Professional Development: Making It Happen
This week, support staff participated in a follow-up session from their previous Professional Development Day, Fire Up The Future, with high-performance coach and psychological transformation expert Vanessa Vershaw.
Support staff continued from concepts discussed in the previous workshop, such as inclusion, leadership and innovation, and also explored new topics.
The session facilitated discussions between staff about how they currently perceive support staff as a group and how they wish to be seen in the future. Later, in small groups, staff members came up with ways to describe the support staff’s purpose and brainstormed ways to carry out this purpose in line with the College’s Strategic Plan.Â
We spoke to some members of support staff about the session, here is what they had to say:
“Vanessa was very quick to build a rapport, encouraged participation with the group and created a relaxed atmosphere. Vanessa was an excellent facilitator and it was a great training day. I particularly enjoyed getting to know my fellow work colleagues better.” Sally Nettleton, Laboratory Technician
“It was wonderful to have an opportunity to meet as a team to work collaboratively on our vision for support staff.” Carolyn Sharp, Admission Manager
“To come together as support staff to discuss our purpose at the College was extremely helpful, as it encouraged us to come together as a team.” Alexandra Zivanovic, Community Relations Assistant
“This session with Vanessa was a great follow up to the previous PD Day, as it gave us an opportunity to reflect on ways we can reach our team goals, not only in our specific areas, but more generally as support staff.” Mia Sorci, Community Relations Intern
Thank you to Tim Stewart, Director of Corporate Services, and Vanessa for facilitating such an informative and rewarding session.
Santa Maria’s Boarding Mural: A Tapestry of Unity
As part of Boarding Week, our boarders have presented the College with a remarkable art mural which adorns the walls outside the Cafe.
Shayla Wins Class Clowns 2024
Shayla was recently crowned winner of the Class Clowns National Grand Final at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The Value of Student Voice – Jennifer Oaten
“At Santa Maria College, we are not only given the opportunity, but we are encouraged by our teachers and each other to voice our opinions, concerns and ideas—to continue moving forward as a school and as a community. Student voice is integral for growth, and allows for us, as students to have an active role in shaping our education.”
- Collaboration, CriticalThinking, Featured, staff
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
