Gratitude

By Andy Callow (Principal)

There she stood, a young girl impeccably groomed and outfitted in her brand new school uniform, waiting nervously on the edge of the crowd of students here for their first day of school for 2015.

I approached her as gently as possible, acutely aware that just being spoken to by the School Principal would probably raise her anxiety levels significantly. To her credit she managed to respond to my small talk, and then as I moved away I wished her well for the day, and then added that “most of the teachers here smile a lot”. 

Such a simple statement, but one with profound meaning. 

There are always hotly debated topics concerning “best practice” education, but at the heart of it all is the fundamental relationship between a student and their classroom teacher.  A school with high quality teachers, but poor facilities, will always outperform a school with the opposite situation.   

How blessed are we to have a wonderful combination of excellent facilities with, much more importantly, talented and committed teachers and support staff.

Many people have worked hard planning and constructing new school facilities over recent months. The spectacular “Middle-Earth” student plaza compliments perfectly the cleverly designed and creatively furnished Middle School Building.  Other recent improvements have included the opening of the purpose built Year 9 Centre; a significant upgrade to the Junior School Playground; and the creation of a unique Chaplain’s Cave underneath the Science Building.

I am so grateful for the wonderful buildings and other facilities that we have at our disposal at BHCS.

I am constantly inspired by the majestic setting of our school set amongst the gum trees.

Most of all, I am deeply grateful to work with such an energetic and talented team of people.

I believe that the team of teachers and support staff here authentically seek to serve others because fundamentally they love God, and are deeply committed to the vision and mission of this school.

This is a great place to work.  Staff meetings are frequently punctuated by laughter, and this is complimented by compassionate support for those in the staff team who face the various challenges that life brings.

This community has celebrated significant growth and success over recent years.  Those who have been involved in the school from earlier days help to keep us grounded by reminding us of the school’s humble beginnings, and how we have been greatly blessed well beyond anyone’s expectations.  As we begin another academic year let us encourage one another to be grateful for what we have, and look forward with optimism for what lies ahead.