ASPIRE!
The Santa Maria College ASPIRE Program provides inspirational and practical information for staff who would like to pursue leadership in education. The program has recently been relaunched for 2022, with a number of staff participating.
This year there were three ASPIRE sessions:
Session 1: Career Pathways Panel
During this session, the panel shared their leadership journeys by responding to these questions:
- How did you decide on your leadership pathway?
- What study and/or roles were stepping-stones to your current leadership position?
- What challenges have you overcome in your leadership journey?
- What do you enjoy most about your leadership role?
Session 2: CVs and Covering Letters
In this session, participants learnt how to secure an interview for a leadership role. Sharnee Commins from Deloitte Consulting gave tips on how to effectively present a CV as well as how to write to selection criteria as part of a cover letter.
Session 3: Interview Techniques
This week Principal Jennifer Oaten and Deputy Principal Simone Sawiris presented the final session. They shared practical tips such as knowing your key strengths and areas for growth in relation to a role. They also shared what NOT to do in an interview to help our staff prepare for their professional future.
Deputy Principal, Teaching & Learning Simone Sawiris said, “The best way to ensure that we always have excellent leaders in our school is to invest time in mentoring and coaching them for their next role. Our ASPIRE Program has been a great way to encourage future and current leaders at the College. So often, professional development focuses on teaching, learning and pastoral care, so it is great to see the College prioritising staff to keep pushing forward in their leadership journeys.”
Participant Laura Agostino chose to do the ASPIRE Program to learn more about career progression opportunities and to hear from people who previously progressed into leadership roles. She said, “I found it very inspiring to hear from my colleagues about their achievements within the profession. It was also beneficial to learn about tips for creating a modern CV and other useful career tips. I found the sessions I attended to be extremely engaging and inspiring.”
Samantha Doughty said, “The ASPIRE Program has given me valuable insight into how hiring practices have changed in the last five years, especially in digital CV building and content creation. Hearing the diverse journeys to leadership presented by my colleagues was particularly helpful in reaffirming that there are many ways to be and become a leader”.
Thank you to Michelle Carrick, Head of Professional Learning, for organising this opportunity for our staff.
Combating The Attention Span Crisis In Our Students – Jennifer Oaten
It is no secret that attention spans have been steadily declining, especially among younger generations growing up immersed in digital technology. The average person’s attention span when using a digital device has plummeted from around two and a half minutes back in 2004 to just 47 seconds on average today – a dramatic 66% decrease over the past two decades.
Weekly Wrap Up: Term 2, Week 2, 2024
Week 2 has come to an end! This Weekly Wrap Up features highlights from Scuba Diving Club, the Sisterhood Series, and Boarding ANZAC Service.
Santa Maria Teams Shine in Term 1 Sports
Santa Maria had a huge number of girls in the IGSSA AFL and Volleyball competition with strong results for a number of teams.
- 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.
