Our School community seeks answers!
Our School community seeks answers!
The issue
Send to: admin@.org.au
Copy to: The Honorary Secretary
Dear Parish President,
We write as a parent community to express our disappointment, distress and grave concerns regarding the ‘Important Announcement’ that was made to the St (the “College”) school community on Friday 29 July 2022 at 5.15 p.m. via the St App. The announcement communicates the sudden and unexpected departure of Mrs. A. Synesios, the Principal of the Junior School (the “Principal”), and was made by Mr. Elia Economou, Parish President (the “Announcement”).
Our Principal has demonstrated 32 years of dedication and commitment to the College with an undeniable passion, care and love for our children’s education. She has played an instrumental role, as to the choice many parents have made to enroll their children into the trust of her care as Principal of the Junior School. She has been pivotal to the growth and development of the Junior School and thousands of students over time.
In light of our Principal’s significant contribution to the College and the duration of her tenure, we consider the Announcement, including the way in which it has been communicated, to be undignified, unprofessional and simply unacceptable.
We raise the following concerns in relation to the Announcement, including the way in which it has been communicated, and seek an urgent response from the Parish President and the Parish Board:
1. We can all agree that the departure of a school’s Principal, particularly after a 32 year tenure, is a significant decision and event for any school and its students.
Despite the enormity of such a decision and its potential impact on our Junior School children and the broader school community:
a. the Board proceeded to make the Announcement very late on a Friday afternoon;
b. it was considered appropriate to make such an announcement informally via the College App (and not formally on College letterhead);
c. the Announcement did not specify the exact reason for the Principal’s departure; and
d. the Announcement failed to communicate the effective date of departure, including the Principal’s last day with the College.
We consider all of the above to be fundamental and at the core of any such type of communication. The absence of such basic information has left our school community highly distressed and anxious.
At the very least, our Principal’s impending departure should have been ‘flagged’ with the Junior School community prior to any formal announcement being made.
An opportunity to celebrate her career, dedication and invaluable contribution to our Junior School children and the College should have also been communicated.
2. The Announcement states that “Mrs Katsogiannis, as our Head of College, will continue to oversee both Junior and Senior School campuses.”
The parent community supports and has complete faith in Mrs. Katsogiannis, however, the Announcement:
a. does not advise with any certainty as to whether Mrs. Katsogiannis’ role is an interim or permanent solution to our Principal’s departure;
b. does not include any considered transition plan to ensure minimum disruption to our children’s schooling life, their educational requirements and the College’s reputation; and
c. does not provide any indication of, whether in fact, there will be a replacement of the Junior School principal position, including how and when such replacement is to occur.
Any announcement regarding the departure of a school’s principal without any information being provided as to next steps for the leadership of the school is unacceptable.
Any potential suggestion of not having a Junior School principal for the interim or long term is also not acceptable.
3. A core value of our College is the preservation and importance of the social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our young people. Our College also prides itself on providing educational excellence within a caring environment.
The Announcement demonstrates a serious lack of adherence to these fundamental College values and does not inspire our confidence in the Parish Board’s capacity to provide a nurturing environment for our children or an appropriate environment for our teachers to do the best for our children.
The Announcement:
a. lacks empathy and consideration for the emotional impact that such news may have on our Junior School children, the staff and the broader school community;
b. does not include any information on support that should be available to our Junior School children and staff who may feel shocked, distressed and abandoned by our Principal’s sudden and unexpected departure; and
c. does not include any relevant contact details should anyone wish to escalate any questions, concerns or queries in relation to the announcement.
As at the date of this Letter, our Junior School children have yet to be formally informed of our Principal’s departure. This places an unfair burden on our parents to communicate the news without any information.
4. The Announcement was made and signed by Mr. Elia Economou, Parish President (the “Parish President”).
This has raised various questions and concerns, including:
a. why has such a critical College announcement been delivered by the Parish President and not the College Leadership itself?
b. what is the relationship between the Parish President (together with the Parish Board) and the College?
c. how will future College announcements be made, managed and delivered to our children and our broader school community?
d. what is the College’s Governance Structure and Framework?
e. who in fact is ultimately responsible for making key and fundamental decisions on behalf of our children and the College?
