A leadership reflection – Ashleigh Martin, Principal

Principal Ashleigh Martin recently shared his reflections with School Choice magazine on how Caulfield Grammar School supports each student to find their purpose and pathway.

Read the article below:

Passion. Purpose. Kindness. Acceptance. Balance.

We exist at Caulfield Grammar School to enable young people to find their pathway, to be connected, to fuel their passions and to bring their true authentic selves to school each day. 

As a multi-campus co-educational School, each Campus holds its own uniqueness. What unites us as one School, and helps each student find their place, are our values.  

Students from right across our School at every year level participate in workshops to define their student behaviours that sit within our School Values – exploring our values and what they look like in action. This process supports our students in having clarity and ownership about what it means to be a member of the Caulfield Grammar School community – how we treat each other, and what we expect from each other. Our students have a voice, an important voice. It has never been more critical that we continue to really listen to students, past and present, to understand their perspectives on a broad range of issues and opportunities.   

If schools have ever needed a reason to be clear on what they stand for, the global COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised just that. At Caulfield Grammar School, our strong heritage, enduring values, and focus on people are always called upon to see us through and keep us grounded in who we are. As a School community, we have all needed to, and indeed continue to, adjust through ongoing changes. Adjusting from learning and working on campus to remote learning and working from home, we also accepted and supported that each individual and family also needed to invest in their own personal circumstances beyond our School gates. Connectedness and care continue to be at our core.

At the start of each year, I enjoy time away from school with my family. I set aside reflection time and write down statements to focus my leadership for the year ahead. Some guiding guard rails that I refer to regularly to help keep me balanced. My ‘to be’ list, rather than ‘to do’ list. Entering 2021 knowing an asterisk was attached to everything that was planned, my personal leadership themes were “Passion. Purpose. Kindness. Acceptance. Balance.” I am proud of our staff, students and School community for not sitting idle as we have adjusted to the environments we are learning and living in. I see these themes in action each day in how we all play our part in taking care of ourselves and each other. 

Caulfield Grammar School will always be progressive and looking to elevate what we do, and how we do it. To develop what we call a ‘Mind for Life’. We are here for every student, hoping to inspire them to gain strong foundations during their time with us – so they can pursue their chosen passions when they step beyond our gates. 

Ashleigh Martin, Principal