A love letter to Cecil

Dear Cecil,

In a time when language is often used for purposes that are not always positive, I want to mobilise the English language for love - specifically, a deep love for all things Cecil.

I want to use my final newsletter as a moment to activate gratitude and reflect on everything I love about Cecil and the many lessons it has taught me over the past three years.

Thank you for recalibrating my purpose

I want to thank the student body for revitalising my love for teaching. I will never forget the first time I stood in front of 7G, 7O, and 7Y in 2022, watching them work diligently, feeling a sense of peace, and realising how lucky I was to be here. I will never forget standing in front of 7S in 2023 and 9G, 9Y, 9B, and 9O this year and experiencing the same familiar feeling of tranquility.

I will always fondly remember working with our student leaders, reflecting on issues they cared about, and sharing those reflections with the world through our podcast. I will cherish the moments spent reviewing late arrival data with Ms. Bastide and Mrs. Alfonsi, celebrating even the smallest improvements students made. I will miss playing basketball with Year 8 and Year 9 at lunch and recess, even if it was always 3 on 1.

I will deeply miss standing at the front gates every single day, saying good morning to all our students and staff as they began their day. I will miss visiting the Support Unit at any time, whether to teach or to simply just be, and experiencing a sense of pure happiness around our students as I give them the highest of fives.

I will always remember the sense of pride and happiness on students' faces when I see them make progress, no matter how small.

And I will never forget my final days at Cecil, where all the tears shed and heartbreak felt reminded me of the one true downside of being part of this community: having to leave.

Thank you for teaching me how to say goodbye

It has been my absolute pleasure to be the custodian of multiple roles in this school.

Thank you for teaching me that the best way to say goodbye is to ensure things continue smoothly after you leave - not as though you were never there, but because you were there. Through you, I learned profound lessons about letting go and the importance of meaningful, respectful, and sustainable transition of knowledge and responsibility.

I was reminded that the true impact of educators - and human beings - can often only be measured in the seeds we plant in gardens we may never see. This brought to mind a favourite saying that continue to guide my everyday approach to teaching, leading, and life:

“I shall pass this way but once; so therefore, if there is any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I may not pass this way again.”

Thank you for teaching me how to leverage humour and differentiate success

I often say that teaching feels like being part of a sitcom, and that has been so true at Cecil.

I have been fortunate to work with three faculties: History/Languages, the Support Unit, and English - each with its own unique lessons on how humour can enrich workplace experience.

To the History/Languages Faculty: Thank you for teaching me to find humour in everything. You are the most wonderfully random group of people, capable of making me laugh uncontrollably while tackling complex issues from multiple perspectives to find solutions that will be serve our students.

To the English Faculty: Thank you for reviving my love for English and for being a group of vibrant and colourful characters.
To the Support Unit: Thank you for fostering what I often describe as one of the happiest places on Earth. Thank you for teaching me the importance of differentiating success for every student. You taught me what truly inclusive education looks like, and I am honoured to have officially ended my Cecil journey with you

Thank you for allowing me to re-learn the basics

I have also been fortunate to establish and lead multiple teams: Community Engagement, Numeracy, and Reconnect. Each one taught me to look back at the basics of how to be human, re-learn its value, and use it to drive student improvement.

To the Reconnect Team: Thank you for allowing me to stand with you as we welcomed Cecil students home every single day with a smile, reigniting their fire day in and day out.
To the Numeracy Team: Thank you for helping me reflect on the importance of acknowledging the numerical realities of the world and rethinking my approach to mathematics.
To the Community Engagement Team: Thank you for helping me experience the beauty of the Cecil spirit - a collective heartbeat that inspires everyone to have each other’s backs every single day. You helped me realise my greatest strengths and gave me an arena to expand my potential beyond my wildest dreams.

All of these seems like minor, mundane things but as the Boston Celtics' General Manager, Brad Stevens, once said, “When considering the consequences of not doing the little things, you realise there are no little things."

Thank you for teaching me how to be coachable

I want to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful mentors. Through you, I learned to lead and be kinder to myself and others. You gave me some powerful tools that taught me how to love myself. Through you, I learnt that while it is important to know our students and how they learn, there is an even higher standard we must all strive towards as teachers as its achievement will no doubt profoundly enrich our teaching experience and that is to know ourselves.

I came to Cecil hoping for just one great mentor. I am leaving with over a dozen, many of whom have also become true friends throughout this rollercoaster journey.

I want to specifically thank Ms Carter for taking a genuine interest in my growth as a professional and as a person. You are an absolute beacon of hope to everyone around you and the Cecil Family is so fortunate to have you. Thank you for helping me catalyse the changes within me and allowing me to seek and welcome mentorship wherever I go.

And of course, I would remiss if I fail to offer the highest of praise to the NSW School Leadership Institute - particularly Ms Samantha Jackson and the FASTstream team - and the NSW Department of Education for supporting me over the past eight years until now, leading me straight to Cecil, and allowing me to partake in the ever favourite object of my heart and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares and labours as educators - that is to make a positive difference in the lives of students every single day.

Thank you for teaching me how to generate happiness and a wicked, fairytale ending

One of my favourite Cecil memories will always be the last day of Year 9 camp this year: running around Mount Kosciuszko on a dirt road alongside deers, kangaroos, and rabbits as the sun rose at 5 a.m. It was a surreal, Disney-like moment that served as a magical ending to my Cecil story. It was epic journey that truly taught me that happiness is generated, not pursued.

As I end this love letter, I want to leave you behind with some of my favourite lines of all time, which always seem to remind me of you:

“It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime.

So let me say before we part,

So much of me is made of what I learned from you.

You’ll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart.

And now, whatever way our stories end,

I know you have rewritten mine

By being my friend.”

- Elphaba & Glinda, Wicked The Musical

Thank you, Cecil, for everything. I had the time of my life with you. Thank you for giving me everything I need as I head north to begin the next chapter of this marvellous teaching odyssey.

Kindest regards,

Francis Floresca

Head Teacher Engagement