From the Principal - March

Welcome to 2019, in particular to the families new to our school. My first Principal's Address for the year heralds significant change for our USC community. We farewelled Dr Murray Thompson at the end of January and welcomed our new Deputy Principal, Tim Agnew, who has settled quickly into life at USC. 

If this change wasn’t significant enough, we spent the long weekend moving our school out of the Charles Street building and into our new location on the 9th floor of the Parc Arcade building in Gawler Place. Staff and students located there have all expressed their delight with their new home, resplendent with views of North Terrace and beyond. 

Learning areas now located at Gawler Place include Art, Design, Music, Drama and Intensive English, along with some tutorials for Mathematical Methods and Accounting. In 2020, our Year 10s will also be located at Gawler Place for most of their program. You will hear more about our work to introduce Year 10 as the year progresses. 

To celebrate our new space and new vision for the introduction of Year 10, the College has also unveiled a new logo. A long consultation process took place in 2018 (which included the University of Adelaide) to rebrand the College. Feedback from students, staff, Council and visitors to the College has been most favourable. The logo is simple in its design, maintaining a recognisable symbol of a learning institution, while also providing a visual statement of the fluidity of learning and the connection across all disciplines. 

Numerous opportunities for students to gather with staff and other students have occurred during these first weeks of 2019. The O Week luncheons and O Week Expo brought students together to mingle, eat and plan student-led activities for the year. Chinese New Year was celebrated through sharing Chinese food and witnessing a traditional Dragon Dance, bringing us luck for the Year of the Pig. 

Through an initiative of Zahra Pirvali, and with the support of other staff committed to building community, there have been two Sunday hikes in various locations around Adelaide. Enthusiastic staff, students and parents have joined the group. Participants have reported the positive atmosphere generated, and are grateful for the opportunity to get some exercise and develop friendships along the way. I look forward to many walks in the future and invite you to join us.

Students have also been involved in sessions designed to assist Mentor teachers to get to know them. Students have learnt about the priorities of USC, in particular the importance of wellbeing and developing an understanding of how to learn effectively. They also took part in a lecture on the difference between the mastery of learning and learning for performance, both of which are important at different stages in the learning process. Mastery v Performance will be the topic for our first Parent Evening on Wednesday 27 March at 6:30pm on Level Three of the Jordan Building. I look forward to welcoming parents to this first lecture, which will be conducted by Glen Arthur, Dean of Innovation and Partnerships.

In this newsletter we have also provided a copy of the key Aspirations of our Strategic Plan. Families new to USC may wish to read this information as the Aspirations and Strategic Plan underpin all we do at USC. 

Staff at USC are committed to supporting students to be their very best, and understand the importance of communication and the development of relationships with students and their parents. To that end, if you have any ideas, issues or concerns, as I have stated on other occasions, please get in contact with us. We much prefer to know about things early, so that we can provide the appropriate care and support.
Wishing you all the very best for 2019.

Regards,
Anita