BOMB THREATS, COVID AND LIFE’S LESSONS
Covid and hoax bomb calls all in day’s work
HEIDI Booth has had a baptism of fire as principal of Helensvale State School. From a series of bomb threats last year to guiding her 1100 students and staff through a COVID scare, her cheery drive and passion has never faltered.
Our parents are really passionate about kids, safety, education and want the very best for their children
HEIDI BOOTH – HELENSVALE STATE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
HEIDI Booth does not know what to expect next year in her third term as principal of Helensvale State School.
She was praised for dealing with a series of bomb threats in 2019, just weeks into the role, and has then had to guide her 1100 students and staff through a COVID scare this year when an afterschool care provider was diagnosed with coronavirus.
Despite the “baptism of fire” she says she doesn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I remember emailing my boss when I first got to this school, saying I am loving this, I am just so grateful I am here,” Ms Booth said.
A former music teacher, behaviour management specialist and high school deputy principal, Heidi Booth has taken the long way to find her passion as a primary school leader.
The cheery principal’s drive for education in the big city came early on, despite growing up on a farm in western rural NSW.
“As much as farm life is really lovely it is not somewhere I really wanted to spend my life.
“From the time I was little I just wanted to be a teacher, something I was really passionate about.”
After graduating from University of New England in Armidale she first stepped into the classroom in the role of a music teacher, but quickly transitioned into behaviour management and student support after spending some time in Logan.
The career pivot was not driven by an interest in punishing students but a passion to connect with those struggling to succeed.
“I was really confronted by some teachers who had a really judgmental approach to our kids who were struggling with learning and behaviour.
“I thought what can I do about that, instead of sitting back and thinking this is not a great start for these kids, it was about how can I influence that.
“Generally kids are in music classes because they want to play music so having issues with behaviour doesn't come up that often, so you are building strong relationships through things they enjoy.
“Through that I saw the value of strong relationships, it is the cornerstone to supporting kids in their behaviour.”
Moving her career further down the M1 in 2015, Ms Booth took up a role as deputy principal at Helensvale State High School which has a population of more than 2400 students.
After commuting from her home in Ipswich for more than a year, her own children enrolled in Helensvale High and the family moved to the Gold Coast permanently.
“My children went to public school locally. If I didn’t have that belief in the public system they wouldn’t have been there – we love it.”
It was that connection with the community for which Ms Booth said she was grateful to continue when she took the top job at Helensvale State School in January of 2019.
“I really love the community, I know it sounds like an easy thing to say but I just love it.
“It is not one socio-economic profile, there is a large range of different families.
“Our parents are really passionate about kids, safety, education and want the very best for their children.
“Working with families who want that makes our job a whole lot easier, but it also provides a real challenge for us in that we have to deliver.”
Far from a smooth start, the school made headlines in the first few months of her tenure with a series of lockdowns over bomb threats to the school.
The issue caused panic in the community, but ultimately the school received praise for its handling of the situation.
“By the end of last year my line manager said I don't think many principals will see as much in their career that you have seen in one year,” she said.
“It was really a baptism of fire for me, and I think we have been able to manage it in a way that was really important in building community confidence.
“In the first lockdown we had parents at the gate. In the second lockdown parents were just like ‘they have got it, we trust the school will be able to manage the situation’.”
In March this year crisis hit again when an after-school care provider on the school grounds was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 case this year was really well supported by the central office to ensure communication out to parents and give them enough information,” she said.
“I was really conscious of making sure communication was clear – consistent and frequent.
“I found a proactive communication approach to parents was really going to help build confidence from parents.”
Ms Booth said trust with co-workers was also essential.
“I have a really great team of deputies ... You know they are handling their situation to their best, so we can delegate and rely on each other.”
She said school leaders and principals were thrown “really crazy and weird” stuff and sometimes “you think, why is that coming here?”
“Why isn’t that being dealt with at home or in a community space but you know schools are a hub of the community and I think that is because parents have so much faith in us as a knowledgeable other.”
While the move from high school to primary school was an ongoing adjustment, Ms Booth encouraged more educators to take the leap – but to expand their dress-up closet in the mean time.
“I am a really strong advocate for that cross-sector pollination – because the skills of leadership are the same.
“What I wasn't prepared for was that five-year-olds have very different needs to 15-year-olds.
“But there are plenty more dress-up days at a primary school.”
Ms Booth, who has a passion for collaboration with other schools, describes the role as a privilege.
“I feel a really deep sense of privilege to be able to work in the public education system. I have a lot of pride for the work that we do.
“I am collaborative and intentional in the work that I do. I don’t make decisions lightly, I make decisions and set the direction of the school based on what I really believe is the right path for us.
“But I am not only excited about our school but have a strong connection with Oxenford State School and Helensvale State High School, because I don’t think we do things on our own and there is always another great school up the road.”