Up to this point, we understood that our College Leadership has been ultimately responsible for the educational decisions, growth and outcomes of our children (
However, if decisions affecting our children’s general welfare, educational future, and the strategic direction of our College are in fact being made by the Parish Board and not the College Leadership, then in the interests of transparency, this should be disclosed and at the very least, on the College website.
Our College prides itself on values of excellence, integrity, family and community and premises its actions on the fundamental values of Faith, fairness, justice and respect to all people.
Given the enormous void and the immeasurable sense of uncertainty created by our Principal’s sudden and unexpected departure, the closing remarks of the Announcement regarding the “….exciting new initiatives in the coming months with our school community to continue the position of our College for growth and success in 2022 and beyond” are insensitive, inappropriate and offensive.
Given the concerns outlined in this Letter, we request that an open forum in the form of a ‘Parent Information Evening’ be arranged by the Parish Board, to be held by no later than Wednesday 31 August 2022, at which all Parish Board members, and the College Leadership be available to:
a. provide further information on the issues raised in this Letter,
b. address any further concerns raised by our parent community regarding plans for an appropriate Junior School principal replacement; and
c. present the plan for our Junior School children’s education and the future, strategic direction of our Junior School.
In the interests of transparency, we also request that, at the ‘Parent Information Evening’, the Parish Board introduces itself to the school community and presents and informs the school community of its Board and Governance structure, including addressing each of the following matters:
a. the Board’s composition including the independence and identity of each Board member together with their professional credentials;
b. the Board’s role in the College’s school governance and decision making, including administrative and operational matters;
c. the Board’s election process – including when and how the Board is elected; and
d. how the Board members are entitled to vote.
Finally, we look forward to receiving a response to this Letter by no later than Thursday 11 August 2022.
Yours Sincerely,
The St. Community
parentbodyssc@gmail.com
2 August 2022
1,124
The issue
Send to: admin@.org.au
Copy to: The Honorary Secretary
Dear Parish President,
We write as a parent community to express our disappointment, distress and grave concerns regarding the ‘Important Announcement’ that was made to the St (the “College”) school community on Friday 29 July 2022 at 5.15 p.m. via the St App. The announcement communicates the sudden and unexpected departure of Mrs. A. Synesios, the Principal of the Junior School (the “Principal”), and was made by Mr. Elia Economou, Parish President (the “Announcement”).
Our Principal has demonstrated 32 years of dedication and commitment to the College with an undeniable passion, care and love for our children’s education. She has played an instrumental role, as to the choice many parents have made to enroll their children into the trust of her care as Principal of the Junior School. She has been pivotal to the growth and development of the Junior School and thousands of students over time.
In light of our Principal’s significant contribution to the College and the duration of her tenure, we consider the Announcement, including the way in which it has been communicated, to be undignified, unprofessional and simply unacceptable.
We raise the following concerns in relation to the Announcement, including the way in which it has been communicated, and seek an urgent response from the Parish President and the Parish Board:
1. We can all agree that the departure of a school’s Principal, particularly after a 32 year tenure, is a significant decision and event for any school and its students.
Despite the enormity of such a decision and its potential impact on our Junior School children and the broader school community:
a. the Board proceeded to make the Announcement very late on a Friday afternoon;
b. it was considered appropriate to make such an announcement informally via the College App (and not formally on College letterhead);
c. the Announcement did not specify the exact reason for the Principal’s departure; and
d. the Announcement failed to communicate the effective date of departure, including the Principal’s last day with the College.
We consider all of the above to be fundamental and at the core of any such type of communication. The absence of such basic information has left our school community highly distressed and anxious.
At the very least, our Principal’s impending departure should have been ‘flagged’ with the Junior School community prior to any formal announcement being made.
An opportunity to celebrate her career, dedication and invaluable contribution to our Junior School children and the College should have also been communicated.
