Dear Parents, Friends, and Wider School Family
Welcome back to the start of the third term. As we move away from the cold winter months, there is an air of optimism which is supported by the downgrading of the Covid restrictions. However, we must remain vigilant and have an acute awareness that a fourth wave is a real possibility and not let our guard down.
Towards the end of last term, a number of staff, learners and parents were tested positive for the virus and many fell ill. I wish you all a speedy recovery and hope that you are all making a successful recovery. In many cases the symptoms linger and become quite deliberating. Again I hope that those who fell ill do not carry these aftereffects
On a sad note, we learned of the recent passing of our Chairman, Mr. Mohamad Mosam’s mother and Mrs. Helena Labuschagne’s father. Our thoughts and prayers go out to both families at this time. These are difficult times and as a community and school family, we must stand together.
I am very pleased to be able to inform you that we have engaged the services of a professional counselor, Mrs Estie Boltman, who will be spending time on Wednesdays at the school addressing social and emotional issues within the student body.
We are mindful that we are still under pandemic restrictions and the social and emotional effects of this. However, we have to run formal assessments and will do so with the welfare of our pupils in mind.
The full September Examination timetable will be distributed to pupils today and posted on the school website. https://mecschool.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SEPTEMBER-EXAMINATION-TIME-TABLE-2021.pdf
Please ensure that no school days are missed between now and the start dates unless through unavoidable circumstances. We cannot afford to miss any teaching time.
Examinations start on the following dates:
Grade 12 – 20th August – normal school up until 17 August
Grade 11 – 24th August – normal school up until this date
Grade 10 – 25th August – normal school up until this date
Grades 7 to 9 – 27th – normal school up until this date
Primary School Grade 4 to 6 – 2nd September – normal school up until this date
Reflections from the Principal
I recently came across an article by Tim Fish of the NAIS and have used some of his thoughts in this reflective piece.
This winter, we as a school enjoyed a well-deserved rest. Many of our staff were able to receive the vaccine and are now more protected against the threat of infection. Collectively we face the new term with vigor and resolve.
I’m thinking about the achievements of the past eighteen months—and the challenge that lies ahead. I can’t help but see the next six months as a real test of our resolve and resilience and ability to find new ways of doing old business and make progress despite monumental challenges we face.
Optimistically, I believe that the last year has shown us all how discovery is alive and well in our schools and what schools faced in 2020 required mainly reactive intervention, a quick response to rapidly changing circumstances that are out of our control, but that doesn’t reduce its value as a learning experience or diminish the admiration I have for our staff and pupils who kept reinventing in the face of incredible odds.
The challenge before us now is: Where do we want to go from here? If we can envision it, we can design a way to get to it. But we also need to design pathways with the lessons we’ve learned from our long season of reactive innovation in mind. Earnest exploration into enquiry based learning and project based teaching should become a stated focus and fuel for a new school program of proactive innovation—reimagining what schools filled with joy and purpose can look like, shedding old habits and structures that no longer serve us well, and refocusing our efforts to uplift the things we’ve discovered are truly at the heart of our success as independent schools.
From my discussions with school principals and observations about how schools have adapted, I think there are a few critical lessons that we should carry with us into the remainder of school year and beyond.
The old “rules” don’t have to apply anymore.
One of the hardest things about change, at any point in time, is understanding how to let go of some of our most ingrained ideas about how things are done. A gift of the uncertainty we’ve been living through might be that it forced many of us to move beyond old ways of doing and thinking. Now we can ask ourselves: In what other ways can we boost our creativity, increase our agility, and improve our innovation efforts by going beyond the “laws of the universe” that govern our schools today?
In independent schools, we often hold a necessary and valuable tension between our desire to move forward and our commitment to the traditions that are fundamental to our school communities. Recognising the difference between tradition and complacency––and how our own thought patterns and comfortable routines might have held us back from trying new things––is a valuable lesson we can take with us into the future.
Community is the core.
I have been totally amazed by the way our schools were able to port traditional models of education—classes, content, projects, schedules, assessments, report cards––to a virtual or hybrid environment. We were able to do school in whatever format was necessary. And when we talk about what we missed and what we have to deliberately nurture in the year ahead, the most consistent themes I hear revolve around school community, well-being, relationships, and the sense of belonging that is at the heart of the independent school experience. Our deep commitment to a school family and care defines us; it’s our secret to success.
How else could we possibly stand up to and move confidently through our challenges if not with the strength of our communities? Our schools are messy, diverse, joyful, beautiful, and constantly evolving places––we’re works in progress. And when we stay focused on the journey to become our best future selves, we create irreplaceable, life-altering experiences for our students.
Action and engagement are essential partners in education.
Everywhere I go, teachers, parents, Heads are talking about action, even if they’re not using that exact language. It’s the silent partner at the center of school redesign.
In the most fundamental sense, action is about personal empowerment––giving people the capacity and opportunity to imagine a future, and then design their path to get there. Action is already a part of our schools; it’s central to our teaching and learning. And it’s deeply connected to the ability to build resilience, engagement, and joy.
The future
As I move along in my own learning journey, I’m continuing to engage in conversations about the future of schools and other crucial elements of our work. and I’m excited to be doing just that. We must remain optimistic and willingly share a vison for the future that has hope and promise.