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What a privilege has been
to lead Eunice these last 26
years. So many people have ,over 136
years, contributed to creating a school which enjoys a
national reputation, world class standards, a strong sense
of tradition and a very special spirit. Eunice’s success
lies in the committed core of strong personalities who share
my conviction that serving Eunice is a way of life. So many
of our key personnel are leaders who innovate with
expertise, with flair and with passion. Our success also
rests with the real quality of our girls who respond with
such enthusiasm.
I am acutely aware of what parents want in a quality
boarding school. Firstly a safe and secure environment.
Secondly, a first rate approach to academics with expert
teaching, especially in the critical learning areas:
Mathematics, Physical Science, Accounting and Technology.
Thirdly, they want a range of varied all-round opportunities
which smaller rural schools find difficult to match. And
lastly, they want their daughters to be happy. A caring,
fun-filled approach to academics is what sets us apart as a
school which gives its rollercoaster service calendar loads
of colour and character.
But it’s our girls who keep us eager and young and who make
up this school. I find the large majority of our girls
wonderfully enthusiastic, frighteningly energetic, generally
appreciative and full of camaraderie and spirit. The young
have a natural directness about them and an innocence and
spontaneity which makes them special.
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 Closing Function 2010
Closing Function 2009
Closing Function 2008 |
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The Pathfinder programme is a 12 month
learning cycle which includes 12 virtual universities. These
are training sessions conducted as webcasts starting in
September (northern hemisphere timing). The sessions are
hosted by world experts in their field relating to
innovation and transformation. We also have access to the
Innovative Schools’ Toolkit which is an online school and
staff development tool made up of eight workshops which
include the very best resources available. After the 12
months in the Pathfinder community, schools make way for a
new list of pathfinder schools who get to attend the
international conference and participate in the next 12
virtual universities.
However, 12 of the ‘pathfinder’
schools have been selected to stay on in the Innovative
Schools Initiative for a further two years as MENTOR
SCHOOLS. It is now more about me than the school as I, as a
school leader, help to lead the new pathfinder schools
(already top schools in their communities) through a 12
month journey. We are grouped as regional teams (Africa and
Middle East) and we do mentoring during 7 virtual
mentorships during the next 12 months. There is now a second
SA school appointed for 2010/ 2011 as a pathfinder school:
St Cyprian’s Girls’ School in Cape Town. We work closely
with them and with The Aga Khan Foundation School in Kenya,
Maru-a- Pula in Botswana and Panayia Theoskepasti Gymnasium
in Cyprus. Together we all attended the 4 day World - Wide
Innovative Education Forum at the Convention Centre in Cape
Town in October .Last month Microsoft sponsored the world’s
top expert on ‘Envisioning’ Dan Buckley to run a workshop
with seven of our innovative teachers in the morning and
with our school management team in the afternoon. Microsoft
uses him as a consultant all over the world so his
experience and his ideas were very valuable. Together as
schools and school leaders we all try to share best
practices in trying to do justice to our world’s greatest
challenge: producing school-leavers who are: “Confident
individuals who are successful learners and responsible
citizens possessing competencies that enable them to be
effective in a knowledge based economy probably without
oil.”
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