From the Principal

Dear Huntingtower Community,

'True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection.' Mary Baker Eddy

As we enter the final week of the academic year and turn our minds to the holiday season, it is important that we pause to reflect on the year we have had and to celebrate our achievements. It was certainly not the year I envisioned when I put on my Huntingtower ‘Vision 2020’ glasses at the commencement assembly in February; however, it has still been a wonderful year filled with so much to be grateful for and I have witnessed many amazing things through my ‘2020’ glasses.

The words above by Mrs Eddy encourage us to love freely and include all mankind in one affection. This year we have seen the Huntingtower community doing exactly that. The love and kindness we have shared has helped us navigate learning at school, then home, then school, then home and then school again. In all of this, I know that we have witnessed so much gratitude, generosity and love for mankind. 

We have had masks on, off and then on again. We have become comfortable with video conferencing and a multitude of online platforms. We have pivoted, held virtual events, hosted webinars and tapped into all of our creative energies. While we were physically distanced for most of the year, we remained socially connected and united.  

We are grateful that the change in restrictions meant that our Year 12 cohort could have the opportunity to come together to celebrate their achievements and reflect on their final year of schooling - a year they will certainly never forget. Next week, we will hold our Valedictory Celebration at school and we are very much looking forward to celebrating with our wonderful Class of 2020. They worked so hard to prepare for their VCE exams and we are so proud of what they have achieved this year, despite obstacles in their path. We know that the Class of 2020 will leave Huntingtower as kind and loving people who will make positive contributions in the world. 

A heartfelt thank you to all families for your amazing support over the year. The staff have felt your kindness and greatly appreciated the emails, kind words and messages of support and encouragement throughout the year. Huntingtower is blessed to have the most caring, loving and passionate staff who gave their all to provide the quality of education and care Huntingtower is renowned for. We are so proud of what we have achieved together in 2020.

I wish all families a safe and blessed Christmas and a well-deserved holiday break whichever way your family celebrates this special time of the year. The staff and I look forward to welcoming you back to Huntingtower in the New Year to what we already know will be an exciting 2021!

Andrew Houghton

Principal