End of Term Reflections: Triumphs, Togetherness and Technology
There is ‘happy’ tired and there is ‘grumpy’ tired. I am delighted to report that your Headmaster definitely falls into the former category as we bring this extraordinary term to a close.
Our theatre has been brought to life in so many astonishing ways – Bound for Broadway, the Concerto Competition Final, the incredible Twilight Concerts, our TheatreFest competition and of course those five glorious nights of Finding Nemo Jr. I am still buzzing from Wednesday night’s performance which honestly took my breath away. Great singing, wonderful dancing, beautiful costumes and an eye-catching set. Best of all, the young boys and girls involved were clearly having the time of their lives. They will no doubt be a bit flat for a couple of days but that exuberant energy we witnessed on the Nairn Theatre stage will soon reassert itself as they settle into the holidays. We also held a Saturday Voice Festival, organised by the passionate Ms Gaynor Morgan, which gave so many of our singers an opportunity to perform. Ms Morgan accompanied over 80 pieces on the piano during the day!
Our Season One sporting competitions have gone swimmingly well; we were so proud to come first and second respectively in the APS Junior and Senior Cross Country carnivals and to be honest a little bit relieved that Ross Kingsley, running coach extraordinaire, was able to keep his legend alive with his 28th win in a row! We have enjoyed two glorious days of athletics this week under a warming winter sun and our students from Years 4 to 12 competed well in their various APS sporting rounds.
Throw in the glitz and glamour of the Mothers’ Day Morning Tea, the solemn beauty of our Celtic Baptism service, the 30 year celebrations for the All Saints Swim Club (who incidentally have five swimmers competing in the Australian Nationals this week) and the visit last weekend of our new Principal, Mr Matt Corbett and his delightful family, and you can see why tired though we all might be at present, it is most certainly a ‘happy’ tired.
On a more sombre note, there are increasing concerns being raised in the media and indeed in educational circles about the potential long-term damage that addiction to social media and more specifically mobile phone use might be causing for our young folk. If you haven’t encountered them already, Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness and his podcast on the same subject Smartphones Rewired Childhood. Here's How to Fix It. are both really good places to start learning about a threat that some are calling ‘the new smoking.’
Here at All Saints, we ran a workshop for Year 3 to 6 families and were delighted to have more than 40 parents show up, and a further 20 parents who couldn't make it but expressed their interest in the topic. It just goes to show that, no matter what stage of the journey we are in, we all want the best for our children and recognise that change is needed for their future. We are starting a group called PACT – an acronym from which we are drawing two separated yet related names: Parents Advocating for Change in Technology, and Parents and Children Together. We encourage you to join the group All Saints PACT on Facebook.
There are so many positive ways in which the technological revolution of the last 50 years has advanced human understanding; yet the reality remains that technology evolves at a much faster rate than we do. The key, as with most challenges as it happens, is education and communication. As parents we need to be having regular conversations with our young children about both the benefits and the potential pitfalls of what this revolution can bring; I know it is difficult, but we must as parents get into the habit of monitoring, or better yet delaying, our children’s use of social media; and we must continue to impress upon them the long-term consequences of posting inappropriate comments or images on those sites that encourage them to do so. It’s not easy for young people today trying to negotiate a constantly shifting landscape and it is certainly not easy for parents. We will do our best to educate our students about discerning use of mobile phones and social media and I know that you, our parents, will do your best to communicate with us and your children as we work together, parents, staff and students, to help all of us to navigate through the choppy waters our changing world.
We were delighted to receive the news earlier this week that our much-loved Chair of School Council, Mr John Fradgley, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, one of the highest commendations in Australia, in the King’s 2024 Birthday Honours. John has been typically humble about this significant honour, but we are all so delighted for and proud of him.
My best wishes to you all for a midyear break filled with rest and laughter. Thank you as always for your support this term; without it we simply wouldn’t be the school we are.
Patrick Wallas
Headmaster
Chair of All Saints Anglican School Council, Mr John Fradgley OAM, featuring in Monday's edition of the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Highlights from last Friday's whole school assembly introducing Mr Matt Corbett to our students and staff. We were honored to have special guests Rev Canon Len Nairn, our founding headmaster, and his wife Vada in attendance.
