a certain way for the first time. They note aspects of architecture I have looked past, they display innate reverence for many of our “National treasures”, and they ask questions which ignite in me wonder of their inquisitive, curious and creative natures. I am so impressed by the depth of their knowledge and understanding of matters such as the democratic process and parliamentary procedures. It is a fine testament to their teachers and families. I am also pleased to receive feedback from our various venue-based guides regarding the maturity and depth of many of the questions our students ask. The inquiry-based approach, a cornerstone of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, shines through with questions which are nothing short of “clever, displaying a quest and thirst to understand things more deeply.
WHAT ARE WE BUILDING NOW?
As announced variously over the past 18 months, it is now exciting to see our Centre for Creative Industries slowly rising from the dirt. A P-12 facility which will dominantly cater for Senior School classes, the Centre for Creative Industries (CCI) will provide extensive and advanced facilities for cross-curricular opportunities across Visual Art, Industrial Technology, Design, Engineering, Film Television and New Media, Robotics, Drones, Augmented Reality, Digital Solutions, Information Technology, Fashion Design, Wearable Technology, and Allied Arts. It is a wonderfully designed building, with physical and curricular links across several Key Teaching Areas. The CCI will be the largest single building on campus.
The CCI has been in the ideation and refinement phases for four years and as such it is most gratifying to see it coming alive. The “build” commenced with the demolition of some of our older facilities which could not be renovated in such a way as to provide us with the footprint for the many functions of the new Centre. As is the case with most of our building projects on campus, it is logistically complex with regard to site access and the continuity of learning in adjacent facilities. We are managing extremely well. The project will be completed in October this year. We will keep you regularly updated.
AND THOSE COURTS….
If it wasn’t for the recurring wet weather, our new multi-purpose courts would have been finished weeks ago! As it is, we are now pleased that the last of the line-marking is all but complete. These new facilities will see an additional two basketball courts, two netball courts and four volleyball courts available for physical education lessons, and junior and secondary school sport.
Our gratitude is very much extended to the P&F, whose $100,000 contribution towards construction costs enabled us to expedite the outcome by approximately two years. We will publish some photos of the finished product in the next Newsletter.
Peace and Grace
David Bliss
Principal