2. The Announcement states that “Mrs Katsogiannis, as our Head of College, will continue to oversee both Junior and Senior School campuses.”
The parent community supports and has complete faith in Mrs. Katsogiannis, however, the Announcement:
a. does not advise with any certainty as to whether Mrs. Katsogiannis’ role is an interim or permanent solution to our Principal’s departure;
b. does not include any considered transition plan to ensure minimum disruption to our children’s schooling life, their educational requirements and the College’s reputation; and
c. does not provide any indication of, whether in fact, there will be a replacement of the Junior School principal position, including how and when such replacement is to occur.
Any announcement regarding the departure of a school’s principal without any information being provided as to next steps for the leadership of the school is unacceptable.
Any potential suggestion of not having a Junior School principal for the interim or long term is also not acceptable.
3. A core value of our College is the preservation and importance of the social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our young people. Our College also prides itself on providing educational excellence within a caring environment.
The Announcement demonstrates a serious lack of adherence to these fundamental College values and does not inspire our confidence in the Parish Board’s capacity to provide a nurturing environment for our children or an appropriate environment for our teachers to do the best for our children.
The Announcement:
a. lacks empathy and consideration for the emotional impact that such news may have on our Junior School children, the staff and the broader school community;
b. does not include any information on support that should be available to our Junior School children and staff who may feel shocked, distressed and abandoned by our Principal’s sudden and unexpected departure; and
c. does not include any relevant contact details should anyone wish to escalate any questions, concerns or queries in relation to the announcement.
As at the date of this Letter, our Junior School children have yet to be formally informed of our Principal’s departure. This places an unfair burden on our parents to communicate the news without any information.
4. The Announcement was made and signed by Mr. Elia Economou, Parish President (the “Parish President”).
This has raised various questions and concerns, including:
a. why has such a critical College announcement been delivered by the Parish President and not the College Leadership itself?
b. what is the relationship between the Parish President (together with the Parish Board) and the College?
c. how will future College announcements be made, managed and delivered to our children and our broader school community?
d. what is the College’s Governance Structure and Framework?
e. who in fact is ultimately responsible for making key and fundamental decisions on behalf of our children and the College?
Up to this point, we understood that our College Leadership has been ultimately responsible for the educational decisions, growth and outcomes of our children (
However, if decisions affecting our children’s general welfare, educational future, and the strategic direction of our College are in fact being made by the Parish Board and not the College Leadership, then in the interests of transparency, this should be disclosed and at the very least, on the College website.
Our College prides itself on values of excellence, integrity, family and community and premises its actions on the fundamental values of Faith, fairness, justice and respect to all people.
Given the enormous void and the immeasurable sense of uncertainty created by our Principal’s sudden and unexpected departure, the closing remarks of the Announcement regarding the “….exciting new initiatives in the coming months with our school community to continue the position of our College for growth and success in 2022 and beyond” are insensitive, inappropriate and offensive.
Given the concerns outlined in this Letter, we request that an open forum in the form of a ‘Parent Information Evening’ be arranged by the Parish Board, to be held by no later than Wednesday 31 August 2022, at which all Parish Board members, and the College Leadership be available to:
a. provide further information on the issues raised in this Letter,
b. address any further concerns raised by our parent community regarding plans for an appropriate Junior School principal replacement; and
c. present the plan for our Junior School children’s education and the future, strategic direction of our Junior School.
In the interests of transparency, we also request that, at the ‘Parent Information Evening’, the Parish Board introduces itself to the school community and presents and informs the school community of its Board and Governance structure, including addressing each of the following matters:
a. the Board’s composition including the independence and identity of each Board member together with their professional credentials;
b. the Board’s role in the College’s school governance and decision making, including administrative and operational matters;
c. the Board’s election process – including when and how the Board is elected; and
d. how the Board members are entitled to vote.
Finally, we look forward to receiving a response to this Letter by no later than Thursday 11 August 2022.
Yours Sincerely,
The St. Community
parentbodyssc@gmail.com
2 August 2022
1,124
Petition updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 2 August 2022