I have been away for the last few weeks with family and I would like to say a big “thank you” to all of our staff, students and families who have helped keep things happening as they should, in particular Mr Davis and Miss Bernoth. As a part of our travels, we drove from seeing one of my daughters in Hamilton, Victoria, to catching up with another daughter who is away travelling the west coast of Western Australia. If you check that on a map, it is a drive of several thousand kilometres. I actually think this is the longest I have ever driven in a single trip. The driving just seemed to go on and on and on.  Interestingly, there was no stage at which I thought, “This is silly. I've had enough. I think I’ll just turn around and go home.”

It brought home to me that if we really want something enough, if we really value it and see it as important, we will dig in and put up with the uncomfortable, irritating and annoying. I know that many of our families make great sacrifices to send their children to our school. Some of you work extra shifts, go without things for yourself, so that your kids can have the opportunities for learning provided at Prescott Northern. I want to acknowledge that and thank you – it sends a wonderful message to our children about how important they, and their learning, are.

Tomorrow is our Sports Day and it will be a great opportunity for our students to experience the rewards of persisting and doing their very best, even when it gets uncomfortable, irritating or annoying. Please join us if you can. What great life lessons. (As well as a great chance for us all to enjoy each other’s company and share in the lives of our students.)

Around school at the moment, there are fences and temporary walls and things that make our school life a little inconvenient, but again, let’s not let the uncomfortable, irritating and annoying distract us from pushing towards valuable. These are great conversation starters for talking with our kids about persistence, determination and patience.

The apostle Paul likens our journey through this life to running a race, pressing on towards the goal. He writes, “ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.“ (Phillipians 3:14)

I hope that we can recognise and share our experiences of persistence and pressing on to what’s really important with our children.

Have a great week with your kids (it’s great to be back home, by the way)

Mark B

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:12 - 14