Message from the Head of Secondary

From the Head of Secondary - Mr Eliot Sanger 

Those who regularly read the Secondary section of this newsletter, and more particularly, the Head of Secondary column, will know that I will often take the opportunity to talk raise and champion the Calrossy key values – Selflessness, Integrity, Resilience and Inclusiveness. If we are to truly hold to these values, it’s important to be reminded of what it is to which we aspire, and perhaps identify the things that members of our community are doing that put theory into practice.

This week I would like us to focus on the core value of Inclusiveness. If you have been following our Social media feeds,  you’ll be able to see a snap shot of what is going on in our community. In the last few weeks, we have had Year 11 students enjoying a Trivia Night, designed to provide these students and their families with the opportunity to mix and connect with other families in our Calrossy Community; Year 12 Studies of Religion students travelled to Sydney and Wollongong to visit the Nan Tien Buddhist Temple, Hillsong Church Sydney City and the Gallipoli Mosque at Auburn; we have had our Principal and our student leaders involved in the Tamworth Regional Council’s National Reconciliation events and our students at school have had the opportunity to focus on this week of Reconciliation; and we have had our School Athletics Championships. These are all very different events but at their core is the aspiration of building relationships – in our own community, into the wide community and even across faith, cultural, ethnic or racial differences.

Inclusiveness is focussed on connection and understanding, appreciating the diversity between people, seeking to see things through the eyes of others. Mary T. Lathrap in her poem Judge Softly,speaks of taking “…time to walk in another man’s moccasins”as a metaphor for seeing things from the other person’s perspective. When we do this, we seek to place others before ourselves and follow Christ’s model of loving one another as He has loved us. In turn, when we do this, we do not exclude or shut out, we do not judge and blame. What we do is to accept, embrace and include. This is our key school value…inclusiveness!

So what do all these school activities have to do with it? This is where we get to live out our values. This is where “the rubber hits the road”! Day to day, this is where we are tested. Is it just a nice thing to value? Is it just something that we say we do? Are we actually prepared to live out this value every day? Are we prepared to open our minds and hearts to those that we don’t understand? Are we prepared to accept some level of discomfort or put ourselves out of our comfort zone to learn about others? Will we accept that to be in community requires us to commit and engage with that community? Will we see that person who is underprivileged or alone or hurting and offer them support? Will we accept that someone has taken a risk and will we provide a safe environment for them to try again if they fail? 

It is wonderful and truly gratifying when we witness people living out their values. When I get to see members of our community - students, staff, parents – living out this value, I am encouraged and it confirms for me that we mean what we say. It confirms for me that this is a community to which I want to belong, one in which we can all be proud. So whether it be our students at the School Athletics Championships supporting one another and making it an environment where it is safe for all to have a go; or it is our leaders participating in Reconciliation Week; whether it is students and staff seeking to learn about other cultures, races and religions so that they may raise understanding and build relationship; whether it is our wonderful P&F providing opportunities for our community to come together, we as a community are made stronger. It makes me think…what a wonderful community we would be if we all jumped onboard and consciously lived out this value in our every day.

Inclusiveness is a far reaching aspirational value that requires us to act not just talk. I would like to challenge us all…how inclusive are we and do our actions, day to day, demonstrate an inclusive Calrossy?

Please enjoy this edition of the Secondary News at this midpoint of the Term.

Blessings to all.

Eliot Sanger