Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week’s Assembly reading on the theme of Service came from Albert Einstein’s book The World As I See It. Students resonated with his reflection that we are all beneficiaries of the “labours of others, living and dead.” It prompted us to consider just how interconnected our lives really are. From the food we eat to […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
As we head into the latter half of the term, the excitement of class camps is forefront of many students’ minds. Class camps are not just an exciting opportunity to be with friends and explore topics that have been studied in class. They allow students to learn about themselves, broaden their horizons, and develop independence. […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
As we celebrate Book Week with our upcoming Book Parade on Wednesday 19th August, it is worth reflecting on the wonderful influence books have on young readers. With so much conversation today about reducing screen time and countering declining attention spans, books offer a powerful way to educate children on many levels. They inspire, provoke […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Community involvement is an important part of school life, and this week it was evident in so many ways. We began by celebrating Teachers’ Day, where students showed great respect and gratitude towards teachers, both past and present, acknowledging the important role they play in our lives. The JC Choir proudly represented the school at […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
The value of Respect was observed and practised throughout NAIDOC day celebrations last week. Beginning with the whole school Acknowledgement of Country, students engaged with the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through various activities. By the end of the day, our students had made such a great impression on the […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week we had the pleasure of watching U1st and 2nd class in their dress rehearsals. The hours of effort and careful preparation have clearly paid off. The children have mastered their individual parts, and through teamwork they form wonderful presentations. It is hard to believe that for many of them, this is only their second or third experience […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Philosophy discussions in class each week allow students to consider ideas at a deeper level than they might ordinarily. For instance, when exploring the value of Stillness, Lower 1st contemplated the idea of focused attention. In practical terms, the children experienced the quality of attention that comes with colouring in — focusing on the point of the pencil […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Open Day was a wonderful success and the excitement carries straight into next week. Founder’s Day will be marked at both the Infants and Primary Assemblies with a presentation on the origins of John Colet School. On Wednesday, finalists from 3rd to 6th class take the stage for the Primary Public Speaking Competition final, and Friday brings […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Open Day is nearly here, and the children cannot wait to welcome you. Alongside the classroom displays, there has been a wonderful buzz of preparation behind the scenes — with singing, orchestra and drama all coming together for the occasion. What you see on the day is just a glimpse of the rich and varied […]
Deputy Head’s comment
Our school lunch program is one of the things that makes John Colet special. Children don’t just get a good meal — it’s an opportunity to try new and varied foods, practise serving others, and develop good table manners. A recent ABC News story explored the idea of introducing school lunches across Australia. The reason […]
This week, ySafe delivered cyber safety workshops to all students from Upper 1st to 6th class. ySafe presenter David Smith noted how much students’ awareness of online safety has grown since he began visiting John Colet several years ago. In the parent webinar, David emphasised the importance of parents approaching technology with curiosity and having […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to observe several classes during their writing sessions and have noticed the students’ careful, sustained attention. Intentionally cultivating attention is an important practice at our school. Its many lifelong benefits make it a valuable skill, and our students are fortunate to be developing an awareness of it and experiencing its […]
Deputy Head’s Comment
Several years ago, John Colet School introduced The Alphabet of Humanity as part of our character education program. Each letter of the alphabet is linked to a meaningful concept—such as abundance, diversity, and empathy—that we explore with the children. Each week at Assembly, a new word is introduced and discussed. Through reflection and conversation, students build their vocabulary, strengthen […]
Deputy Head’s Comment
I have been so impressed by how smart and well-presented the children look each morning as they arrive in their school uniforms. From remembering their hats and keeping shoelaces neatly tied, to the many 5th and 6th Class students wearing their compulsory Term 1 blazers, their tidy appearance sets a positive tone for the day […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
I’m thrilled to be teaching Philosophy to Lower 1st this year. We’ve begun our journey into wisdom by exploring our School Value of Truthfulness, discussing the fundamental question: What is Truth? Next week’s Sanskrit prayer, ‘Asato ma’, beautifully connects to this theme. Through listening carefully to the prayer’s words, the children made a wonderful discovery—recognising […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Last week, Mr. Renshaw spoke to the staff about our school motto, “Testare de ille Luce” which translates as ‘Bear witness of that light”. This week, I had several opportunities to witness the light in our 6th class students. On Tuesday, our eldest students warmly welcomed our new Lower 1st children on their first day of school.Their friendly presence was invaluable to the younger children, their parents, and staff alike. Mr. Wilcock and I also […]
From our Deputy Head
