From the Principal
COURAGE
I’ve been pre-occupied in my thoughts of late with the virtue and disposition of courage. Being courageous has often been associated with heroic acts like firemen running into a burning building, but it can be as simple as saying sorry and admitting when you are wrong. Some may even say that the greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are— without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are.
The sense of stepping out and doing something despite being afraid or hesitant is a trait I have been encouraging all of our students to take up in their learning, to be courageous learners. We can all feel inadequate or inferior when we’re surrounded by others who may seem to know more or have better skills than us. Or maybe even when we know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem but are frozen at the thought of having to share it in front of others. But these are not reasons to shrink back from learning.
We’ve been exploring at Assemblies that to learn, we need to get involved, be engaged, participate and have a go. Sometimes this means being brave and asking that question you need an answer to, or sharing your ideas in a group discussion. Whatever the barrier, we have to enact courage to overcome it.
One of the goals for RJ students is that they become courageous in their learning and take small steps to overcoming their fears around their learning so they can be the best that they can be. I believe there is much that they can accomplish by being courageous learners. And this is not just for our students, it’s for our staff and our parents too.
Speaking of our parents, can I congratulate all those parents who took a step of courage in joining us for the “Having the tough discussions” webinar last Wednesday with Rowena Thomas. It’s not easy parenting and we certainly didn’t graduate from Parenting College armed with all the answers before we had children. We’ve learned it on the job by trying, failing, trying again, learning from the mistakes and hopefully succeeding.
Rowena shared some great insights to talking with our kids and how to approach some of the tough topics we need to have with them. If you’d like to see some of her resources, please click on this link to Amazing Me (www.amazingme.com.au) and check out her tips for parents.
Last week at Primary Assemblies, 4M (Marsden Park) and 6J (Oakhurst) reminded us of the importance of being kind to one another. Jesus’ example of caring for others and looking out for one another is always a good model for us to follow; placing value on each individual is important for us to do. They showed us that sometimes this takes courage to step up out of the crowd and include someone in your game or conversation. The truth of Luke 6:31, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, was a key message highlighted through the classes presentations. This connected well to the Be Kinder Day Primary day celebrated last Friday.
Our Secondary students also had a terrific Assembly last week with a range of displays of student academic work via multimedia presentations. It was wonderful to see the work of our senior Engineering Studies students and the creative masterpieces of the students who entered the Summer Art Competition. Our students also celebrated the national day of action - Bullying No Way Day - reminding us all that we should assume the posture of an up-stander not a bystander; a disposition that certainly does require courage to act.
So, let me leave you with this thought on courage as we get closer to the end of Term 1 from Mary Anne Radmacher’s book…
“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.”
Remember, one step at a time…
God Bless,
Mr Alan Dawson | Principal