Message from 

the Principal

Our School Values

Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.                                               

Gandhi

At our recent School Assembly, I took the opportunity to reflect upon our School values, what they mean to us and how we can demonstrate these in our daily lives at School and beyond the gates. At the heart of any quality organisation lies their values, the principles or standards that guide one’s thoughts and actions.

Our values act as our signposts in life and it is by referring to them that we are able to determine how we should respond appropriately to different and at times challenging situations. At KWS we have five core values that we use as our guide. 

These are:  

Our values are demonstrated through the respect we show to each other; by acceptance and appreciation that we are all different; by the way in which we include others; by the courage we show when we stand up for what is right - when we don’t stay silent when someone is being harassed or bullied; by the resilience we show when we bounce back from set-backs and disappointments. It is our values that define us, that reveal our character and the type of person we are. 

How can we and do we live out our values in our daily lives?

Courage

Both Winston Churchill and Maya Angelou – the US poet, singer and civil rights campaigner viewed courage as the first of human qualities because they believed it was the quality that guaranteed all others.  So what does courage, the ‘first of human qualities’ mean to us at KWS?

On a simple level we must be courageous enough to strive to be the best we can be, to have the courage to do the best we can in all we undertake in our classes, in sport, in service to the community and to others. We must have the courage to accept new challenges and to explore new paths and opportunities, to have the courage to pick ourselves up after setbacks and disappointments. 

We need to be brave enough to take risks, even if it ends in failure. Don’t be afraid of failure because throughout our lives it is one of our greatest teachers. We need to be courageous in standing up for what is right and to show personal leadership when challenged. To be brave enough to be an upstander – not a bystander, and to call out inappropriate actions or behaviours for what they are. To do so requires courage. 

But – courage is not always about big dramatic events. It is often about the quiet determined actions we go about every day, at school and at home. It is having the courage to think about our own actions and thoughts and to be honest with yourself. Having the courage to support a cause that you believe in and to do all you can to help it succeed. This may be supporting others or working to protect our environment by acting on climate change, it could be endeavouring to create a more caring and inclusive school community. 

There are so many worthy causes needing action.

There are different types of courage – it can be physical or moral. We see physical courage on the sport field and in battle. Moral courage can be seen in our relationships or when we are prepared to stand for what is right and true. We are presently seeing great acts of moral and physical courage in the Ukraine – as their citizens fight defend their nation and freedoms from the Russian invaders.

We all have opportunities to display moral courage in our relationships, peer groups and family every day.

Respect

How respectful are we of others – regardless of how different others may be to ourselves.

Do we show respect and courtesy to our gardeners, cleaners and maintenance staff? 

• At times we don’t. We leave rubbish or mess around the School for others to attend to.
• This is disrespectful to our cleaning staff, to our School and to your reputation. 
• Treat others how you would like to be treated. 

It is important you are respectful of your teaching staff. They work very hard to support you.

How do you show your appreciation? 

• Are you respectful and courteous in your interactions?
• Do you respect the working environments of your classmates?
• Do you respect the great opportunity that your parents provide you to attend KWS? Many families make a significant personal sacrifice to send you to this School.
• Are you taking full advantage of your opportunities here?
• Have you thanked them for what they do for you?

Do you respect your School? Its grounds and facilities?

Does your appearance demonstrate your respect for KWS, to be scruffy and untidy impacts on everyone’s reputation.  Upon the reputations of every staff member, every student, past students and your families. The majority of you wear your uniform with pride.  However some of you don’t and this also damages our School. Your appearance reflects your respect for the School and yourself.

• Is your hair clean and well groomed?
• Is your hair cut appropriate? 

Inclusiveness

A strong community is one that is inclusive – where the human dignity of all is respected and cherished. Where people are not kept out or disrespected because of their sex, colour or beliefs. An inclusive community appreciates that the world is a rich and diverse place.  What do you do to make our School community more inclusive? When you see someone alone, or left out, what action do you take?

I regularly hear of actions where students have made great efforts to include and support others, showing kindness and care for the wellbeing of other students.  However, at times I also hear of discrimination against others due to their difference.  This is a rare occurrence and it is not behaviour that is worthy of our fine school or of any of you.

Resilience

In life we need to be resilient and throughout your journey at School and adolescence this is an important quality to develop. We all experience disappointments, setbacks and fail to achieve things at different times right through our lives. It is important to know that success and achievement take time. There are many small steps taken before you reach your goal.  When we fail we need to learn from our mistakes, reassess if necessary and keep working towards our goal.  We need to have the character and courage to persist. 

As Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II said to his people as the German Airforce, the Luftwaffe was bombarding London during the Battle of Britain: 

Never, Never, Never give up.

Your character will not judged by how many times you are knocked over, but by the number of times you get back to your feet.

And finally:

Commitment

Be committed to achieve your hopes and aspirations. Be committed to make a positive contribution to your friends, peers, your School and your family. Nothing worthwhile is achieved without being committed. A commitment give you purpose and when a goal is achieved – a great sense of personal satisfaction. 

If we can strive to honour our School Values. To have the courage, commitment and resilience to make our values central to our daily lives we will have a truly great School, a wonderful community. And you personally will lead a rich and fulfilling life full of satisfaction, reward and contentment.

Camps Week

We are soon to embark upon Camps Week, a time that sees wonderful opportunities for many of our students to engage in some of the joys and challenges of new experiences, some camping under plastic in the outdoors, others participating in service to the community; music camps or Year Group Retreats and activities. Most students who attend these camps will enjoy themselves immensely and many will grow through their experience and will find ways of helping others during the week.

Our Cadets are venturing into an environment that has an element of wilderness about it but rest assured the outdoor camps are run by people who are conscious of all the safety issues that parents would expect, and are experienced in such environments. The School has an excellent safety record due to the well-structured programs offered and the experienced and caring staff involved.

Some students can feel anxious about a camping experience, miles from home sleeping under a piece of plastic but most will enjoy it immensely and be eager to return next year. Some experiences will not be easy, they are designed to be challenging so that they can learn about themselves and grow in confidence. At times it is important that we are taken out of our comfort zone and experience a little discomfort to enable a growth in resilience, a quality sometimes in short supply among the young people of today. 

May I please remind all our students of the importance of exercising responsible behaviours during camp. There are greater hazards to confront and they will be in unfamiliar surroundings so it is vital students understand the importance of co-operating fully with staff, and abiding by School rules and expectations.

Camps Week provides an excellent opportunity for us to draw upon our values and School ethos when we are confronted with unfamiliar surrounds. The experience should enable our students to grow in knowledge of themselves and of others, provide wonderful opportunity for friendships to grow and a forum to exercise integrity in decision making. 

Opportunities to display physical and moral courage will present themselves to our students each day. It is for these reasons that camps form an important element of the school programs of most leading Independent Schools. It is my hope that our students will fully embrace the opportunities for personal growth before them.