Dear Families

I would like to take this opportunity in the final newsletter for the year to convey to all my sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone in our school community, not only for the support shown to the staff, students and school over 2021 but also for the past six years during my time as Principal of Kings Meadows High School.

As you know this last term, I have undertaken an out of school position as a School Improvement Leader which involves supporting 30 schools and their leadership teams around improvement. I have really enjoyed being able to support and share my wisdom in this space with many schools and in 2022 I will begin a new position with the Department of Education as an External School Review Leader. This is a statewide role and I will be leading External School Reviews with other panel members, again in the area of school improvement, which I am very excited about.

As I sat in the Princess Theatre recently enjoying the KMHS Arts Evening I choked up thinking how could I step away from this magnificent school! I asked a trusted friend and colleague how they had done this through similar circumstance. Their response was that, “it is hard to leave a place that you’ve devoted and given so much time to, but a bigger system needs your wisdom now”. I always say to others that life is about being courageous to take hold of the opportunities that are afforded to you and after six years at Kings Meadows High School and 10 years as a Principal it is time to change direction for me.

When I think about my time at Kings Meadows High School there are so many memories and reflections, too many to mention but as I said in my thank you to the school community at Presentation Day Assembly in using the acronym of KMHS;

K is about the kindness that is displayed throughout our school and the interactions between people; staff, students and families. It is about the way people are accepting of others, respectful to and of each other and the environment in which we work and learn. It is about the kindness and support that I have been shown as Principal for the last six years.

M could be about the magnificent or marvellous school we have. No disagreements there but in reflection, to me, it is about meaning. The whole reason why we come to school and work every day. This place certainly has meaning for me and purpose and I have never found it a chore to come to work as it gave me my meaning and purpose every day; to try to be the best I could be as Principal and colleague and friend so that our learning environment was the best it could be for our learners. This has been my motivating passion and I am so proud of the school and its reputation as one of the best public education schools in Tasmania.

H Again I could say it is for "a happy place" or “lots of humour " as there certainly are lots of these qualities at Kings but the word, I think of for me reflecting about my time here is humble. I am incredibly humbled, and it has been an honour to have been the Principal here for the past six years and finally S.

S reflects my sincerity about this. It is a sensational place to work, it most certainly has been the best place I have worked and to have been your Principal and the Principal of Kings Meadows High School has truly been a privilege and honour and I will always be grateful and thankful for my time here.

I have had the best staff team to work with and I thank them all for their unwavering hard work, commitment and loyalty and support of my leadership.

We have the best student cohort too at Kings and I thank them for their friendship, laughs and dedication to their learning.

Thank you to all families and community members for your support over the past six years and I wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and safe holiday break and know with confidence that the school will continue to grow and flourish as a school.

Warm regards and thanks

Maree Pinnington