Principal's Update
Listen In, Lean In: Strengthening the Human Capacities That Matter
2026 has started at The Friends’ School with a focus on our new theme, ‘Listen In; Lean In…as the Way Opens’. Discerned by our school community - from our youngest students to our Senior students - this theme is enabling us to explore important ideas and questions, and to shape the kind of community we become.
We are exploring ways we might more intentionally listen in to ourselves, to our environment (immediate, local and global), and to each other.
A focus on deep listening enables us to ‘seek first to understand’. In the Quaker tradition that guides our school, we believe there is “that of God”—a light—in every person. That belief changes how we listen. It means that every person we meet carries something of worth, something to be discovered.
Listening in might mean simple things, like keeping your body still and your eyes on the person speaking; or it might mean hearing a view you disagree with and choosing curiosity instead of quick judgment.
Listening in helps us see the person, not just read the outside. It softens assumptions and reminds us that, in our first impressions, we often do not see the whole story.
In discerning our theme, our Senior students held a strong focus on the need to attend to purpose and to explore the intention behind our learning, our actions and our service. This idea is encapsulated in ‘Lean in’.
In a world that can feel deeply divided, with groups polarised, leaning in means choosing to move toward someone whose ideas differ from our own, rather than staying comfortably where it feels safe to be reassured.
We recognise that it is easy to lean in to friends and colleagues who think like us. It is harder to lean in when there has been a misunderstanding, or when a conversation feels uncomfortable.
But this is where connection grows.
Leaning in does not mean you must agree. Quaker faith has never required uniformity. It asks something braver: that we stay in relationship even when we differ; that we speak truthfully and listen generously.
When we listen in, we begin to understand.
When we lean in, we begin to connect.
And that is how bridges form and how a way opens - not through dramatic moments, but through small, steady choices: a question asked with respect, a pause instead of an immediate response, a willingness to sit beside someone or something new.
Listening in grows humility - the awareness that we may not have the full picture.
Leaning in grows courage - the strength to step forward anyway.
When we practise both, a way opens for our school and our extended communities to become more than places of learning; they become places of belonging.
In 2026, we are encouraging these small practices: in our conversations, to truly listen; in uncertain moments, to gently lean in. In uncertain times, our small actions and open hearts create stronger communities. We look forward to sharing stories across the year about how our theme, Listen In; Lean In…as the Way Opens, is enlivened through the work of our staff and students.
Strengthening Human Capacities at Friends’
Alongside our 2026 theme, Compassionate Systems, Restorative Practices, and emerging frameworks such as the University of Melbourne’s focus on broader “success competencies” share a common insight: learning is deeply relational.
Compassionate Systems encourages us to see each person as part of an interconnected whole, building awareness, empathy and responsibility. This aligns with Restorative Practices, which centre relationships, accountability and repair, and with a growing emphasis on capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, ethical judgment and self-awareness.
Together, these approaches shift education beyond content delivery toward the development of human capacities that enable young people to contribute meaningfully to their communities.
In an age shaped by artificial intelligence, this focus becomes even more important. As technology takes on more analytical tasks, the distinctly human qualities of connection, empathy and moral discernment become essential. Education is not only about preparing students to use AI, but about strengthening the relationships and capacities that make us human.
Several articles in this edition of Rose and Waratah explore in more detail how these frameworks are being developed and embedded as part of a Friends’ education - one that has always privileged the quality of relationships and the development of human capacities as central to who we are.
Thank you to all families for your ongoing support and for the privilege of partnering with you.
In Peace and Gratitude
Esther Hill - Principal