Our staff recently spent an inspiring night away at the beautiful Katberg Mountain Resort and Hotel for our Strategic Planning and Professional Development session for 2025–2031. The setting was perfect for reflection, forward-thinking and energising discussions about the future of our school.
Over the 1.5 days, we were privileged to hear from four exceptional guest speakers who each brought fresh insight and deep expertise
We kicked off with Mr Alan Weyer, an Old Graemian, who warmly welcomed everyone and captivated us with a rich historical overview of the Eastern Cape. Alan’s storytelling was nothing short of remarkable. He wove together global history and local heritage to highlight the critical role the Eastern Cape plays in the broader South African context. His passion and depth of knowledge set the tone for what was to be a powerful planning session.
Next, we welcomed Mrs Louise Nivison from Cape Town, who spoke on the transformative role of AI in education. She explored how AI can streamline teacher administration, support more effective teaching and learning and help schools gain a competitive advantage. Louise addressed the challenges and ethical considerations of AI use, as well as emerging trends shaping the future of education. A key takeaway was how crucial it is to equip learners with the right information in an age of overwhelming digital content.
On the second day, Louise returned to share her expertise on the Google Suite of products. As a Google School, we discovered just how much more we could be doing to leverage these tools for productivity, collaboration and meaningful engagement across the board. Who knew Google could do so much?
We were then joined by Mr Kevin Rafferty, who led us in a thought-provoking session on strategic direction. Staff broke into groups to brainstorm and collaborate on the key priorities and goals they would like to see included in the school’s five-year plan. This was a deeply motivational and collaborative process that surfaced a range of bold, forward-looking ideas.
To conclude, Mr Trevor Amos, also an Old Graemian, delivered a compelling session on strategic alignment, understanding long-term goals and the importance of agility in an ever-changing world. His insights sparked some robust and honest conversations, which was exactly what was needed to push our thinking further and deeper.
Overall, it was an incredibly productive and uplifting experience. Staff returned motivated, aligned and full of new ideas as we look ahead to an exciting future