From the Acting Headmaster

We have made it to our last newsletter for 2022. I am sure you are like me - the year has finished entirely differently than I had anticipated at the beginning of the year. 

We can hope for predictability, yet what we experience is often anything but predictable. One thing that makes this more enjoyable is having the time and space to pause long enough to put things into perspective. 

Holidays give us a perfect chance to do just that. 

One of my favourite authors is Juliet Funt. For those of you who remember the old black-and-white TV show Candid Camera, she is the daughter of Alan Funt. Juliet Funt is a world leader in creating "white space" to ensure that the busyness of life does not deprive you of the oxygen you need so that your talent and passion can catch fire.

Juliet believes that we need to reinsert time and space into our lives -short periods of open, unscheduled time that, when recaptured, change the very nature of how we see the world. She calls this "white space."

White space is about stepping back, taking a strategic pause. She believes that white space can radically - and simply - reinvent how we approach the challenges presented to us in a maxed-out life.

So as we approach Christmas, this idea of 'rest' and space is echoed in Matthew 11:28-30. Here Jesus invites us into the rest from the world that only he provides. He says, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

As we walk towards Christmas, I have asked students across our school what things they love most about this time of year. Their answers have varied, ranging from food to Christmas Carols, giving and getting gifts, parties and decorations, and the reminder of what Jesus' life meant to humanity. Some talked about their Churches and Youth groups where they felt free to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Every single child I spoke to talked about time with family. 

White space. 

Our children will remember these moments of white space far longer than any time of being busy.  

The Christmas spirit comes in many forms, but the source of our Christmas remains the same. I hope you can make some white space long enough to also reflect on the life of Jesus and celebrate his birth and life. 

I wish you and everyone in the Blue Mountains Grammar School community a time of peace, joy, and everything that phrase means. Let me encourage you to create white space with and for your family and friends this Christmas. Make great memories, renew passions and remember - no one is ever too old to celebrate Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone - we love being in community with you. 

Mr Steven Coote 

Acting Headmaster