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Ebenezer Public School

Ebenezer Public School

Ever Onward

Telephone02 4579 9282

Emailebenezer-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Principal's Address Transcript 2017

2017 Presentation Day Speech - Mr Luke O'Brien

Students, graduating class of 2017 and their families and friends, family and friends of Ebenezer, our hard-working Ebenezer staff.

Before I go on I have the pleasure of welcoming our special guests for the evening.

Mr Ted Brill and his wife Sue. Ted was the principal of Ebenezer from 1972 – 2000 and is now secretary of Ebenezer Church. Sue, his wife, was a stalwart at the school for many years. The Brill family are ingrained in the fabric of the school and it is wonderful that they are able to be with us tonight and for Ted to present our Young Achievers Award.

You may recognise Mr Serge Stutz, He is the Client Services Manager at Richmond Club. Richmond Club's community-mindedness is evident and they have been a wonderful help for some years now in ensuring we can access their free community bus service. Thank you for attending tonight Serge and presenting the Richmond Club School Citizenship Award.

I would also like to welcome Mrs James, our OOSH convenor, who will be presenting the P&C Report tonight. Nicole has been a wonderfully engaged and hard-working P&C member since her boys started at Ebenezer and I thank her for stepping in for Rachael Turnbull, who cannot be here tonight.

It is again my great honour as principal of Ebenezer Public School to speak to you on this occasion, our Presentation Day for 2017.

When I say the word honour I really mean it. When I stand on playground duty and wander among the students here… or I have a laugh or a deep discussion about a student with a truly caring staff member… I am consistently amazed and overwhelmed at the job I have. I get to come to work every morning and be part of something beautiful at our school. It is a challenge some days but know you all are a credit to the place. I love showing us off to new families. We are all lucky to be part of public education in a small setting in the Hawkesbury.

I won't wax lyrically as much as normal now but I will give you a snippet of feedback for us all, the students who always make Ebenezer a gem of a place, the staff who work with so much heart and the parents who get in behind the school and support the direction we are going. An ex-teacher from Ebenezer during Ted's time as principal, Lyndall Harrison came and opened the art show and sent me an email not long after which said:

There is a great feel at EPS - one you get a sense of as you walk through the gate! Congratulations. The school environment at Ebenezer easily tops them all. Congratulations to all involved in the planning and upkeep of such a beautiful space.

A recent Dept of Education visitor said ‘you just know it is a good school, everyone seems so happy'.

I think these statements speak for themselves.

Now I must thank some people. Every new student at Ebenezer is absorbed and lands softly into our school and there is a real team effort in making this happen.

To the parents and community of Ebenezer PS. Thank you for being a big part of why this happens. Thank you for supporting your school. Our dedicated and passionate P&C have just worked tirelessly. Art show, again, exceeded expectations.

Thank you parents for going with us on our journey to produce resilient children, ready for the world. It's a tough one, I'm not sure it's ever not been tough! But as a slice of the world and therefore a preparation for it, I hope we are able to prepare you for it.

This school will continue on through the decades, students, teachers and parents will come and go. Our job is to bolster good systems and practices and leave the place better than we found it. As a staff we try to maintain the tension on our practice.

As a staff we tackle every challenge with a forward focus, ever onward. Thank you Ebenezer Public School staff for consistently being there for the students, maintaining a clear focus on learning and explicitly building their skills and knowledge with expertise and passion .

Thank you Mrs Willoughby-Green and staff for organising today, you have again done credit to yourselves and the school. Thank you Mrs Proglio for taking time out of your schedule to help us out as well.

On that note I know we haven't lost Mrs Proglio to the system entirely but I would like to say:

Ebenezer PS has been blessed in having a dynamic learning leader at our school since 2008, Mrs Proglio. She intuitively helps lead our school and I have been able to consult with her and executive on decisions knowing she has the ability to ‘cut through' to the point and help refocus the school on the students. She now will use her skills to guide another small school through change, Toongabbie East benefit from her experience guiding teachers through excellent curriculum delivery.

Mrs Proglio will continue to train our teachers in L3, so she won't be too far away!

We, of course, are sad to see her head off but excited for her. We wish her all the best as she heads into an exciting stage of her career.

Mrs Proglio maintains her substantive position as full-time Assistant Principal at Ebenezer throughout this 3 year post. Mrs Willoughby-Green, as you all know, will continue in her role as Relieving Assistant Principal for 5 days a week. Already the transition has been wonderfully smooth due to your hard work, Tracy. The staff already thrive under her intuitive leadership and student focus and I look forward to the coming years.

Next year we are embarking on an exciting new phase in improving how we teach at Ebenezer. Dr John Hattie conducted research 10 years ago now which peeled back the most effective practices in the classroom that have a direct influence on improving learning outcomes. The focus needs to be on making learning visible and clear to each student and giving direct, relevant feedback for growth. I am happy to announce that we are going to engage deeply in full school impact professional learning alongside neighbouring Hawkesbury school to embed these practices into our classrooms. It is an exciting time to be a student and a teacher at Ebenezer PS.

As we have grown, and you all have seen evidence of this back at school, we have been able to welcome a new staff member as well as maintain the wonderful core staff at Ebenezer. We welcome Mrs Linda Dowey who has taught at Glenhaven Public School for 12 years. She was successfully transferred to our school and we welcome her into our school family.

We also welcome Mrs Libby Feneley to Ebenezer PS. She comes to the school with a wealth of experience in library and will take classes for library / RFF lessons 3 days per week. It is wonderful to have such an experienced and dedicated new addition to our staff.

Students, you will love both of our new teachers!

With growing numbers and Mrs Proglio's movement out of the school we have been able to keep our 2 wonderful teachers Mrs Vallis and Mr Le Couteur full time. You 2 are an integral part of our school now and it is an absolute pleasure to be working alongside you both.

I extend this praise to all of my staff here at Ebenezer, we are all committed to the students and to each other and I couldn't imagine a more wonderful bunch of caring professionals to work with every day.

To our captains for next year. Good luck to you all and congratulations on your election – this year's captains did their job with tenacity, pride and showed true leadership qualities, all you really have to do is emulate this legacy.

Thank you to the contingent of candidates for 2018 Captain positions who weren't chosen this year. I'm a big fan of all of the students here and it was wonderful to see so many candidates having a go and risking failure! That is one of life's challenges you have been exposed to early. I am impressed with the way you have handled yourselves. We will be needing you next year.

To our Kindergarten graduating class of 2017. You have amazed all of us with how far you've come this year. You can work by yourself through tasks already and the way you have all moved through your ninjas this year shows you know where you are up to with your learning, and where you need to go next. It has been a delight for me, as it is every year, to spend time helping out with your reading and watching you progress. Congratulations on finishing your first year at big school!

Finally to the whole of Year 6. You are getting ready to be citizens of the world. There is a special feeling you may have now. Leaving the security, safety and comfort of primary school can be a bit daunting. There is a mixture of joy and excitement, sadness and trepidation. You may feel the weight of responsibility now a little bit more as you take over the reins of your life. Whether you gave a small, kind gesture towards a friend, a visitor or a new kindy child or made us proud with your sporting or academic achievements, you are all wonderful Ebenezer students who shone in your own special way here.

Sincere apologies if I have left anything out. Have a wonderful and safe Christmas and we look forward to 2018. To everyone in our school community… thank you for bringing your children to our school and trusting us with them every day. Your children do you credit every day as we join with you in helping them get ready for the world.

Thank you.

Luke O'Brien