I trust that parents and students had a restful and enjoyable winter break. While I appreciate that many parents continued to work as normal during the holidays, I trust that the break from regular school routines was helpful for your family and that you had some restful downtime together.
The American Psychological Society refers to seven different types of rest.
- Physical rest
- Emotional rest
- Social rest
- Sensory rest
- Creative rest
- Spiritual rest
Because life is full for many of us, finding time to rest in one or more of these domains can be challenging and we really shouldn’t wait until school holidays to find this rest.
As a principal, I interact with people for many hours every day to try and ensure that the school provides the best education we possibly can for our students. At the end of a long day, I find that social rest is important. One simple way that I achieve this is to go on a walk once or twice a week after work. I do not take any technology and walk for up to 30 minutes to a park close to my home. I breathe deeply and try and thank God for small blessings.
At the teacher professional learning day on Monday, I gave a devotion where I referred to the concept of rest in the Bible. Some parents may be aware that the creation story in the first few chapters of Genesis refers to God resting on the seventh day. God also invites us to enter his rest through the death and resurrection of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I addressed the teachers on Monday, I encouraged them to remember that every RHAC student is made in God’s image and therefore is of inestimable value to God. The depth of love God has for every student should compel our teachers to do all they reasonably can to love and care for every student as a unique individual.
When I spoke about caring for students, I emphasised academic care. While unemployment remains relatively low in Australia, it can be challenging for some young people to find rewarding, well paying jobs. Therefore, I am committed to working with RHAC staff to teach well and be concerned about each student’s academic progress because I want students to maximise their marks so they will have a range of options when they finish Year 12.
However, academic progress should not just be limited to results, which thankfully have been consistently improving each year at RHAC. Our teachers are committed to academic care which involves developing each student’s ability to:
- Concentrate
- Remember information
- Think independently and analytically
- Express themselves persuasively without using AI
- Make well considered judgements
- Be academically resilient and not give up when they don’t achieve a goal
Finally, on the topic of rest, the RHAC Council has generously given me study leave in Term 4 this year, returning in the last week of term. I will be visiting multiple schools in the United Kingdom, researching classroom teaching practice. This is the first time I have taken a significant amount of time off during a school term in over 30 years of teaching. Mrs Bromley will be Acting Principal while I am away.
