From the Principal
As most parents are aware, I have been an English teacher throughout my career, so you would not be surprised to hear that I like words. Actually, I love words. As a teacher, I have regularly shared with my students the power, beauty and mystery of words. Therefore, I was thrilled to see that the focus of this week’s Junior School Assembly, which I attended on Tuesday, was on the power of words and the language we use.
Junior School Captains Amelie and Pax reflected on the positive power of words in their respective speeches. Amelie, shared how words can be uplifting and how the quote from Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh, “You are braver than you are aware, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think,” has been inspiring to her and has helped fill her with self-confidence. Pax talked about the importance of setting goals and aspirations to aim for and shared an example of Year 6 Sports Captain, Vinnie, who has worked hard at basketball over the past few years and is now achieving his goals.
While words can certainly have a positive impact, they can also have a negative impact, too. This was illustrated through another one of Mr Holden’s “challenges” at assembly where he asked a student to squeeze as much toothpaste into a container and then attempt to put the toothpaste back in the tube. As you can imagine, this attempt was both futile and messy.
However, the point was clear. Like toothpaste out of a tube, words can’t go back in once they are said, so it is important that we think before we speak and ensure the language we use is respectful, positive and supportive.
At the assembly I also spoke to the Junior School students about character and shared with them a quote I have often referred to by the late American basketball coach, John Wooden, that “a true test of a person’s character is what they do when others aren’t watching”. However, maybe to fit in with the theme of the assembly, I should have altered the quote to say a true test of a person’s character is what they say when some others (parents, teachers, peers) aren’t listening.
Twilight Welcome Evening
It was great to see so many parents attend the Twilight Welcome on Friday night and I extend my thanks to all the members of the RPFA and to the Redlands staff who organised this event. The wonderful community feeling during the evening can be seen in this video and photos.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Photo Caption: The Twilight Welcome Evening was a wonderful way for our Redlands community to come together at the start of the school year.