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Principal Dr Toni E. Meath standing outside Merton Hall
Principal Dr Toni E. Meath standing outside Merton Hall
From the Principal
Ours is a school that is always moving. We are a community that are collectively aspirational for the next, the new and the innovative. Whilst firmly planted in the present we have our eyes on the future. Our history informs us that we always have been a pioneering school eager to be inventive and break new ground. We look for disconfirming evidence and base our future focus on responding to the opportunities that present as a catalyst for change.
The Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is designed with the 2040 graduate in mind. It has the student at the centre of the four elements of culture, learning, environment and community. It centres on the wellbeing of the learner, is global and future focused and sets the direction for Melbourne Girls Grammar.
2020, as the first milestone of our Strategic Plan has been a strange and confronting year. As the global pandemic continues to rage across the world, as a community we have reflected on what we value and what is valuable. I know in my lifetime, never has there been the need for a stronger partnership between the School and home and the deep value of collaboration. All families with school aged children have been asked to support learning and teaching in new and different ways. This has required collaborative patience and agility as schools work through the learning plans for their students. Additionally, the complexity increased as many parents, educators and administrators were also juggling parenting, supporting older family members, isolation, and work. Within this complexity and hardship we have learned much.
It is apparent that our Grammarians have been born in a time of global outlook and influences. They will be living in a world in which work, society, and community are subject to increasingly complex pressures and influences and their lives will be immersed in a constant change at an ever increasing pace. This will be underpinned by high speed, interactive information and communication technology. They will need to deal with conflict management, disparities in the distribution of resources and opportunities, as well as tackling the problems of climate change and environmental sustainability. The pandemic has brought the world into our homes, into our suburbs and it has tested our resolve and resilience.
It is apparent that our Grammarians have been born in a time of global outlook and influences. They will be living in a world in which work, society, and community are subject to increasingly complex pressures and influences and their lives will be immersed in a constant change at an ever increasing pace. This will be underpinned by high speed, interactive information and communication technology. They will need to deal with conflict management, disparities in the distribution of resources and opportunities, as well as tackling the problems of climate change and environmental sustainability. The pandemic has brought the world into our homes, into our suburbs and it has tested our resolve and resilience.
Principal Dr Toni Meath and Deputy Principal Lynn Broadway on campus at Merton Hall during August 2020.
Principal Dr Toni Meath and Deputy Principal Lynn Broadway on campus at Merton Hall during August 2020.
Principal Dr Toni Meath and Deputy Principal Lynn Broadway on campus at Merton Hall during August 2020.
Schools and their families are true communities with alliance and affiliation at their core. Our families have shown remarkable capacity to adapt to the current circumstances and we know that this reflects the support schools have in place for them in their home settings. This positive partnership between the School and home has made an enormous difference in how students develop resilience and how they will remember this year as adults.
As the African proverb reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is the time when togetherness will allow us to go the distance required. As an experienced Principal and educator, I gain hope in knowing that connection, association, and collaboration will provide the strength for families and schools to forge strongly into the future long after this pandemic passes.
Schools and their families are true communities with alliance and affiliation at their core. Our families have shown remarkable capacity to adapt to the current circumstances and we know that this reflects the support schools have in place for them in their home settings. This positive partnership between the School and home has made an enormous difference in how students develop resilience and how they will remember this year as adults.
As the African proverb reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is the time when togetherness will allow us to go the distance required. As an experienced Principal and educator, I gain hope in knowing that connection, association, and collaboration will provide the strength for families and schools to forge strongly into the future long after this pandemic passes.
Schools and their families are true communities with alliance and affiliation at their core. Our families have shown remarkable capacity to adapt to the current circumstances and we know that this reflects the support schools have in place for them in their home settings. This positive partnership between the School and home has made an enormous difference in how students develop resilience and how they will remember this year as adults.
As the African proverb reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is the time when togetherness will allow us to go the distance required. As an experienced Principal and educator, I gain hope in knowing that connection, association, and collaboration will provide the strength for families and schools to forge strongly into the future long after this pandemic passes.
In 2021 we will be using the terrain of our campuses differently and we are currently exploring the implementation of outdoor classrooms. As an educator, I have long been a fan of taking classes outside for all disciplines, whether this be for observation, practise of skills or class and small group discussions. Think of art and the ‘En plein air’ movement of painting outdoors, or English literature circles under a shady tree or the study of geometry in the real world – there are many ways in which our beautiful outdoor spaces can be utilised as learning environments.
We are also taking our experiences from remote learning so that we can better personalise the learning for every Grammarian. We will lean into our disconfirming evidence and with a clear line of sight through the School, as Principal, I will ensure that we remain horizon gazing for the next, the new, and the innovative.
In 2021 we will be using the terrain of our campuses differently and we are currently exploring the implementation of outdoor classrooms. As an educator, I have long been a fan of taking classes outside for all disciplines, whether this be for observation, practise of skills or class and small group discussions. Think of art and the ‘En plein air’ movement of painting outdoors, or English literature circles under a shady tree or the study of geometry in the real world – there are many ways in which our beautiful outdoor spaces can be utilised as learning environments.
We are also taking our experiences from remote learning so that we can better personalise the learning for every Grammarian. We will lean into our disconfirming evidence and with a clear line of sight through the School, as Principal, I will ensure that we remain horizon gazing for the next, the new, and the innovative.
In 2021 we will be using the terrain of our campuses differently and we are currently exploring the implementation of outdoor classrooms. As an educator, I have long been a fan of taking classes outside for all disciplines, whether this be for observation, practise of skills or class and small group discussions. Think of art and the ‘En plein air’ movement of painting outdoors, or English literature circles under a shady tree or the study of geometry in the real world – there are many ways in which our beautiful outdoor spaces can be utilised as learning environments.
We are also taking our experiences from remote learning so that we can better personalise the learning for every Grammarian. We will lean into our disconfirming evidence and with a clear line of sight through the School, as Principal, I will ensure that we remain horizon gazing for the next, the new, and the innovative.