Message from

the Deputy Principal 

Term 2 | Week 2

I hope everybody has had a wonderful holiday and managed to spend some quality time with family and friends during the Easter holidays. I also hope you managed to find some time to enjoy some chocolate as well!

During the break I came across a post on social media and thought that it would provide a great reminder for our pupils of the skills and behaviours that we want them to develop during their time at KWS. Some of these skills we have focussed on in Year Group meetings, in Wellbeing Periods and through discussions in the classroom and within Boarding houses. In last week’s assembly I shared these behaviours with the School and then unpacked what each of them actually means in our day-to-day lives.

1. Being on Time
2. Work Ethic
3. Effort
4. Body Language 
5. Energy
6. Attitude 
7. Passion
8. Being Teachable / Coachable
9. Doing Extra 
10. Being Prepared

All of these skills are absolutely invaluable in life and each will of them boost you towards greater personal happiness and put you well on the road to success. Speaking with some of our Boarding families at the recent Parent / Teacher meetings about conditions on their property they reminded me of the adage that we simply cannot control what life throws at us but we can control how we react to it. So we all need to start making wiser choices. We are not going to metamorphosis instantaneously but small steps every day are so important. It will not only help our pupils achieve success but it will also help to sustain it.

It was wonderful to catch up with families in Dubbo last Friday night and to hear their news, provide some meaningful feedback to me and to also have a laugh: the rain was also most welcome! It was great to see the Winter Sport season get underway last week. The hockey sides are catching up on their games due to the break, I enjoyed seeing the 1st XI soccer secure a hard-earned 1-0 win and then witnessed some exhilarating netball from our senior girls’ teams. The rugby players had a successful trip to Coonabarabran to take on The Armidale School and this was a positive start to the season. Our musicians and dramatists are busy preparing for their productions and I would encourage parents to attend the Camerata Concert on Friday 31st May at 6.30pm in the DPA.

I wish you all the very best for the term ahead and look forward to seeing you over the coming weeks.

Mr James Boyd

Deputy Principal

1. Always be prepared, formulate a plan before you do something. Being prepared reduces significant amount of possibilities of disappointment. However, sometimes we do not always succeed so we also need to be prepared to learn the lessons from this and reflect on where we may have gone wrong.
2. Doing something extra will not cost you much but it will definitely add a lot to your character and make you stand above the crowd. A few extra minutes will complete the task better. To borrow the Nike strapline ‘just do it’.
3. Always be open to learning. You can never know everything. To increase your chances of success, you need to be a continuous learner. This is a growth mindset and if adopted will help you significantly as you move through the School and beyond these gates. Being teachable / coachable also means you have to allow yourself to take instruction and apply it without defiance. Embrace feedback as it is in your best interest and designed to allow you to improve.
4. The enthusiasm you show when you are passionate about something is easily noticeable and can rub off on others. I want you to be ‘energisers not sappers’ - being passionate about something also gives you the ability to endure the times when things may not be going your way.
5. A positive attitude can go a long way as it determines the course of your life. When you are negative, you act as a roadblock in the path of your success. Sometimes we have a run of ordinary weeks and at times we feel like we are victims. So what to do? Try to stay upbeat. Stay present and stay in the moment. Allow your mindset to be expansive rather than closed. Enter situations thinking people are good rather than out to get you. You might find yourself happily surprised.
6. There can be days in which our energy levels are low, we all have them and nobody is immune to this. There are times when we do not feel motivated and we do not want to get out bed. It is hard when we are confronted with days like this but this is when we need to remind ourselves of our goals and purpose. It is important that we know our "Why" and if we do then it will be easier to stay motivated. Also be mindful of what we put into our bodies to help us with our energy. We need to fill our bodies with the best fuel for our brains and muscles.
7. Your body language speaks volumes about you. I place great importance on this and it is a window on your attitude. We all need to be mindful of our body language and make sure it is saying the message we want to communicate.
8. Give everything when you do something, be it classwork, music practice, sport training, Cadets or prep. You should not regret afterwards that you did not make enough effort to make things happen. I am not asking you to be the best rather be your best.
9. Cutting corners may seem like the easy way out but unfortunately it invariably leads to dead-ends: we have all been there. Doing your work with honesty and dedication will take you to new levels that you had not necessarily appreciated you were capable of achieving. It is not a numbers game as having a strong work ethic is not merely about putting in long hours. It is about standing with strong morals to accomplish something you can be proud of.
10. Being on time shows discipline. It gives a good first impression – as you know we only get one chance to make a first impression.