Dear Parents/Guardians
It’s funny what we remember from our youth, as our parents tried their very best to teach us as children what was right and wrong, what was good for you and good for others and so on - lessons we often ignored or thought useless at the time but fondly remember with regretful nostalgia as we try to parent our own children!
My mother had a saying she would use: “Antony, she would say, “grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same, until it be thoroughly finished, that yieldeth the true glory”” I remember it still and have come to know it as a quote from a prayer of Sir Francis Drake. I have used it often to encourage boys and staff to finish well in whatever they do and I share this with you this week as we near the end of the year. It is not yet done, and most of us are desperate for 2020 to leave us and for a new start in 2021. But there is still much to do and so I encourage you to help your son finish the year well, do the best he can in whatever assessments he writes and complete a difficult year with dignity and no regret for opportunity lost. I exhort you to do the same as we all live in hope for positive change next year.
Our Grade 10s will shortly be going on Epic, a journey and an adventure they will never forget. We wish them a safe trip, filled with good memories. When I wished them well for the challenges that await them, I asked them to have a positive attitude and to use this opportunity to learn about nature, learn a new skill but, more importantly, to learn more about each other and about themselves. The wilderness gives us a chance, not often granted, to reflect deeply on self and I hope our boys are able to use this time to look back on a tough year they have overcome but also to look forward on great things yet to be.
The other Grades will be busy with exams and I wish them well for this time that for many is stressful, no matter how academically strong they may be. As parents, feed them, encourage them to exercise, to sleep and to avoid prolonged time on social media. Give them a place of peace in your home where they can study unhindered and keep encouraging them. A last piece of advice, avoid length post-mortems after exams. There is nothing that can be done to undo a mistake and all that happens is that uncertainty is sown inside their minds that leads to a lack of confidence.
The first part of the transformation process is almost completed and I thank those parents who filled in the survey and gave us input on their Bishops experience. It will be hard for us as adults not to project our own stories on the process and I understand that. We each have our own story to tell but let us remember that this is about our boys and about their story. Yes, we do impact most significantly on their stories and so must be part of the journey with them, but it is predominantly about them, their experiences past and those to come. It is about building a place of belonging for all as we show mutual respect for each other and celebrate our difference while appreciating that which we have in common.
This week ends with the Hindu celebration of the Festival of Light or Diwali and we wish all our Hindu boys, staff and their families a special weekend of togetherness and peace.
We will be closing our year off with a final assembly at which I will have the time to acknowledge those teachers who are leaving to retire or to relocate. We have a large number of retirees who leave after many years’ service to our College and I acknowledge them and thank them for all they have done.
I wish you well for the last part of the term and the year.
Tony Reeler
Principal
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