Two Questions

It has been great to get back into a normal routine this week and to see our students so happy and focussed on their studies.  Already it's impossible to see which students are new to Alice Smith and which students were here last year as our students have been so welcoming and staff so supportive of the new members of our community.

I had the pleasure as term started to deliver an assembly to all of the Secondary Students alongside Mr Ryan, the new Secondary Principal and used a scene from the 2007 film The Bucket List as an illustration for the year ahead.

In the film the two main characters were car mechanic Carter Chambers played by Morgan Freeman and Edward Cole the tycoon played by Jack Nicholson.  The characters formed an unlikely friendship as they both dealt with a diagnosis of a terminal illness and set out to complete a bucket list of tasks together to enjoy the final months of their lives.

I shared the scene where the two men sat looking over the Pyramids in Egypt and Carter explained to Edward Cole an Egytian belief about the after life.  His story went that when you died you would appear in front of the gods who would ask you two questions:

'Have you found joy in your life?'

'and have you brought joy to the lives of others?'

This is a great illustration of the hope we have for our Alice Smith students for the year ahead.  We want them to find joy and purpose in this school year.  This can be through lessons and the motivation from teachers to consider what they may do in the future but also by being involved in all the opportunities open to them this year, whether joining sports teams, the orchestra or the productions or through the many service, charity and other character building opportunities like MUN.  The students have already responded with over 140 attending auditions for the Autumn Production.

The second question is equally important as we ask students to ensure the environment in school helps everyone to feel safe to be themself knowing they have friends to support them in the year ahead.

These two questions are a wonderful illustration of the school Community Promise which challenges us all to be Kind, Safe and Purposeful.  

These simple words lie at the heart of our school values, reminding us of the positive impact we can have on one another every day. As we step into the year ahead, I look forward to working together as a community to foster kindness, create a safe and welcoming space for all, and empower every student to discover their purpose and reach for the stars.