As I have mentioned in the past, I spent many years teaching high school. One of the things that I kept coming back to with kids, was the importance of not letting the numbers or letters they received in their results, define who they are. I vividly remember my subject selection counsellor in high school, as I was about to head into senior high. He looked at my grades and made it very clear to me that based on my results so far, I was very unlikely to experience success in my endeavours. Fortunately, I took that as a challenge and decided that I would turn things around in both attitude and practice. Our Year End Reports are about to go home, and for some, goals will be met and great joy will be taken in what appears on those pages. Others will be disappointed and challenged, and that is opportunity to grow and develop. What I think is important though, is that we see these reports as a description of our kids’ learning journeys and not allow them to define our children.

Monday night, Mr Davis, Miss Bernoth and I went and joined our Year 6 and 7 classes and their teachers and our chaplains up at the Year 6/7 Graduation Camp. We walked up to a lookout above the camp and as the sun was setting, their teachers shared some farewell thoughts and appreciation with the students. It was beautiful to hear the love and care that our teachers poured out on our students. They spoke about how our students have grown and matured and shown an attitude of having a go at almost anything, regardless of the degree of success experienced. They spoke about the foundation the children have received and where they can go with that and the principles they have had become a part of their lives. I wish you all could have been there. The other thing we spoke a little about was what they would allow to define them in the years to come. We shared how events that come our way should not define us, but rather how we respond to those experiences and whether they are growth points for us or not.

We are so proud of our students and the young people they have become and are becoming. I hope you are as well.

Have a great week with our kids,

Mark B