Over the last three days, I attended the Australian Catholic School Principal’s (ACSP) conference in Wollongong. This biennual conference brings NSW school leaders together to hear from educational experts from around the world (and domestically) about the latest developments and areas for future focus in schools.

As I listened to the subject matter surrounding the theme of “New Hope, New Growth. A Celebration of Catholic Educational Leadership”, I felt very heartened to know that what we have already established at St Francis Catholic College is already a “Good News story”. While new to the College, when I see so many committed and talented staff, I am thrilled to know that the young people in our care have compassionate educators who are determined to nurture every child. Brother David Hall spoke about how even the idea of “nurturing” is very much Catholic and how, ‘by helping young people have a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging - it will ultimately bring flourish’. And, in a world that can be so sceptical, it is through such a lens that our young people will develop a sense of transcendence and connection to God and the cosmos.

When I attend conferences, I sometimes concur with Marie Antoinette who once stated that: “nothing is new only that which is forgotten”. Indeed, when themes like love and hope are unpacked we have to be careful not to try and “reinvent the wheel”. Sometimes the best strategies are often the simplest, yet I do wish to speak briefly about the importance of critical thinking.

I’ve read recent commentators speaking about how the current ‘new’ move to Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change us forever. Well, I don’t disagree but for me, it is very much a ‘slow burn’. In 2018 a draft paper was tabled at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris, France by three Australian academics.

This paper, written by Ruben Laukkonen, Hannah Biddel and Regan Gallagher from the University of Queensland, was entitled:

“Future of Education and Skills 2030: Curriculum Analysis

Preparing humanity for change and artificial intelligence: Learning to learn as a safeguard against volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA)”. Although somewhat of a mouthful, their summation was incredibly accurate: 

“The world was once like an ocean on a calm day—the movements were still difficult to predict but the waves of change were slower and less dramatic. Today, technology, globalisation, and population growth contribute to increasingly stormy seas. It is good fortune then, that humans are endowed with a certain plasticity that makes them adaptable to change through learning. In a VUCA world, this may be their greatest asset. While uncertainty has its perils for humans, it is the machines that are not yet sufficiently advanced to deal with the ambiguity and the volatility of modern life. When equipped with meta-learning strategies—and access to teachers and mentors—humans may very well be in a position to thrive, as lifelong learners, in the same circumstances where machines blunder. Training meta-learning strategies can also provide individuals with a tool—and a valuable sense of agency—to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity for learning.”

This was written just over 5 years ago, and without doubt, while the means of AI is developing incredibly rapidly, the idea of VUCA has been around at least since the 1980s when it was created in the military as a way of summarising constant threats and how to deal with them. But let’s face it, the world is constantly changeable. I’m sure the Ancient Egyptians or the Ancient Romans would have felt constant volatility with geopolitical and technological changes coming towards them at incredible speeds. We are not suddenly in a time when things are incredibly complex and/or ambiguous. Yes COVID has precipitated a reflection on how to deal with new realities but I must admit I get surprised when people are surprised by change. For me, this is one of the few constants in life, and so anyone suggesting that VUCA is new is misguided, and there will be even more volatility and change in the world of the future.

Therefore one of the most important learnings is that preparing our young people for changeable situations is essential. To be ready for this ever-changing landscape, students need to be able to tackle unseen situations and be able to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in an automatic manner. Keynote speaker Andy Hargraves reminded us all at the conference that “hope is not a wish” and that we actually have to plan to get what we want. As he told a captive audience: “growth doesn’t happen on its own”. And here is where I felt very at ease knowing that at St Francis we already have in action a focus on critical thought and a future plan to embed this even more in our K-12 curriculum. When Hargreaves spoke of his friend, Michael Fullan, and his exceptional work on “New Pedagogies for Deep Learning”, I felt very heartened as this is exactly where our College is moving in the future with a comprehensive focus on students being skilled up and having numerous opportunities for activating their minds and embracing a mind-frame that thrives on challenge and overcoming the seemingly almost too difficult.

So, I will return from the conference extremely confident in what we are doing, with feelings of being blessed by our staff. I look forward to sharing my sense of hopefulness with the College community later this term.

Mother’s Day

I would like to thank all staff involved in making Mother’s Day liturgy, afternoon tea and the Mother’s Day activities so special. It was great to have so many mothers, grandmothers, and maternal figures attend the college to be celebrated and reminded of their incredible efforts and gifts. Mrs Khoury and the junior choir sang beautifully on the day and there was a great deal of love and joy in the Hall that afternoon. 

Prayer 

In this fortnight’s newsletter, my prayer is a simple one surrounding joy and hope. 

The following two short quotes, from James and Paul’s letter to the Romans, respectively remind us of the need for perspective:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2-3

May we stay joy-filled and resolute confident in the knowledge that trials and tribulations are not fixed.

May we all stay confident in the compassionate hand of Christ and may the Lord strengthen us when challenges come our way.

May the Lord be with us constantly and help us direct our energies in the most expedient and successful manner.

May we recognise that it is through Christ that we can be our best selves and help others also reach their potential.

Through Christ our Lord – Amen

Mr Matthew McMahon
College Principal