A public letter to the staff of PINELANDS North, at the end of the first hectic term of 2016!

Reflecting on the term gone by during the holidays,  I realize once again why I love teaching at PINELANDS North! My words at assembly at the end of the term are true - you are an amazing group of people, all different, from different backgrounds, with different roles to play....but with one purpose, and that is to raise our future South African children, gently and kindly! 

Here are some of the things I appreciate about you! 
You use gentle words when expecting our children to comply with our social norms. 
You teach what is supposed to be taught, according to curriculum, but you also teach a hidden curriculum of conflict resolution, of social justice, of empathy and of care for our fragile world. 
You treat the school as you would your home, so that when the school is under threat from outside, everybody is alert and watchful to ensure we are all safe. 
If you say you will do something, you do, whether that is ensuring there are chairs for parents in classrooms on school in action day, or calling parents to ask them to provide eats for functions. 
You notice dirty things and clean them, or you pick up litter without thinking that it is someone else's job. 
You set a good example to our children by the way you dress and the language you use at school. 
You treat all our living things at school, including our children, gently and with dignity. 
You care for each other, right across the school - someone is always holding someone else's hand while they are dealing with something personal that might have nothing directly to do with school, but affects the person's ability to be fully present. 

The list is endless because as I think of each section of our community, I could add more and more accolades. So, thank you, for the part you have played in the life of the school, and the part you play in making my life easier every day of the year! I appreciate you!