This week I have been in our National Capital where the Year 6 students are (amongst other things) consolidating their understanding of law making and the democratic process. It was wonderful to hear the girls reflect on their increased understanding of the methods of passing legislation once they had sat in old parliament house and undertaken a role play that saw them debate a “bill”. We speak to the girls often about the ways in which they can have a voice. When they are younger, we focus on their voice within the school context: raising issues through the student council or voting in peers for leadership positions. Ultimately, however, we hope that these processes will prepare them to be active participants in the Australian democracy once they have entered the adult world, where hopefully they can be changemakers and thoughtful contributors within our society. 

On the theme of legislative change, next week sees the introduction of a change to the Fair Work Act 2009 with the introduction of a formal workplace right to disconnect. Under this amendment, the right of an employee to switch off from emails or other contact from the workplace is protected. At Lowther Hall, the wellbeing of our staff is incredibly important and we encourage them to ensure they are putting things in place to care for themselves and manage the interface between work and home. In practice, this means that if you send an email to a member of staff they cannot reasonably be expected to attend to it until the next available gap in their work day – which may not come for 24 to 48 hours. For part-time staff, if they do not attend work for several days, this may delay the response further. Contact with parents is another highly valued aspect of our school culture and providing information and responses in a timely fashion is a priority. In these times of instant and ubiquitous electronic communication, however, we need to balance the sometimes competing needs of staff and parents. Please be assured that responding to parent contact will remain a priority, but that a staff member will not be expected to respond to messages in the evenings or on weekends. If a matter is urgent outside hours, please reach out to a Head of School or to me – the nature of our jobs means that we can expect to monitor our communications in a more consistent manner. During the school day, a phone call is always best for any matter requiring an immediate response. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to ensure everyone can maintain their right to some down time and a balance their various life demands.

Ms Elisabeth Rhodes
Principal