Illawarra

Our principal, Andrew FitzSimons, has led the executive team, once-a-term over the last 5 years, to visit a business, organisation or important community location in the Illawarra who host our strategic meeting.

We work off site in this different setting but about an hour is spent learning from our host about their organisation. They explain:

  • Strategic planning
  • What this organisation values in employees they recruit
  • How our host organisation fits into the Illawarra as a whole
  • Perceptions of secondary public provision
  • Suggestions for how our school can collaborate with our host in the future
  • OH&S issues
  • The impact of the digital revolution
  • Issues of importance to our host

In the past 5 years we have visited:

  • Bluescope Steel Works
  • Wollongong University x3: V-Chancellor + Education faculty Innovations campus
  • Novotel
  • Port Kembla Port Authority
  • Illawarra Science Museum
  • Illawarra Regional Airport
  • TAFE x 2 Yalah + Shellharbour
  • Illawarra Botanic Gardens
  • Illawarra Art Gallery
  • Illawarra Mutual Building Society
  • Shellharbour District Office [DET]
  • WIN Television
  • Illawarra Forum
  • Wollongong District Hospital
  • Illawarra Gateway: ‘Jumbulla’ Aboriginal Interpretive Centre
  • Australian Royal Navy Hydrological Service
  • Coffey and Thomas Engineering

It is a fantastic initative, on a number of levels, and for someone like me, who has lived in the region for only 4 years, it is a great opportunity to learn about our community.

Planned future visits:

  • Underground coal mine: Bluescope
  • DET Regional Office
  • National Parks and Wildlife Minnamurra
  • Wollongong City Council
  • Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
  • Local large employers; diverse sectors: law, manufacturing, finance

Photo credit: Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius)

Does your school or educational institution do anything similar?

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Comments(4)

    • Johannes

    • 13 years ago

    That’s an awesome idea! We’re not doing anything similar but I will give serious consideration to it. Thanks for your inspiration and I’d love to hear more about how you tackle your strategic planning.
    Cheers!

  1. HI Darcy,
    Wow, Your boss is a genius. I love this idea. As a person who will begin her first Principalship in 2011. I am encouraged by such great leadership and focus on connecting to his community. I can only be inspired. And I can only imagine the benefits for the school community that fall out of this initiative. Well done Dapto!
    Thank you for sharing. Denise

    • Tim Grech

    • 13 years ago

    The whole executive team? Head Teachers?

    What a great initiative . . .

      • Darcy Moore

      • 13 years ago

      Tim, it is the whole executive team including SAM and all the HTs.

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