From the Head of the Junior School

The last weeks have been incredibly busy, with our musical production ‘Anastasia’ taking up lots of time and energy. While the staff and parents involved would agree it’s a huge task, we know that the benefits of taking part in this kind of production provides to our students is amazing. Congratulations to all of the students for their performance, and perhaps more importantly, for the work put in along the way.

Our team has hosted a School Readiness event at the Springwood Bowling Club and brought together experts to help parents with small children. Thank you to Dr Babajanyan, Sharon Pierce, Kat Cox and Meg Savage for their time and expert advice in Pediatrics, Occupational Therapy, Psychology and Speech Therapy. It was greatly appreciated by those people in the community who came along to find out how those in the ‘village’ can help with the raising of their children.

We’ve also hosted a parent seminar about Cyber Safety with help from Interrelate this week. We are so happy to connect our families with experts who work hard to help us as we raise our children. Primary aged children, and those in the early years of High School are ‘digital natives’ but the tech they have in their hands is so risky. My favourite take away from the evening is the analogy that we ask Learner drivers to complete 120 hours of supervised driving, because cars are dangerous. If parents see themselves like a supervising driver with technology, to help their children learn about the risks (and positives) of the powerful tool that technology is, then we can guide our children to be responsible digital citizens.

We are beginning to think about what it means to “Step Forward” into new things. The value behind this is courage. We’ve been using this language with our students at school because it takes courage to turn up and do your best everyday. Our young people need courage when learning is hard (and it should be hard for everyone, sometimes), they need courage to hold to their convictions and to assert themselves, it takes courage to ask for help, it takes courage to stand up for what is right.

We’ve been talking about the difference between ‘bystanders’ and ‘upstanders’. When we see things that aren’t right – when people are being treated badly or unfairly – do we stand by passively or stand up with courage to help? I’ve included below some of the writing from Stage 2 Burramurring about Stepping Forward with courage. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Kind regards,

Rachael J Newton

Head of Junior School

BMGS Hope & Courage Poem

If you’re feeling like you’re on a downhill slope

The teachers will give you confidence, courage and hope.

If you're red like a flame, frustrated and furious,

Being courageous can redirect, you’ll become curious.

Showing courage can be hard

You may feel like you’ll be barred

But doing what is right is all that matters

Helping your friend, now in tatters.

At BMGS we stand tall and bright,

With courage as our guide, we follow GOD'S LIGHT.

Courage

When shadows fall and doubts arise,

With trembling hearts, we lift our eyes,

For courage is the flame that glows,

A light within, as darkness grows.

Through stormy seas and winds that howl,

We face our fears and don't back down,

With steadfast hearts, we brave the fight,

For courage turns the dark to light.

In every challenge, big or small,

We find the strength to stand up tall,

For courage lies in every heart,

A guiding force, a hopeful start.

Chris

The person who inspires me with their determination and bravery is the famous soccer player, Messi. He encourages me to stand firm in my beliefs while also fostering a culture of respect and compassion, especially when playing sport.

Monty

Angus Young from the rock band ACDC, teaches me the importance of courage and respect. He approaches every situation and person with a deep sense of empathy, courage and understanding, recognizing the importance of each individual and what it means to perform at his best for all his fans.

Josiah

My dad demonstrates courage in the most inspiring ways. He lives life with an firm sense of integrity, standing up for what he believes in even when it's difficult. My Dads bravery is a beacon of hope and strength.