South Korean Ministry of Education Visit Wenona
As a lighthouse school, Wenona shares educational best practices with international guests.
On Thursday 23 May, Wenona hosted 22 delegates from the Republic of Korea, who are in Australia seeking to learn from leading schools on educational best practices, as well as gain a greater understanding of the educational landscape.
The guests joined us from a variety of government organisations, including the Korean Ministry of Education, the Korean Educational Development Institute, and the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education, South Korea.
Wenona was fortunate to have the translation services of Year 9 student and boarder, Alicia, who did a fantastic job of ensuring that our guests always stayed properly informed!
During their visit, the delegates enjoyed a tour of the School facilities led by Dean of Staff, Ms Jalili. The tour provided a first-hand look at the larger facilities at Wenona such as the Athenaeum building, and the swimming pool, but it was often the smaller details that were of interest to our guests, from classroom signage to wall-mounted first aid kits. “A tour like this is a two-way street; we learn a great deal from our visitors too, even if it’s just a reaction to something we do that is normal for us. Unpacking responses and hearing their questions gives us great insights, and it allows us to strengthen our relationships with international education communities,” said Ms Jalili.
After the tour, our delegates congregated in a classroom to hear from a range of Wenona staff members on their specific areas of expertise. Our Principal, Dr Scott, talked about the ethos at Wenona, as well as what education looks like as a whole in Australia and how it compares to trends and data in Asia. They then enjoyed talks from Ms Stoneham, Director of Enrolments and Community Relations, Ms Ayling, Head of Boarding, Ms Davis, Deputy Principal (Academics) and Ms Skea, Director of Co-Curricular.
It was fantastic to connect with education leaders from South Korea and introduce to them the Wenona way of learning, and we hope to be able to continue sharing our expertise with international peers in the future.