Principal's Message
Mrs Kathy Freeman
St. Gabriel's has a very proud history of services to children with hearing impairment; from 2010 St. Gabriel's embarked on a new direction taking children with a wider range of disabilities. This came about as a response to demand for places from families in the Hills District and as a result of the availability of places for children with single disability hearing impairment in regular schools. Such a change has provided St. Gabriel's with the opportunity to embark on an exciting new direction which will challenge staff and the community to broaden their skills and understanding of disability.
One of the key strengths of the past has been the development of language skills, it is critical that the new St. Gabriel's retain this expertise seeking creative ways to assist children to not only speak but to communicate through whatever means possible. Our programs must be individually tailored to address the many complex needs of our students, challenging our teachers to be creative problem solvers. Special Education is a vocation; to work in schools like St. Gabriel's not only must teachers have exceptional skills in understanding how children learn they must possess the ability to tackle problems in highly imaginative ways and with unlimited patience.The new team at St. Gabriel's is shaping up well; their enthusiasm is high as is their determination to make a difference in the lives of their students. St. Gabriel's is a fun place where the students love their school and are motivated to succeed, staff enjoy working together and are committed to constantly seeking excellence and the new community is excited by both the welcome and the new initiatives and programs.
To all our supporters I would like to say 'thank you' for your faith in us believing that St. Gabriel's will go from strength to strength. I would like to acknowledge the support and wisdom of the ERSES Board over the past five years in setting St. Gabriel's' future on such secure and educationally sound footing. I would also like to congratulate Dianne Hooke the Head of Campus and all the team for ensuring a truly impressive first year. St. Gabriel's will never lose sight of what it means to strive to be a school of very best practice. The future looks good and the journey will be challenging but always exciting. All of us who are part of our beautiful school thank God everyday for the gift of St. Gabriel's. It is time to celebrate!
Kathy Freeman