Emu Chronicle – 2 May 2025

Principal’s Report

SHANE DUPUY

The Unique Dynamics of a Small-Scale Prep to Year 12 School: Benefits and Challenges

In the landscape of education, schools that cater to students from Prep through to Year 12 offer a unique opportunity for holistic, long-term learning. When such a school operates with a relatively small student population — between 300 and 500 students — the experience becomes even more distinctive. At PBC, we are continually focused on striking a balance between personalised education and community cohesion, while also facing a range of challenges specific to our size and structure.

Benefits

1. Strong Sense of Community

One of the most prominent advantages of a small Prep–12 school is the close-knit environment it fosters. Students, parents, and staff often know each other by name, creating a familial atmosphere. PBC staff are mindful of the importance of creating opportunities for positive engagements with our families, hence, opening our classrooms up for parents to view children’s work, scholastic and sporting events and shared milestone celebrations. This familiarity can promote feelings of safety, belonging, and accountability, which are particularly important during formative years.

2. Continuity and Stability

Having a single school environment from early learning through to graduation provides unparalleled stability. Students can build long-term relationships with peers and staff and avoid the emotional and academic disruptions that can occur during school transitions (e.g., from primary to secondary). Teachers can also track student progress over time, tailoring learning strategies more effectively.

3. Individualised Attention

With a smaller student population, teacher-to-student ratios are typically more favourable. This allows for more personalised instruction, early intervention when students struggle, and greater responsiveness to individual interests and learning styles. Our Parent/Teacher interviews present a great opportunity for parents to discuss their students holistic development and progress, and our fantastic Learning Enrichment team support a myriad of diverse learning needs. As I often mention to prospective students during the interview process, the good thing about smaller class sizes is the greater access to the teacher and higher level of support, the bad thing for the student is, there’s nowhere to hide!

4. Leadership Opportunities Across Age Groups

In a Prep–12 setting, older students often take on mentorship or leadership roles with younger students — through buddy systems, peer tutoring, or house teams — helping to build empathy, communication skills, and a culture of mutual respect. Evidence of this can be seen in our playground where our senior students actively engage with our lower primary students leading fun-filled games and activities during lunch breaks. Our sporting academies are another area where our students are consistently given the opportunity to mentor and lead.

5. Integrated School Culture

Shared traditions, assemblies, and events that include all year levels help reinforce a unified school identity. This integrated culture supports positive behaviour, shared values, and a sense of pride in the school community. Currently, we hold separate Primary and Secondary assemblies due to both relevance of content and physical space considerations, however, we continue to come together as a community to recognise special occasions such as Anzac Day and Y12 graduation.

Challenges

1. Limited Subject and Extracurricular Offerings

With fewer students and potentially fewer resources, small schools may struggle to offer the breadth of subjects and co-curricular activities that larger schools can. Senior students might find fewer options in electives, advanced subjects, or specialised areas like performing arts, languages, or technology. At PBC, we recognise this challenge and look to find creative solutions to support our students. Through our JET and SET planning interviews we look to establish individual learning pathways for our students that may involve external RTO’s, TAFE, Headstart programs, School Based Apprenticeships, Distance Education and certificate courses.

2. Staffing Constraints

Teachers in smaller schools often wear multiple hats — teaching across multiple year levels or subjects — which can lead to burnout or difficulty in maintaining depth in subject expertise. Recruiting and retaining versatile staff can be a challenge, particularly in regional areas. This was certainly the case in years gone by, a conversation with long-standing staff or previous principal, Mr. Kennedy, will confirm this. However, due to careful strategic planning and collaboration from the college board, PBC now has an organisational structure meaning we have a more cohesive and supportive environment for all staff. Teachers are allocated classes in their areas of expertise and faculties, where teams of teachers are given time to work collaboratively, are being developed.

3. Social Group Limitations

While smaller student numbers promote intimacy, they can also limit social variety. Students might find fewer peers with similar interests or personalities, which can affect social development, particularly in the middle and senior years. In recognition of this, PBC has introduced several learning opportunities and programs to support positive interactions and student well-being. Mind and Movement, Grow Your Mind, The Resilience Project, Chill Out Zone, Girls Group, Art Club and E Sports are all opportunities for personal growth or for like-minded students to come together.

4. Resource Limitations

Smaller schools may face financial constraints that limit access to updated facilities, specialist equipment, or new technology. Budgeting for infrastructure or large-scale initiatives can be difficult when funding is tied to student numbers. Being an independent school, this scenario is even more relevant. However, through careful planning, PBC has continued to develop its campus. Classrooms fitted with air-conditioning, fridges, flat screen TV’s and interactive smartboards allow for a comfortable and modern learning environment. With new classrooms installed in 2023, a new Sports Stadium nearing completion and a new two-story building soon to commence on recently purchased land, PBC, in many regards, punches above its weight.

5. Balancing Needs Across Age Groups

Catering to students aged 5 to 18 under one roof requires careful planning. Programs, facilities, and routines must be tailored to very different developmental needs, from play-based learning to rigorous academic preparation for tertiary entrance. Maintaining age-appropriate spaces and avoiding cross-age exposure to inappropriate behaviours or conversations is a constant balancing act. As the college evolves, we are more able to define work and play spaces for our primary and secondary cohorts. Aside from shared library, stadium, oval, pool and art spaces, our students generally operate in age-appropriate spaces.

