Message from the Principal

July 07, 2017 0 comments

Good afternoon everyone,

As we approach our mid year break, I would like to recognise the amazing efforts of our staff and students this term. The term has literally been a smorgasbord of learning, with one amazing event after another. Dance, Theatre, Pedal Prix, Music, Exhibitions of Learning, Debating and School Sport are but a few of the fantastic learning activities that have been provided this term. hope you and your children have had a chance to attend at least one school event this semester. If not, please keep an eye on the school calendar and visit during semester two.

Building Project

I am very pleased to announce a major building company has won the tender to oversee our school’s $11m redevelopment project. The company will be formally announced shortly and our school community will finally see the redevelopment commence during term 3. I anticipate that the building work will take 12-18 months to fully complete. During this time, our school will be transformed into a state of the art learning centre. What an amazing opportunity for our community.

If you need to visit the school for a meeting, you will now enjoy the convenience of meeting with staff in our new conference style meeting rooms. These rooms have been developed as part of the upgrade to our Administration Centre and they include access to cutting edge technology. You will actually be able to see your child’s learning, behaviour and attendance data right before your eyes.

Enrolments

Playford International College remains the fastest growing secondary public school in South Australia.

Enrolments have now reached 1050 and include an additional 60 new students since the start of term 1. More than 300 students have now enrolled in the school since the start of 2015. We have a fantastic mix of students and our staff is committed to ensuring success for every students. It is also extremely pleasing that 70% of students are now meeting all learning expectations and achievement benchmarks. This represents a massive turnaround since 2014 when just 30% were achieving at this level. We expect further strong enrolment for 2018 and almost 200 current Year 7 students have submitted enrolment forms for next year.

Council of International Schools

In week 2 of term 3, our school will undergo extensive evaluation as part of our strategy to gain Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation. CIS Accreditation is an exhaustive process that requires meticulous planning and the achievement of strict criteria for the quality of teaching and learning and school operation.

The Accreditation process involves three steps, the first of which (membership) we successfully achieved in November 2016. If successful with stage 2, the school will overgo the final stage of accreditation in October 2017. Being an internationally accredited school will provide our staff and students with access to a range of new and exciting learning opportunities in the global education space.

High Speed Internet Service

I am pleased to inform our school community that our staff and students now have access to a high speed fibre optic internet service. This internet service delivers internet download speeds of up to 1000 megabits per second (very fast). Most NBM connections deliver a standard download speed of 20 megabits per second.

We have invested heavily in this infrastructure because our school is quickly migrating to a digital learning platform. This means that access to and the use of technology is a standard requirement in every subject and across every Year Level.

Google Classrooms

Over the remainder of 2017, all staff and students will gradually receive access to the global Google Classroom environment. This exciting venture will provide all staff and students with access to a shared 24/7 online learning environment that will dramatically change the way our students learn. In fact, I am actually typing this newsletter in Google Classrooms and a range of people can actually see what I type as I write and even contribute as I write. They don’t even need to be in the same room as me and as long as they have an internet connection and a device, they can communicate with me from anywhere in the world . From the start of 2018, all staff and students will use Google Classrooms for teaching and learning purposes.

Google Classrooms will work in conjunction with DayMap and every student will require their own laptop for use both within school and at home. This be a compulsory requirement for every student. Currently, around 600 students are now using their own laptop for learning at school. Some 400 student however, still don’t have their own device. The school has a number of IT support options in place for your child including:

1. Preferred Option – Rent to Own a new ‘Google’ touchscreen device for around $150 per year for 3 years (Centrepay available)

2. Buy or bring your own device (any WIFI enabled model, any device)

3. Rent to Own a new ‘Windows’ device for around $100 per year (Centrepay available, not available in 2018)

4. Rent and return a 2nd hand device for $50 a year If your child still requires their own device, please contact Nathan Cini (Digital Learning Coach), your child’s Mentor teacher or the IT department for assistance.

Playford United Invitational Cup

The biggest invitational soccer tournament for students in Northern Adelaide is being held at Ridley Reserve on Friday, August 4th. This Soccer Cup is being jointly managed by Playford International College, Playford City Council and the Adelaide United Football Club. This event is part of our goal to develop new learning opportunities for students in our Soccer Academy and it promises to be an amazing event. A big thank you to Jesse Rogerson who manages the school’s Academies program for all his efforts to bring this idea to life.

Quote of the Week

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

– J K Rowling –

Regards,

Rob Knight

Principal

 

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