Grandparents' Morning
"A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world."
- Charles and Ann Morse
Many of us can remember hearing stories of our grandparents that seemed to take place in lands far away, tales from the ‘olden days’, where Grandma rode a horse to school and Grandpa had to walk miles to get anywhere, regardless of whether they were born in 1960 or 1916.
A child’s understanding of the world is always expanding, shaped by the small window of experience they’ve had so far. Stories of a time when television stopped broadcasting at 9pm, long before every question could be answered instantly with a quick search online, helped shape our understanding of the world when what lay beyond our immediate experience felt completely unknown.
The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is formed in that space between past and present. For grandchildren it is a window into a life that existed before them; for grandparents it is a chance to revisit the world through a different lens. In this way both generations are given the chance to experience the world from different perspectives and both are changed by it.
And this is precisely why this year we made our ELC and Junior School Grandparents’ Morning bigger and better, inviting our Kilvington grandparents to step into their grandchildren’s world at school and experience it firsthand.
On Friday May 29, we opened our doors to over 250 guests to celebrate the important role grandparents and other special friends play in the lives of our Kilvington students. Grandparents joined their ELC and Junior School grandchildren in classrooms, taking part in activities, meeting teachers, and experiencing firsthand what brings such excitement to their school day.
They also enjoyed a Special Assembly featuring musical performances, followed by a morning tea in Dalton Hall.
Many grandparents spoke about the pride they felt watching their grandchildren take part in Assembly, others reflected on the emotional impact of the performances:
“I got emotional listening to the Years 5 and 6 Choir. It made me realise I really do need to look after our planet for the next generation.”
And many simply expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the day:
“I’ve been to many Grandparents’ Mornings, but this one is by far the best.”
“What a beautiful event. Thank you to Kilvington for welcoming us today.”
A huge thank you to all of the grandparents, special friends, students and staff who made this year’s Grandparents’ Morning so special. We hope you enjoyed your morning at Kilvington and left with some lovely memories to share at home. And perhaps a few stories that will one day be told by your grandchildren as part of their own 'olden days' collection.