PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

Simon Brooks, Principal



“‘Every child deserves the champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.’”

- Rita Pearson, TED Talk, 2013


The educational research is very clear: there is nothing that has more impact on the life and learning of a child than positive relationships.

It is with this theme in mind that I reflect on another awesome week at AISM…

Last weekend we hosted a brand new extravaganza of an event: the Senior School Dance. What a wonderful evening this was. Themed Vintage Hollywood, the Dance took place from 7pm to midnight and was an exciting opportunity for our young people to dress up, enjoy some amazing food, and dance!


The late, great Sir Ken Robinson once wrote that ‘Dance - and physical activity - should have the same status in schools as Maths, Science and Language’, and it was clear to see why on Saturday night. The sense of community and togetherness amongst our young people was palpable. What an amazing opportunity for our students to see each other in different ways and build great relationships. I offer my thanks to Mr. Webster and Ms. Ritchie for coordinating the event and to all of our amazing teachers who gave their time for the benefit of our young people: an amazing opportunity to build on the already rich and meaningful relationships they have with our students.



The Senior School Dance was just the beginning of an awesome week of relationship-building. Week 7 was also our annual Cross Country week! My thanks go to Mr. Ivan Yoong, Mr. Dale Wells, our PDHPE team and to all our teachers for their efforts in making this another wonderful success. On Wednesday, our older MSS students took to the roads around the school for a longer run of 4km, and on Friday our JS students ran either 1km or 1.5km depending on their age. It was also fantastic to see our ELC learners challenged by a superb assault course, in the same week where they had already inspired us with their amazing Fashion Show.

Coming back to relationships, it was great to see the camaraderie on display during Cross Country. I was delighted to witness once again just how supportive our students are - how they cheer one another on, and celebrate each other’s successes. And how about our House Chants in both the Junior School and Middle & Senior School? How amazing it was to see them bonding as a team and developing powerful relationships, lasting connection and community spirit.



To top off the week in style, we were also delighted to host our wonderful Parents’ Breakfast on Friday morning. My thanks as always go to our amazing PTC team for organising this event and for all of their ongoing efforts. It was a joy to see so many of our families enjoying our Parents’ Breakfast together this week! Eating together as a family is, of course, another great opportunity to build powerful relationships. In fact, there is an entire organisation called The Family Dinner Project devoted to popularising the importance of family dinners, which also provides some interesting resources to stimulate richer talk at the dinner table.

I will end this week’s article with my top tip for everyone interested in building powerful relationships with our children and young people, so that they feel known, valued and respected.

As Vivian Paley wrote in 1986, ‘The key is curiosity. As we seek to learn more about a child, we demonstrate the acts of observing, listening, questioning, and wondering. When we are curious about a child’s words and our responses to those words, the child feels respected. The child is respected’.

My thanks to everyone in our community for a wonderful week of relationship-building and I wish you a delightful weekend ahead.
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING JUNIOR SCHOOL MIDDLE & SENIOR SCHOOL WHOLE SCHOOL