Tamara Carrigan

This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to be able to climb Tomaree Mountain in a pocket of time that the sun came out. If you’ve ever made the climb, you’ll know it’s quite the incline! As I reached the summit, I was struck by the parallels between the climb and our journey in education. Just as each step up the mountain required effort, determination, and a clear sense of footing, so too does our work at Catherine McAuley Catholic College. We are all on a journey, and each project we undertake is a step towards that summit. As the Pedagogical Mentor, I like to think of myself as a bit of a project Sherpa, guiding staff up the mountains in education to reach new heights.

Literacy PLC: A Collaborative Inquiry Approach

Much like the initial ascent of the mountain, this project involves laying a strong foundation. By bringing together educators to collaboratively inquire and share best practices, we are building the very fabric of our teaching. This collaborative approach ensures that our strategies for teaching reading retrieval and inference skills are not only effective but also grounded in research, shared knowledge and experience. In leading this group of teachers and leaders, we have completed data audits on out students’ literacy ability and achievement and are narrowing our focus to drive meaningful change through professional learning and embedding strategies for literacy improvement in our classrooms.

Supporting Faculties and Staff in Setting Professional Development Goals

This year, our Strategic Improvement Plan Learning Goal is to Develop and embed high-impact literacy and numeracy strategies informed by professional learning for learner engagement and achievement. By helping our educators set aligned goals, we are raising high expectations and a culture of rigour and resilience. I have already worked with many Leaders of Learning this term in setting Faculty and Team goals, and staff are busy implementing their own professional goals to ensure classroom impact.

Reaching the summit of Tomaree Mountain I am always met with the most vibrant and rewarding views, much like the successes we achieve together at Catherine McAuley. Each step, each project, and each goal brings us closer to our vision of a thriving and collaborative educational community where faith, purpose, fulfilment and joy are achieved by all. Together, we are climbing to new heights and creating a vibrant and resilient educational environment.

Yours in the climb and in Mercy.