My family moved from Brisbane to Toowoomba when I was ten years of age. I’ve lived here for most of my life, other than to study and begin my teaching career in Brisbane. I lived and worked in London for 18 months before returning to Toowoomba in 2001. With over 20 years’ experience teaching and leading pastoral care programs within independent day and boarding schools, I am dedicated to developing students holistically; the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and physical development of each student in my care is important. I am genuinely passionate about good character development in boys’ education. I have three adolescent boys of my own, so I consider myself well-equipped to recognise and value the uniqueness of each student, and to encourage wellbeing, academic growth, independence, and resilience.

Having taught at Toowoomba Grammar School for almost 12 months, I have enjoyed the connections I’ve made with students, staff, parents, and the wider School community. Steeped in a rich history, I value the heritage of the School, and the diverse opportunities available for the boys to develop their passion through the co-curricular program and service-learning opportunities.

When the former Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh announced in 2011 that Year 7 would move from primary school into the secondary system there was a mixed reaction from various education stakeholders in Queensland. Such a move presented significant challenges for schools as they attempted to ready themselves for an additional cohort of new enrolments. My eldest son was going to be in this first Year 7 cohort to attend secondary school in 2015, and so I had a vested interest in this significant change in Queensland education. I took on the role of Year 7 Program Director (2013 – 2014) at St Ursula’s College, and led a consultative staff group to research, design and develop an Academic Care Program to support the school’s restructuring process and to facilitate the smooth transition of Year 7 into secondary school. In 2015, in my role as Head of Year 7, I had a clear leadership goal – to lead all the educational programs so that every student was nurtured and challenged to reach their potential. I am excited to take on the Head of Year 7 role at TGS in 2023 and share my knowledge and experience so that each boy in Year 7 is nurtured and challenged to reach his potential.

Year 7 learners are young adolescents, experiencing (or set to experience) significant physiological changes that impact upon their behaviour and capacity for learning. A Year 7 program must therefore cater to students’ need for increased support during this time by allowing relationships to be formed, a diversity of experiences to be made available, skills for planning and organisation to be taught explicitly, and most importantly, by allowing risks to be taken and mistakes to be made within the safe parameters of the classroom. The transition to Year 7 is a significant time and I concur with Jackson and Davis (2000) that “…every young adolescent should be able to meet or exceed high academic standards. Closely related goals are to help all students develop the capacity to lead healthy lives, physically and mentally; to become caring, compassionate, and tolerant individuals; and to become active, contributing citizens of (their country) and the world.”

My philosophy of pastoral care and support for our Year 7 learners centres around relationships and the importance of connections. Although connections come with time, I believe it is essential to nurture relationships based on mutual respect; it must be enacted every day, in and out of the classroom. Positive relationships increase student engagement as does a sense of belonging and a positive sense of identity. The most powerful predictor of success is a student’s expectation of themselves; therefore, they need to have a growth mindset; learn to make judgements and experience the edges, and not be afraid of failure. While I endeavour to develop relationships through empathy, warmth, encouragement, and fairness, I have high expectations of the boys. With clear communication, I will ensure they know the expectations in terms of uniform, behaviour, and learning. By creating and maintaining a culture which values academic endeavours and a commitment to doing their best, I will be focusing on the development of good character which is essential for boys to flourish as individuals, to be active and informed members of the community and to lead meaningful lives.

To assist your son with the transition to Senior School, encourage him to develop good habits early. This will help with organisation and includes using the school diary, checking emails daily, establishing good homework and study routines, preparing for the next day the night before and asking questions. We want to develop independence and resilience in the boys. Be enthusiastic about your son starting Year 7 at TGS but don’t make the ‘three huge mistakes we make in leading kids’ according to Tim Elmore (2013). He posits that we “risk too little; we rescue too quickly, and we rave too easily.”

With time, your son will settle and make strong connections; connections to the School by developing a sense of belonging to the TGS community and by establishing positive friendships. Engage in conversation with your son about school and focus on the positives. Encourage participation by embracing the many opportunities available. However, if you do have concerns about your son’s transition to Year 7, I encourage you to contact your son’s Head of House, the School Counsellor or me.

I look forward to meeting you and your son in 2023.

Jodi Blades
Head of Year 7 TGS