Page 3 - 2022 - Altiora Vol 74

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MR COO TE ANNOUNCED AS PRINCIP AL OF BLUE MOUNT AINS GRAMMAR
MR COOTE ANNOUNCED AS PRINCIPAL OF BLUE MOUNTAINS GRAMMAR

Following a national recuitment process of several In his previous leadership roles prior to joining
months, in November Mrs Christine Olliffe, (Chair, BMGS, Mr Coote established the Centre for
BMGS Board) announced that Mr Coote would Innovative Learning Design (CILD), an authentically
be formally appointed to lead the Blue Mountains embedded research and innovation unit. The CILD
Grammar School community. acted as the leadership and growth academy for
Mr Coote (B.Ed (with Distinction), MBA, ThA) will assume staff and students at Calvary Christian College.
Further, Mr Coote established third-party funded
the role of Principal of Blue Mountains Grammar
School from 1 January, 2023, with the change to the Indigenous Scholarship Programs in partnership
st
and consultation with local elders and Murdoch
Head of School’s title - from Headmaster to Principal
- echoing Mr Coote’s belief that his title should University.
reflect the same gender equality as all professional Mr Coote also established the ‘DNA21 Project’
careers to which our graduates aspire. – a whole-school, future-focused research-based
Kindergarten to Year 12 pedagogical framework.
Mr Coote views his role as one driven by his hope As Principal, his school was one of four nationwide
of raising a generation of young people who, while
aware of the national drumbeat of academic invited as an exemplar school showcased at
Melbourne’s Australian Institute of Teaching &
competition, will choose to dance to the anticipation,
creativity and exhilaration that comes with authentic School Leadership (AITSL) National Congress.
learning. Mr Coote was an Adjunct Lecturer with the
There are three key focus areas that have defined his University of Tasmania in future schooling and served
career. These include building cohesive and high- as a member in the Faculty of Lifelong Learning and
performing teams capable of executing strategically, Educational Change at Western Sydney University.
leading improvement in all areas of school, and Mr Coote studied to become an educator in Design,
growing cultures that imagine the extraordinary in graduating with Distinction. He has completed a
creativity, excellence, and innovation. Master of Business Administration (MBA), and is
currently undertaking a Doctor of Global Leadership
Mr Coote has previously led co-educational Schools
in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. As Principal, he was (DGL) degree through Fuller Theological Seminary
identified among other innovative educators from in the United States. He has studied through
across the Commonwealth and invited to attend the the Australian College of Theology, obtaining
th
90 Birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II at an Associate in Theology (ThA), and is presently
Windsor Castle in England. completing accreditation as The Five Behaviours
approach to team cohesion and health.
He was approached by the Australian Council of Married to Gillian, Mr Coote has two children whom
Educational Leaders (ACEL) to facilitate the delivery
of the ACEL Leadership Capability Framework to he describes as ‘creatives’; with one studying at
the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and
over sixty senior pedagogy executives in independent
schools across Australia. another at The Australian Film Television and Radio
School (AFTRS).