October, 2006

September, 2005

July, 2005

March 15, 2005

This page is something of a Blog!

It is an opportunity for me to write occasional articles about some aspect of education or School life that happens to be on my mind at the time. I hope you find it interesting, informative, perhaps provocative and maybe even amusing.
Charles

 

In the Spring of 2006 we sent out a survey to our parents which asked for their comments about our School and the education their children are receiving here. It was very revealing for us and also very encouraging in its positive response. Above all the strong sense of community seemed to be the aspect of the School which received the most approval.

What is it that makes for a strong community? I think the size of the School is an important factor--small classes and a classic 'small school' atmosphere in which everyone knows everyone, the older children have a care for the little ones, the teachers know the parents as well as the children and even the Head of School is able to remember the names of all the children!

Added to that is the strong connection with the Cathedral Parish and the Anglican Christian tradition that permeates our School. This lends a kind of 'glue' to the community that helps us to stick together.

Finally there is the aspect of communication. I remember when I first got into educational administration being told that you can never communicate too much. I still don't think we have got the communication perfect by any means, but the accessibility of the teachers and the administration, and the frequent newsletters, individual communications, conversations on the playground, combined with this web site, all help to keep us in touch with each other. I am very encouraged to think that our communication can only improve as we start sending out our newsletters by email, as the Parent Support Group uses the email list and as the website grows and becomes more interactive. However, there is no substitute for face to face conversations and I find one aspect of my job that I enjoy very much is having the opportunity to chat with parents as we wait for school to start or as the children gather in the playground at the end of the day.