Blog

Headmaster • Wednesday, 29 Sept 2021

Taking a deep breath
We have come to the end of a historic and, at times, extremely challenging and exhausting term, during COVID restrictions. A time to pause and replenish is critical for our boys and for us. While school holidays are generally a happy time for families to enjoy together, it’s worth being aware...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 29 Sept 2021

It's a great time to be a dad
I have to admit to being a ‘bit of a hugger’ with my boys - even though they are in their late teens! Open affection is a natural part of our relationship.  Growing up in the 1930s and 40s (‘Silent Generation’) and even the 50s (‘Baby Boomers’) when our fathers...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 29 Sept 2021

Boys can "love reading"
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of holidays at Forster and the Snowy Mountains involving family members relaxing together in the lounge room, immersed in books. There was an appreciation of a special bond and an unspoken palpable joy in the room. If you want your child to be excited...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 29 Sept 2021

Community and connection
During Term 3 the Prep staff gathered for a ‘Zoom social’ - having a chat, playing some trivia and ‘guess who’ games, and generally having a laugh together. You could feel it doing you good!  We also continued to Zoom each week in small groups, for ‘coffee catch-ups’ as a wellbeing...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021

Empowered by self-care
We hear it each time we get on the aeroplane...  ‘In case of an emergency, place the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping small children or others who may need your assistance.’ A simple concept that makes so much sense. You can’t help others for very long if you don’t...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021

Let children play
I was lucky enough to spend much of my childhood living on the grounds of The King’s School. In these spacious acres of fields and bushland, I was privileged to be able to be ‘immersed in play’. I enjoyed exploring nature in the bush, being creative in constructing cubby houses...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021

Responsibility, contribution and connection
“What if, instead of being behind, these kids are ahead? What if they have more empathy, they enjoy family connection, they can be more creative and entertain themselves, they love to read and express themselves in writing? What if our kids are the ones to learn to cook, organise their...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021

Something quite unique and special
“Dear Friends,Your email circular stirred memories of Mosman Prep, memories going back to the nineteen forties. The School, Tibby Yarnold gave to me the foundation of all later learning and a great deal more. Tibby Yarnold was a great teacher and I was, and I am a beneficiary. I am enclosing a...
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Headmaster • Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021

An educational silver lining
“I believe the pandemic will be viewed as an incubation period when teachers’ love for children spurred unprecedented technological innovations...In fact, new research supporting this view is already emerging.” (Edutopia 2021) The ‘Gonski 2.0’ review into Education Excellence (2018), highlighted the need for schools to focus more on ‘broader capabilities’ beyond just literacy and numeracy....
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