Letter from our New Head of School - 25th  June, 2009

  

Dear Parents, Staff and Students of Saint Michael’s International School,

I hope you have had a rewarding 2009 school year.

My name is Paul Grisewood and I have been appointed as the Head of School commencing in the 2009-10 academic school year. I am very pleased and excited about the future at SMIS.

I have been a teacher and administrator in the Australian Independent Education system for the past eighteen years, and I believe that in this time I have experienced and achieved much that would assist me in this position. My wife Julie and I with our young family (Morgan 3 and Eva 2) are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges life will offer us over the coming years.

I have over fourteen years of administration experience across Australia. I have held the position of Assistant Principal, Religious Education Coordinator, Deputy Head, Assistant Director and Primary Coordinator. I have had experience in K-7 (4 to 12 years olds) and K-12 (4 to 18 years old) school settings. I have experience in both Primary and Middle Schools. Most recently I have held the position of Head of Junior School at Trinity Anglican School.

In my management roles I have been a member of the Administration Team, Executive, Pastoral Care Board, Planning Group, Assessment Committee and Learning Technologies Group. As a part of School Governance I have focused on Education, Marketing and Finances.  I have been involved in numerous long term projects facilitating review, change and development in schools. I am a member of many professional organisations and a believer in professional learning. I believe a school should be constantly changing, visionary and forever moving forward.

I believe schools should strive for the best in all aspects of the organisation. But what is the best? What is an effective school? I believe it is a school …
That has a shared vision, plan and direction
Where all staff have high expectations of themselves and their students
That provides an effective teaching and learning program
That promotes effective teamwork and planning by all teachers
It is a school that is changing and moving forward after careful planning
That develops a sense of community and support.
That values only positive relationship building
And importantly, it is a professional learning community of teachers.
…my challenge is to work with SMIS to achieve these goals.

On a personal level, I endeavour to work towards a mission statement to challenge myself and to focus towards a set of goals in all aspects of my life. They are:
To put my wife and family and its responsibilities, first
Seek experiences that will challenge me and broaden my horizons
Synergise with people, relax, enjoy my personal pursuits and experience life
Develop myself as an administrator and educational leader

As described by Myers Briggs Profiling, I am an ISTJ which can be described as
Intuitive, Sensing, Thinking and Judging. “ISTJs are quiet and reserved individuals. They have a strongly-felt internal sense of duty, which lends them a serious air and the motivation to follow through on tasks. ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings. In general, the ISTJs are capable, logical, reasonable, and effective individuals with a high level of drive.” (Myers Briggs Training Manual.) I hope this gives a little insight into me as a person.

My aim is to meet all members of the community in a relaxed and informal discussion within the first few weeks. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself.  I will meet with all staff and this will be their opportunity to discuss their background, interests and goals for 2009-10. My next aim is to visit all the classes and speak to the students and let them get to know me. In general, I wish to watch and learn and get to know everyone. Together we can then plan for the year ahead and the future direction of SMIS.

I believe every day is a learning experience and I realize I will make mistakes. My goal as Head is to support the staff, in your demanding roles as educators, and parents in any way I can. I believe schools are about people and relationships. A happy staff is a happy school. Leadership is about guidance and management, but also it’s about service to others.

I look forward to the journey ahead and to meeting each of you.

Paul Grisewood

Head of School
St. Michael's International School