I was looking back over our Semester 1 school calendar last week reflecting on all the amazing things that have happened in our school community in the first half of this year. Across our K-12 school, there have been endless excursions, camps and sporting trips; retreats, carnivals and gala days; guest speakers, leadership days and feast day celebrations; opportunities for various types of training and study skills workshops; spelling bees, creative arts events and fundraisers. Oh, and there has been some great learning and teaching occurring along the way too!

As we come to the end of Term 2, when everyone tends to be feeling a bit tired and ready for a break, it is worth remembering that the reason we feel tired is that we have all (students, staff and families) been doing lots of wonderful, enriching things that help us live life in all its fullness. I hope that during the coming break from the routine of school, you are able to find a little time for yourself and your family so that you can replenish your energy levels for the second half of the year. 

With the cold days having well and truly kicked in, I thought you might enjoy reading this reflection from Ben Crowe, founder of Mojocrowe, that I shared with all our staff a couple of weeks ago.

THE CHALLENGE IS, WE JUDGE OURSELVES ON OUR INTENTIONS, BUT WE JUDGE EVERYONE ELSE ON THEIR BEHAVIOURS - BECAUSE WE CAN’T SEE THEIR INTENTIONS.

BEN CROWE

Here in the southern hemisphere, winter's creeping in. The days are getting shorter, colder, darker. And the funny thing is, people can often follow suit – a bit more closed off, heads down… Wrapped up in our own worlds

It's only natural. We're all just trying to keep moving, to do our best, to get through the day.

But here's the thing: when someone seems a little short, distracted, or distant on a cold Tuesday morning, it's pretty easy to fill in the blanks with our own story about what that might mean.

Maybe they don’t like me. It must have been something I said…

Or they’re in a mood, again!

But what if they're just cold, exhausted or overwhelmed? What if they're rushing to get their kid to school before racing to work? What if they're carrying something heavy, behind the scenes?

Every generation has its struggles, but we're arguably living through one of the most judgemental periods in history. It certainly feels this way, especially when we find ourselves being drawn into the depths of social media, doom scrolling amongst a sea of keyboard warriors.

The challenge is, we now have an intense amount of insight into one another's lives… And yet, it's never the full picture. Whether we're interacting with one another online, or face-to-face, we're often only seeing a snapshot of a complex (and imperfect) human experience. And being the natural pattern-makers and storytellers that we are, we draw all kinds of conclusions. Conclusions which are not always the most accurate, or conducive to deep connection.

Put simply, our brain's negativity bias has helped us evolve through the centuries. But left unchecked, it can really hinder us, too. In a world dominated by negative news media and scarcity-based advertising… It's easy to assume the worst about everything and everyone. But, what if we did the opposite?

What if we could celebrate compassion, and harness the power of radical empathy? What if we could give away love like it's free?

Maybe winter's actually the perfect time to practice this. When it might feel harder to be open-minded, when we're all a bit more wrapped up – because that's exactly when generous assumptions matter most.

Remember, as the great Robin Williams once said,

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about… Be kind. Always."

It's amazing what can happen when curiosity – rather than criticism – becomes our default.

Be kind to yourself and to all those you meet.

God bless 

Angela Myles | Executive Principal