The start of the year is often thought of as a time for new beginnings. For children in Lower 1st, 3rd, and 5th Class, next week marks an important milestone as they embark upon a new chapter in their educational journey. For all students, the commencement of the school year naturally brings a blend of […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week the P&F met for the final time in 2026. This is always a very convivial meeting as we get to have a meal together. It came up in conversation about the unique community that we are a part of at John Colet. There is an intangible, unmeasurable and indefinable force that works throughout […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Tuesday night we hosted an outstanding Instrumental Concert. Twice a year students who learn a musical instrument at school are able to showcase their learning. On Tuesday students who learn outside of the school were also invited to attend. There were some 40 items and in addition to that the JC orchestra also performed. […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Wednesday, the whole school had the joy of watching Lower 1st perform their dress rehearsal in preparation for next week. It was a magnificent effort by all the children without exception. They all gave their complete attention to the performance and spoke their lines with clarity and expression. It was a testimony to hard […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Term 4 is always a particularly busy term for everyone, but especially for 6th class. Once 6th class have finished Shakespeare, they start organising themselves to run the 6th class stalls. The money they raise will be used to purchase a gift for the school. This tradition has seen a number of wonderful additions to […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Yesterday we had our Orientation Morning for L1st 2026. This is a big event for both our incoming students and their parents. Making them feel welcome is a very important part of the morning. Each year our 5th class students are engaged in hosting the morning. This is also a big event for them, and […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week on the Staff Development Day the staff discussed the nurturing of those qualities which bring about excellence, abundance and prosperity in a human life. Some examples of such qualities were unity, fearlessness, compassion, truthfulness and self-control. We looked at how such qualities are practically embedded in our teaching day. One of the subjects […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week we had the third of four workshops that we run for 6th class during the year. The program was started last year and was so successful with the children that we have continued with it this year. The workshops are the brainchild of a past student Sophia Hatzis. The sessions are very interactive […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This term we have focussed on the School Value of Courage. On Wednesday U1st and 2nd class children will participate in the Infants Public Speaking Competition. Public speaking is recognised as one of the greatest fears that adults face, so our children are fortunate to be given a number of opportunities to step up to […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
During my absence recently, both 3rd and 4th class and 5th and 6th class went on their respective school camps. It was wonderful to hear on my return that on both camps, the camp instructors and other people who managed activities all made a point of commenting to our teachers about the behaviour of the […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Today in L1st Philosophy the question was posed “Why is the Pause so important?” Here are just a few of the many responses: It makes you calm; it makes you feel connected to all the world, it gives you a rest, it rests you brain before you start the next lesson, it is our Value […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week I would like to recognise the School Value of Stillness and the huge role it plays in all that takes place at John Colet. During the week, as on most weeks, I had cause to go into all of the classrooms in the school. I was struck particularly by the consistent level of […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Today all our Lower 1st celebrated their first 100 days at school. They all looked very old dressed in their twin sets and vests and sporting canes. It has been a day full of fun activities such as how many words can you write in 100 seconds, how many sit-ups can you do in 100 […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Monday we will celebrate Teacher’s Day. This is an opportunity for the children to acknowledge all that a teacher provides. Throughout life every human is dependent on teachers, and we can all reflect on the impact different teachers have made in our lives. The idea of bringing a flower is to represent a gift […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
For the last few weeks, the children have been competing in friendly Basketball matches with the German International School. This is not just an opportunity for the children to play a friendly game and to improve skills, but it is also a good way to build community, which has been very successful. Over the last […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Last Sunday music was front and centre of the school Open Day performances. Over the years our music department has continued to grow and plays a very important part in the artistic development of the children. Because all the children have to sing, and learn recorder, they develop the ability to pick up new music […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
I was walking past a 3rd class classroom this week and I heard the class teacher, as part of the spelling lesson, asking the children to put the spelling word they were looking at into a sentence. She asked that the sentence also include an adjective, an adverb, a verb and a preposition. It is […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
I would like to acknowledge the 5th and 6th class students this week. On Wednesday one of our 6th class teachers was ill and we were in the unusual predicament of not being able to find a replacement teacher. 5th class opened its adjoining doors and all of 6SB moved in for the day. This […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Welcome back to Term 2. The children have returned to school full of energy and enthusiasm. As always at the beginning of the term all the staff spend time together studying material that supports the ethos of our school. On Monday we spent time discussing a TED talk by Teresse Lewis on Teaching Resilience and […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Today we had the first of our Inter-generational visits at Glenaeon retirement village. Eight children from 3rd and 4th class spent half an hour conversing and playing games or doing craft. The visit is engaging and uplifting for both the residents and the children. It gives children the opportunity to widen their circle of communication […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Wednesday it was a delight to spend some time sitting in on Infants Singing. It was the beautiful sound and quality of the singing which initially drew me into the hall. I ended up staying for 10 or 15 minutes. The children are currently preparing for the Easter and Anzac Assemblies which will be […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Recently, 6th Class teacher Mrs Hansson and I have been looking into a program called Learn Kind which we will be introducing later in the year to all the children from L1st-6th class. Currently 6th class are running modules as a pilot before it goes out the rest of the school. The idea is to […]
From our Deputy Head
This week I had cause to be in the Art room for a prolonged period of time during the U1st art lesson and the 3rd class art lesson. The work that the children are producing is excellent. This was the case for each child as they worked according to their natural talent. The art program […]
From our Deputy Head of School