Conclusion

A Prep to Year 12 school with a student population of 300 to 500 offers a deeply connected, personalised learning environment that supports student growth from childhood to young adulthood. While it may face challenges related to scale and resources, the sense of belonging, continuity, and tailored education can offer lifelong benefits. For many families, the advantages of such a close-knit and consistent school environment far outweigh the limitations — particularly when the school leverages community involvement, creative staffing, and flexible curriculum delivery to bridge the gaps.

College Coordinator Report

ALEC WAREING

Over the recent holidays, Learning Behaviour Reports were sent home, providing families with a snapshot of how students are travelling in areas such as effort, organisation, and attitude towards learning. It was wonderful to see so many positive results across the board. Earlier this week, we also held our High School Parent/Teacher meetings. Thank you to all the families who took the time to meet with staff — these conversations are so valuable in strengthening the partnership between school and home, and in supporting student learning.

With those key checkpoints now complete, our teaching staff turn their focus to the next part of keeping parents informed: completing Semester 1 report cards. These reports will offer a comprehensive overview of student achievement and progress, and we look forward to sharing them with families towards the end of the term.

A reminder too that as the weather cools, students are encouraged to wear their full school uniform and to clearly label clothing — those lost property baskets tend to fill up quickly at this time of year! If you are unsure what is deemed acceptable college winter gear, please refer to the school uniform policy located on the college website.

Primary School Coordinator Report

NICOLA KERIN

Upcoming Highlights in Term 2:

• District Sporting Events: Our talented athletes will be representing the school in various district sporting events over the coming weeks. These occasions are not only a great opportunity to showcase physical skills and teamwork but also to build school spirit and resilience.
• Class Excursions: Several classes will be heading out on excursions that complement their classroom learning. These real-world experiences help bring our curriculum to life and foster curiosity and engagement.
• Eureka Extension Program: A group of students across Year 1-6 have been invited to participate in the Eureka Program, which focuses on extending reading, writing, and creative thinking skills. We are thrilled to support these students in exploring their potential in new and challenging ways.
• Kaboom Percussion Incursion: We’re excited to welcome Kaboom Percussion to our school for a fun and interactive incursion. This high-energy performance promises to inspire a love of music and rhythm in students across all year levels.
• Walk Safely to School Day: As part of our commitment to student wellbeing and having a positive impact on the environment, we’ll again be participating in the annual Walk Safely to School Day. This is a great initiative that encourages physical activity and raises awareness about pedestrian safety in our community.
• PBC Track and Field Carnival
  The PBC Track and Field Carnival will be a major sporting highlight of the year. Students will have the chance to participate in a range of athletic events in a fun, inclusive environment that celebrates personal bests and house spirit.
• Prep 2026 Transition Program Begins
  We are excited to begin welcoming our future Preps as the Prep 2026 Transition Program kicks off this term. This is a special time for children and families as they start their journey into school life, and we look forward to supporting them every step of the way.
• Primary Assemblies Commence Next Week
  Our Primary assemblies will recommence next week and continue fortnightly throughout the term. This always proves a great way to celebrate student achievements and build a strong sense of community.

Finally, on the last day of school last term, Mr Dupuy and I had the pleasure of hosting our very first Golden Emu Ticket lunch. The student who earnt the highest amount of Golden Emu’s in each class was invited to attend this special event. Congratulations to these students for their positive contribution to the college. I look forward to hosting the next Golden Emu Ticket lunch at the end of this term.

We look forward to another term of learning, growth, and meaningful connections. As always, thank you for your ongoing support and do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of any support. Let’s make Term 2 a fantastic one!

College Board Updates

SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE

As many of our Parents/Guardians, Students and Staff will have noticed, we have commenced the groundwork for the construction of a 2-storey, 8-classroom building at the top of the College, on the land recently acquired from our good neighbour, Pam Cox.

The new facility will allow us to cater for the growth in student numbers at the College.

It is anticipated, all going to plan and if the weather is kind to us, the building should be ready for occupation in the first half of next year. We note that our stadium building finalisation has been held up by the inability of our equipment suppliers to deliver the Basketball roof-mounted hoops and associated equipment until late May of this year. We note the equipment is imported from the United States and there has been delays in the delivery of the equipment. In turn, we have not been able to finalise the rebound surface in the building as they cannot lay the flooring until the very heavy hoop systems are installed in the roofing structure.  Hoops will be installed in the first week of June

Subsequent to the hoops and all of the AV equipment being installed in the stadium, we anticipate the flooring will then be able to be laid. We are currently seeking to expedite the flooring so that the project can be finalised as soon as possible.

It should be remembered that the stadium will provide for multiple sports, not just Basketball. Equipment has also been ordered for these other sports to be able to be conducted in the stadium. Again, this equipment should be supplied in May.

The Board also has under consideration, the erection of a Manual Arts training facility. This facility would also be placed on the land that has been recently acquired.

We will advise on the progress of this project in the near future.