A message from the Head of Primary School
Dear Parents and Carers
Finishing last term with such a flourish, with activities such as swimming which required a lot of independence and organisation, has resulted in students starting this term with a much greater sense of responsibility. A Cross Country Carnival, Lapathon, excursions, a walk with Bishop Hans, and St Mark’s Day service. This busy start has given students the chance to really shine.
Responsibility is one of our School Values at St Mark's and is something we try to instil in our students in collaboration with parents who endeavour to do this at home. Responsibility can look like independently doing their reading after school, or it can be ownership of household chores, like feeding pets for example. Regardless of the task, responsibility is also about expectations and works best when we believe the students can do this with a greater degree of independence.
Sometimes it can seem counter intuitive to give children responsibility, particularly if they arrive at school having forgotten an item that they assured you they had already packed. However, it is important we continue to develop a sense of responsibility in the students if we want them to be confident, able and happy young adults. The learning curve of responsibility can't begin when schooling has finished.
A challenging part about giving responsibility to young children is that sometimes it is easier to do it ourselves, especially when we know it will be done correctly. Nevertheless, part of the growing process for students is an increase in responsibility and the expectations around that. I have been really impressed with our students' growth in this area and feel it is quite evident that the large number of events they have had to participate in has helped to contribute to this.
I would like to thank our parents for supporting their children to grow their responsibility levels. The students will benefit greatly from this as they get older and, as they increase their independence, they will be able to access more of what life has to offer.
Finally, a huge well done to all the students who raised money in our biennial Lapathon. A warm day did not dampen the enthusiasm and, importantly, the funds raised will be donated by the Junior School to a number of valuable causes over the next two years.
Kind regards
Mark Douglas
Head of Primary School
