From the Assistant Principal

Headaches

I make a joke (that isn’t really a joke) on our Foundation tours about copping a football to the head if you spend enough time in our yard. Most of our teachers have had their heads rattled while on yard duty in Area 3 or 4. It’s an unfortunate reality of having such limited play space for our 550 energy-filled kids.

I remember my first concussion so clearly - he says in the most oxymoronic statement of the year. I’m pretty funny like that. It was my 100th game of footy, so I would have been 12 or so. I was playing in the ruck, my studs slipped on the hardened mud in the centre circle and my head crashed into the ground. I was seeing stars all through half-time. I sat out for a while, but got itchy feet, went back on in the last quarter and kicked a couple of goals.

What a star.

How we thought about head injuries back then compared to now is diametrically different. What the experts tell us means adjusting the expectations of children playing. Which is hard. Because they are children, and they want to be just like the players they see on TV.

So we need to be clear.

In our yard, in footy: no tackling to the ground, no sling tackles. In soccer: no slide tackles, no heading the ball. And when the music plays, the games stop - no matter how close the match might be.

Every head injury means a phone call home. Even if it’s a small knock, it’s not a chance worth taking.

Because the reality is, we are making decisions with children that they’re not yet equipped to make for themselves. They will chase the ball. They will go harder than they should. They will want one more kick, one more play, one more moment of schoolyard glory. That’s what makes them great - and also what makes them vulnerable.

So we step in.

Our job is to put boundaries around the game so they can still have all the joy of it, without the unnecessary risk. That means some games will stop early. Some plays won’t be allowed. Some students will be frustrated in the moment.

But they’ll be safe.

And that’s the trade we’re making every single day in a yard that asks a lot of both our students and our staff.

We want kids going home tired and happy, without the headaches. 

Mat Williamson

Assistant Principal (and always has his head on a swivel)