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(Click here to listen to ‘From The Principal’) Welcome to Term 2! We resume the second half of this first semester with renewed energy and reimagining fresh possibilities. This term, we draw in more deeply into our theme, Arise and Shine, with a greater focus on Growth and Personal Development. We recognise that each day presents us with the beautiful opportunity to move into our purpose, and becoming more of who we were created to be. Towards the end of Term 1, I had the privilege to join the mat in our Early Years classes. I was taken aback as they narrated their stories and reminisced on their lives. Some of them would say, ‘when I was young’ or ‘when I was a kid’ referring to themselves. What struck me was their view that they were no longer young and no more little kids! I also had the opportunity to share some of my childhood stories. With eyes wide open they listened as I described life ‘long, long ago’ (as they cheekily called it). I shared with them the stumbles and triumphs that shaped me – the missteps that felt overwhelming in my formative years but became the stepping stones on my life’s journey. One of my students then asked me, ‘Did you ever get it wrong?’. Of course, I smiled and responded ‘Many, many times!’ – this is how I learned to rise and always strive to shine! My experience with the beautiful young people is the heartbeat of our focus and message this term: growth is a journey, not a destination. As Apostle Paul reminds us, ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ – Philippians 1:6.
May I remind us that all of God’s creation carries a deep desire to grow and come to a place of maturity – to blossom, to bear fruit, and to fulfill its purpose. So it is with each of our students. Within them is the seed of greatness, already planted by the Master Creator and our sacred task—school and family together—is to nurture that growth. Our third cultural assumption as a school is that ‘We are an incubator of God’s masterpieces, and our students are all inherently good’. We believe that our students are not problems to be fixed but promises unfolding! We foster growth and personal development by encouraging students to set goals and have an explicit plan of how they are going to be travelling through the term, for a start. This is one of the rationales for our diary, for them to set goals, reflect on progress, and prioritise. As we both sign these diaries, we are constantly and consistently affirming their growth and development. Our partnership with you, our parents and caregivers, is central. When home and school share the same language of encouragement, grace, and expectation, our students flourish. As Bronfenbrenner (1979) observed, ‘Development is the result of the interplay between the growing human organism and its environment.’
Let us continue creating environments—both in classrooms and living rooms—where our children are consistently nurtured to reach out and up in growth and development. May I encourage us as we get on with Term 2 to remember that: everyday is a chance to grow. Mistakes are markers of learning. Hard work bears fruit. Nobody ever drowned in sweat. And our light grows brighter when we share it. With warmth and hope, let us nurture the good work happening in each of our students. May God bless our school, state, and country. Emmanuel! Lifeas Kapofu – Principal
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