From the Assistant Principal 

Bidding 2020 a 'fond' farewell...

How many of us in the last few weeks or months have said 'I can't wait to put 2020 behind me'? You definitely wouldn't be alone, it has certainly felt like 37.9 long months of the strangest and most overwhelming year in many many ways! When we speak to our children about it though, it is so important to speak about the challenges but also about how we rose above them. Instead of talking about it being 'the worst year' of their lives ... try turning it around to 'gosh there were some awful things but wow you made it through!' 

At the moment, more than ever, our children are taking our cue in how to be resilient and how to face life's challenges. How we model survival and optimism right now has the potential to set our children up for life. It doesn't mean putting that bright voice on and pretending it was amazing (our kids aren't silly!) ...  Not all of us relished the opportunity to stay home and perfect our sourdough recipes ... but do you know what we all did? We survived! 

You know I am a mum too, so I get it! My boys have recently started saying things like "oh if we had lockdown again it would be the WORST" and "Mummy, what are the numbers today? Is there a 3rd wave?" Certainly not words I ever expected to hear from my children that's for sure! My answer is always, "Yes, it was yucky. But we did what we had to do. And if it happens (fingers crossed it doesn't!), we will be ok! We will do what we need to get through because that's what families do". It doesn't mean that all the time I feel like I believe that, but I sure want my children to believe that we can. A little rose coloured parenting (within reason) helps to reassure our children that we are in control (even if we don't feel it) because we are the captain of their ship. Be the captain, I believe in you.

2021 Classes

Children have met their 2021 class this morning and across the school it was so lovely to see such bright faces, full of optimism for a wonderful year ahead. Please be assured that our teachers and education support staff have been working for many many weeks on creating the best possible classes where your child can thrive. Now more than ever we place a strong emphasis on not only environments where children feel safe to explore, learn, take risks and grow, but also classes where they feel connected, safe and recognised. 

Your child has been through a year of great change and uncertainty and many children are nervous about what lies ahead. Please help them by celebrating the positives of their new year level, there are so many wonderful things to look forward to.