General News
22 July, 2021
Terang College welcomes new principal
TERANG College has welcomed its new principal, with Kath Tanner joining the school this week.
TERANG College has welcomed its new principal, with Kath Tanner joining the school this week.
Despite empty hallways welcoming her due to ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, she was excited to have the opportunity to work in the community where she lives.
“My husband Jamie and I are on a dairyfarm in East Framlingham,” Mrs Tanner said.
“He was a student at Terang College when he was growing up.
“I’m part of the Terang-Mortlake Football Club and part of this community, so it was lovely that a job came up so close to home.”
Mrs Tanner has served as a school principal for the last four-and-a-half years, with a six month stint at Lismore Primary School followed by four years with Port Fairy Consolidated School.
Through her experiences, she has identified two important aspects of the principal role; building connections, and ensuring student learning outcomes.
“It’s important to me to build connections between myself, students, staff and the family of our students,” Mrs Tanner said.
“We can then grow that out in to the community. Finding ways to connect the school to the local community will be a part of my focus.
“That’s one part of what I think a principal does, and then the other part is student learning.
“When looking at student learningoutcomes, I gauge what I can do as the instructional leader of the school to ensure every child is achieving the best they can in the subject they do, so I guess lots of my work will be around looking where the students are at now, and considering what can be done to make sure they grow in their learning.”
The quiet surrounding the classrooms will soon transition to one of the busiest times in school history, with the impending upgrade and modernisation of the school.
Hampden Specialist School and the Terang College P-4 Campus will be moved to the current 5-12 Campus as part of a development worth more than $11.9 million in State Government funding.
“It’s hugely exciting to think you can be part of something that is going to grow like this in to a community education hub for Terang and its wider community,” Mrs Tanner said.
“Everything is going to be here. We’ll have the kinder, the special development school, the primary campus and the senior campus all integrated and united in this one parcelof land.
“When I heard about that it was a little bit daunting, but I’m super excited at the same time because I think the end product will be amazing.”
Mrs Tanner said starting in lockdown was “weird,” but felt the need to adapt had led to the development of new strengths.
“Starting in lockdown is very weird, to walk in on your first day and there is hardly anyone at school,” she said.
“I think it’s a sign of the times. We’ve all become so much more agile and adaptable. “The pandemic has made us think outside the box and adjust.
“We’re getting better at it, and I think we’re all leaping at new ways of doing things. It’s strange, but we’re all used to that after 18 months of this.”
Mrs Tanner said she hopes to help students grow as individuals and valued members of the school community.
“I will work really hard for the school in order to make that happen,” she said.
“Growth isn’t just those who score 90 plus in ATAR results but every child, dependent on the variance of skills they all bring, to grow in ways where they feel like they are achieving at school.
“I place importance on wellbeing to make sure everyone feels they are connected to the school, so there is a nice sense of belonging.”
