It is a sign of our challenging times that the first occasion I got to speak to all of the High School and Senior College students gathered together in one place was in Week 10 of Term 1. In another first (or at least for the first time in a very long time) on Tuesday, parents of Years 3 and 12 were invited to attend the amazing Harvest Festival, which was held on the oval so that we could separate cohorts and allow parents to be present.
In spite of the challenges, I am so proud of what has been achieved throughout Term 1, 2022. There were times when so many staff were absent (mostly because of illness and isolation due to COVID-19) that it was a struggle just to keep the school gates open. We were able to do this because teachers and support staff continually went above and beyond for the sake of our school and its students. Time and time again our staff volunteered to take on extra classes and playground duties, or stayed behind well into the night to count and bundle RAT tests for distribution, or spend their weekends and evenings making clothes and garlands and preparing music for the Harvest Festival, or to perform any number of other selfless acts to help their colleagues and to serve our school community.
I despair when I hear sports commentators describe highly paid footballers and cricketers as “heroes”. I believe the true heroes are those in our society who consistently give of themselves to serve others; they don’t get the adulation, publicity and sponsorships. Rather, the reward they seek is in knowing they have made a difference in the lives of others.
Term 1 has been a term where our school’s staff and students have faced great challenges. It’s also been a term of wonderful joy and learning experiences for our children; all made possible by Orana’s dedicated staff… or should I say, “Our Orana Heroes!”
I have really enjoyed my first term at Orana Steiner School and I would again like to thank the staff, students and parents of our school for the support and encouragement I have received over the past 10 weeks. I trust that you and your family enjoy a safe and happy vacation break and I look forward to working with you again in Term 2 as together we continue to develop and grow our wonderful school.
