We are now 20% through the 21st Century, so it is time for schools to stop talking about introducing 21st century skills to their pupils and get on with it!
When you enrolled your child in St Columba, we offered your family the opportunity to be a part of a vibrant learning community. We are serious about meeting this commitment.
In today’s world, any school that claims to prepare its students for success cannot, should not, and must not, be shackled to an outdated teaching and learning system that prepares a student for a world that no longer exists.
We will not do this!
At St Columba, we will continue to offer our students the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy, continue to help them develop positive attitudes and skills that will make them valued members of the wider community, but we will go further than that.
In a society where the world of work continues to evolve at a rate never seen before, we can and will offer your children an education that focuses on the skills, knowledge and attitudes that we know will offer our students the opportunity to rise to the challenge of achieving success in this increasingly competitive and globalised world.
While we adults may mourn the loss of certainty and the comfort of a style of education that gave us success in the past, we cannot betray the future of our children by failing to acknowledge that the world has changed and that the way education is structured must change with it.
Over the past two years St Columba has been planning to meet this challenge.
We have reviewed and changed our teaching and learning leadership structure to allow for greater innovation, coordination and flexibility.
We have researched educational movements, and visited schools and systems that have allowed us to see the best and learn from the best.
We have benchmarked our planning, efforts and goals against the very best in the world.
We believe we have created an educational structure and process that offers our students the opportunity for success in a world that will not wait for us to decide if we are willing to keep up, let alone lead.
Over the next few months St Columba will offer you, as parents and partners in your child’s education, a range of opportunities to gain a greater insight into how we will prepare your children for success.
We will meet with you, explain our goals to you and answer your questions.
We will offer you a partnership in the creation of a bright and successful future for your children as we join the world of school to the world of the future.
 | Mr Terry Muldoon Principal, St Columba Anglican School |