There seems to be a trust recession happening.
In a world where trust in institutions, persons in power and science seems to be diminishing, we know that having families trust our school is critical.
“Social trust is a measure of the moral quality of a society—of whether the people and institutions in it are trustworthy, whether they keep their promises and work for the common good. When people in a church lose faith or trust in God, the church collapses. When people in a society lose faith or trust in their institutions and in each other, the nation collapses. People feel disgusted by the state of society. “
In so many places across the world trust has declined, leading to a crisis point.
Let’s be clear, trust does not mean we will do what you want, when you want it every time .
What trust does mean is that, agree with us or disagree with us, you accept that we are doing our best for our students.
Trust:
- Trust takes time to develop;
- Permeates every structure and process in a school;
- Allows students to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom;
- Allows a positive relationship to develop between teachers and students, leading to increased effectiveness;
- Enhances the capacity of parents and teachers to work together to enhance the students’ learning experiences;
- There is ample if not overwhelming evidence that a culture of trust enhances performance in schools.
Trust is a key to school survival. The kinds of trust we aim to reach as we move towards our goal of being an excellent school include:
- School-Community Trust → We need to let our community know that we are here to serve them.
- Teacher-Principal Trust → Teachers need to know that the principal and executive are working for the school’s vision and support their efforts in supporting our students.
- Teacher-Teacher Trust → Teachers need to feel supported, valued and respected by their peers.
- Student-Teacher Trust → You learn best from someone you trust.
In times of crisis trust is an even more valuable commodity: “In times of crisis, trust is more valuable than ever. It promotes resilience in the face of uncertainty. It provides solid ground for action and it even leads to better performance.”
During crises—bushfires, floods or COVID etc—when things are at their most critical, our goal is to give you further reason to trust us by knowing that we are already:
- Anticipating and planning;
- Ensuring that we are communicating clearly and regularly;
- Taking responsibility and acting;
- Adapting and ensuring our next response is even better.
“A vital team characteristic is the ability to overcome adversity. Any team acquires experience and endurance as it learns to fight back. This in turn builds the kind of character which seldom crumbles at a time of crisis or testing.”
Terry Muldoon
Principal