Dear families,

                        I sincerely hope that good health is making its way into your homes following what has been a somewhat testing time with colds and flu lurking about.

Thankyou for keeping your children at home during periods of illness, we know that it can bring your working worlds to a standstill and make for complicated arrangements to manage. There is nothing more comforting for a child who is unwell however, to have the safety and quiet opportunity to rest within the comforts of home.

On a positive note, there is still a great deal happening here at school with teachers banding together to support the management of illness amongst staff.

I have witnessed plenty of silver linings for student relationships and opportunities as classes have joined together and little changes to programmes bringing novelty. I have certainly enjoyed the chance to jump into classes and relieve teachers. It is always nice to have an opportunity to build my personal connections with students and gain firsthand understandings of their classroom experience. Knowing all of the children is probably the thing I appreciate most about working in a small school.

Today I had the pleasure of attending a Japanese lesson alongside one of our classes. Thanks to our Sensei (Michelle Gabelich), I took the place of student and gained many new understandings about the language and its evolution over time. Sensei skilfully drew on her personal experience alongside the children’s interests to deliver the content. I had the pleasure of observing the way in which an engaging and varied lesson can bring students into a state of intense focus and deliver an obvious experience of self-worth and appreciation.

Rudolf Steiner was clear in his instruction to teachers that the content must bring life to teachers inwardly: 

“We must relate ourselves directly to life and anything we’re going to introduce in our teaching in school should sustain and uphold us inwardly, should truly enliven us. It is for this reason that no true teaching can ever be boring.”

Teaching is an ongoing commitment to maintaining a positive and curious immersion with the world, whilst also developing a deepening awareness of everyone’s unique experience.

The promotion of healthy habits in our students comes largely from the examples lived and delivered by our teachers day in and day out. So, thank you for supporting their efforts as parents and guardians. It is appreciated by all of us.