This week during one of the 6th class Philosophy lessons, a student raised the question, “Is it better to lead a good life, or a happy life?” A great question to consider even though the two are not mutually exclusive. What it highlighted, is that if the aim is to develop good character, then everything […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Today 6th class ran their yearly stalls. The children have worked hard with their teachers to organise the activities, and a really enjoyable morning was had by all. One of the special aspects of this event is that it is run almost entirely by the 6th class for the other students in the school, so […]
Deputy Head’s Comment
Today 6th class are having their “Fun Day”, one of the many “lasts” for them as we move towards the end of term. This week they had their last Philosophy lesson at John Colet. They had an exercise where they had to pick a classmate’s name out of a hat and reflect on the very […]
Deputy Head of School Comment
Shakespeare continues at John Colet with the Lower 1st performances booked for Week 5. In years gone by Lower 1st performed their plays earlier in the year, however moving them to Term 4 allows for the children to mature and have the opportunity to see the older children performing before they themselves take to the […]
From our Deputy Head of School
On Tuesday night there was an Information Evening for our 2025 Lower 1st parents. This is our first opportunity to welcome new families into the John Colet community. The event is a good reminder of the rich and full program that our Lower 1st children have each year. This is very evident in our current […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
For the House Competition this term, the children did a piece that centred on the Value of Stillness, which has been the value in focus for the term. All year groups had the same task which was to colour a lotus flower. This activity was done in silence with a particular focus on giving full […]
On Wednesday night the John Colet Choir and Chamber Ensemble performed at the annual IPSHA Performing Arts Festival held at Sydney Town Hall. The children’s performances were outstanding, and the calibre of the music was exceptional. Special mention must go to violinists Isabella K and Lauren D, and flautist Lachlan L and pianist Engei F, […]
In the 6th class Philosophy lessons, the subject of decision-making is being discussed. Do we make decisions that only affect ourselves or do we consider the larger community. A practical example of this is atmosphere that is generated in a classroom by simple decisions to follow the class rules rather than doing our own thing, […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week we have enjoyed three wonderful sporting events at John Colet. Last Sunday 110 people from joined in the Beach2Beach fun run. This has been the biggest team to date. On Monday we had a fantastic day at our annual Athletics Carnival. There were many parents who joined in the for the day. Finally […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
On Thursday Lower 1st celebrated 100 days at school. It is quite extraordinary to reflect on how much development and learning has taken place in this relatively short period of time. The children show steadiness, focus and independence and have embraced both the School Values and the Pause very naturally. Their ability to sit quietly […]
From our Deputy Head of School
On Monday we will be celebrating Nowruz. This is an ancient custom held throughout Central, Western and South Asia and in and around the Black Sea basin, to celebrate the new year. The children in each year have all made something which will be placed on a table called the Haftseen table. For example, our […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
Next week, the children will be attending Cyber Safety Workshops at school, and we are hoping that as many parents as possible will register for the Wednesday evening webinar. As screens become more and more part of our lives, we need to ensure that the children know how to be responsible digital users. While digital […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
It has been an excellent start to the term. The children have come back bright and ready to engage with their learning. It is very encouraging to see how keen our 6th class students are to take up their responsibilities as leaders of the School. It is clear that they value service and are willing […]
Deputy Head of School’s comment
At this time of year, we are looking forward to all the end of year activities such as the 6th class stalls, Picnic Day, 6th class farewell lunch, excursions and Lower 1st Shakespeare. It is important that these events are enjoyable for everyone and to that end we keep working on the School Value of […]
From our Deputy Head of School
At this time of year, we turn our attention to Leadership roles in the school. There are a number of different areas of leadership including Art Prefect, Head Chorister, Art monitors, Shakespeare monitors and Library monitors. Children in 5th class will be asked in the next few weeks to put their names forward to be […]
Deputy Head of School Comment
This week we had our annual school photos taken. It is a big day that requires a lot of patience and steadiness from the children. Being involved throughout the day provided an opportunity to witness the children practice both these qualities. All the classes without exception gave their attention to following instructions from the photographers. […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
I was reminded of the broad education that our children receive at John Colet when I considered the number of different areas that the school is now represented in. We have recently had the IPSHA Athletics Carnival which saw a number of our students competing as well as the IPSHA Performing Arts Festival which was […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week the John Colet Choir performed at the IPSHA Performing Arts Festival in Sydney Town Hall. As preparation the Choir and the accompanying instrumentalists performed for the Primary Assembly on Monday morning. The calibre of the music and singing were outstanding. On Tuesday night when they did perform, comments were passed about how fine […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This morning we held our annual Public Speaking Competition. Over the last few years this has developed into a wonderful event that really showcases the children’s ability not only to write well, but to confidently deliver in front of an audience. Recently one of our parents Mr Javier Christie came to speak to the children […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This week 5th and 6th class children auditioned for Shakespeare Club. Each child had to prepare a small presentation from a play of their choice. Ms Lilla, our new drama teacher, was very impressed by the children’s confidence and standard of presentation. Due to the level of ability and enthusiasm from our 5th and 6th […]
Deputy Head of School’s Comment
This term 6th class are studying “The Raft of Knowledge” which is an allegory taken from the Aitaraya Upanishad. The allegory describes a raft which takes us across the sea of life. The children were asked to come up with provisions that they might take on this raft in order to make this journey. The […]