Farewell from Sonya

I am feeling a great sense of pride today in what I have been able to achieve during my time at Newlands. I am proud of the connections I have made with staff, students and families, but there is also a little sadness that this immense chapter of my life is coming to a close.

I walked into this school 13,382 days ago. I had not seen Geelong win a premiership and had never used a computer to support learning nor spoken a word in Spanish.

During my time at Newlands, I have taught over 750 students from Prep to Grade 6, written 1,500 student reports, been involved in more than 20 camps and school concerts, worked under six principals, coached 30 sporting teams, learnt some Spanish, taken thousands of photos, attended over 2,000 meetings, been on more than 100 selection panels and eaten hundreds of chocolates for chocolate drives.

People have asked me, “Why did you stay so long at Newlands?”

The answer is simple: the relationships I have made.

It has been the relationships with students, watching them arrive at school and seeing them grow into confident young people ready to take on the world.

It has been the relationships with families, the conversations at the gate, or anywhere else we happened to meet, the parent meetings, the celebrations, the concerns and, most importantly, the trust you placed in me to be part of your children's lives.

And it has been the relationships with colleagues.

I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside so many talented, caring and passionate people. Every person I have worked with has played a part in making my time at Newlands so special.

I don't want to single anyone out, but I do need to thank Ross, Luke and Joy for the support they have given me over the years.

When I think about my time here, it is not the number of planning documents  I've written, meetings I've attended or assessments I've done that I will remember most.

It will be the people.

The students who made me laugh and felt so such pride in when they had learnt something new.

The families who trusted me.

The colleagues who supported me.

And the thousands of little moments that make up a career in education.

So, thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey.

Thank you for the friendships, the support, the laughs, the challenges and, most of all, the wonderful memories.

Les deseo a todos en Newlands mucha felicidad para el futuro.

I wish everyone at Newlands lots of happiness for the future.

As for me, I'm not quite sure what this retired teacher will do next...

but I'm hoping to become very good at it.

Thank you,

Sonya O'Brien