Celebrations

We have wonderful reasons to celebrate. The return of our boys and being able to listen to the sounds of our Junior School students back on the grounds gave me the opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are. There are many things in life that give us pleasure, and for me watching the students interact with their friends and their teachers after being at home is one of life's little treasures. The positive energy around the school is delightful and the boys' excitement is certainly catching.

Thank you to the groups supporting our Junior School students for committing their time and energy to ensure that the SCOT programme was a success. The Junior School staff celebrate this team effort and say a big thank you to all who helped make this possible.

The Junior School also celebrated the return of students on Monday 4 May. Teachers praised the boys for their efforts online, their level of maturity when using ILT devices, their commitment to the learning tasks and the way they worked hard to manage themselves during the SCOT learning programme.

Thanking our Mums

The support of parents during online schooling was nothing less than exceptional. Our mums were there to support their children throughout this difficult journey, which is in addition to the selfless sacrifices that mums are always making for their families. This is another reason why we should celebrate and honour them. Mother's Day is a time of celebration and we were lucky enough to return to school in time for our students to acknowledge their mums by making something small to mark this special occasion and to say thank you.

During our first online assembly, I reminded the Junior School students how valuable our mums are and of the challenges they are faced with at the moment. I spoke to them about how occasionally mums need to be firm, which may not always be well received. Sometimes mums have to insist on us doing tasks that we don't want to do and sometimes mums have to reprimand us to protect us, teach us and help us to grow to be a better person. The bond between mothers and their children is special, and in the Junior School, we see on a daily basis the beautiful relationships that our students have with their mums.

Everything mothers do for their family is done out of love and as our students mature they will start to appreciate their mums and have a greater understanding of why they were raised the way they were. I know that I am very grateful to the way my Mum raised me and what she instilled in me, which I have carried throughout my life. It is the reason I am who I am, why I behave the way I do and is most certainly the reason why I value and ensure that I live and contribute in the manner I do. Thank you mum, and thank you to all our mums!