An Especially Good School Year
Originally published in 2014, Term 2
The school has had a really special feel recently—this year, specifically. The teachers have commented more and more often about different groups being special—that the Biggies are so… and the Middlies are… and the Greens… and the Blues… and the Reds…, and that the children have constantly been helpful, adventurous, brave, kind, supportive, and just good in so many ways.
When interviewing parents—Philip does the 'these-are-the-rules' interview, and I do the follow-up interview—I am often asked what makes a successful FCS school experience for a child. I appreciate this question and the fact that prospective parents regularly ask me this.
My answer is that it all boils down to trust: if you trust us with your children, then they will do well. A school father of many years standing said to me last term that from his perspective, the school was going especially well - that it was the best it had ever been - in terms of being a positive, happy place. I asked him what he put this down to, and he said that in his view, all families were on board this year, that there was no one whispering seeds of unhappiness or discontent. I should add that these have never been big issues for us - our extremely low turnover is a testament to this fact: we have always been very well supported.
Still, in reflecting on this father's words, I think he is right. So, a huge thank you to all of our current families for your support and for making our school such a special place.
When we think about trust, we do not say that we all eat the same diet, support the same football team, or vote for the same party: trust is not premised upon all having the same views but on working together for the greater good, in this case, for the benefit of our children—even when there are differences to be reconciled or worked through.
So, on behalf of all of the teachers and your children, thanks.
Yours,
Timothy Berryman (Principal)
I should also add a thank you to former families and staff members. I feel that we have had even more contact recently, and received ever more offers and acts of support. While these have a less direct impact on the day-to-day running of the school, they give me great encouragement and support - which I hope flows through the whole school. And to our Thornbury parents - in case you were not sure that this included you, well yes, it does.
