Transitions

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” (Henri Bergson)

When seasons change, nature almost always has something beautiful to show. There is a lot of transformation and nature is at its best when seasons change. "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." (Anne Bradstreet)

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And so the change in seasons can be an example for our human transitions to new “life” and new growth.

At the start of a new school year, there are many transitions happening with all of us: a new grade, a new school, new classes, new teachers, new students, new parents and possibly a new programme you as students are entering. These transitions into a new school year are opportunities for us to embrace the change that happens and make use of what we bring with us from our previous grade, school, or programme.

As students transition to Middle School or into High School, there are always high hopes as well as worries about what comes. It is, however, something we should embrace fully since it moves us further in our journey to further grow and learn. Adapting to new circumstances and interacting and forming relationships with new people should only be an encouragement for growth - what you give and what you get out of it.

Our Grade 12 students are starting to prepare for their final months of high school. A lot is at stake and a lot needs to be done before they can finally graduate from high school in May 2024. For this to successfully happen, they need all the support, guidance and encouragement from their teachers, parents and peers.

In all these transitions in school, parent support plays a critical role in the success of young people. If the home environment and support is uplifting, and supportive and aiding young people to become independent and confident, we give them the skills that will carry them through times, when things are a little more difficult. Conversations at home, helping your child organise their life - not organising it for them - and encouraging their growth, even if it is not always and not necessarily what we as adults would like to see, is a very important piece in the development of self-confident and well managed young people.

I encourage you as parents to take the time to have these conversations and help your child(ren) do things that are difficult themselves - speak with others when they have something that they are not happy with, pack their own bags for school in the evening, do their own university research, prepare their own lunch for school, and participate in the household as an active and responsible member of the family. And when something goes wrong, they have the confidence to deal with it themselves and approach the situation themselves with confidence and the right attitude.

If we can give our children the skills to be independent and self-sufficient as much as is appropriate at their different developmental ages, we give them the tools to be independent, self-motivated and caring adults when they leave our house.

Maggie Reiff

Secondary Principal