Wednesday, March 10, 2010

9 March

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
Much has been written recently about the new ‘National Standards’ and the possible implications that these will have on our education system.
It is at times like this that having a strong vision of where we are going and what we want to achieve is very important.
The first word on our school’s vision is confident, we want all pupils on leaving our school to be confident young adults.
Confident in their abilities to meet challenges that life puts before them, confident to speak their minds, confident to move between groups of people in a variety of settings.
It is vital to remember that success or being successful is important but a confident person can accept when things have not gone their way and then reflect and set a new set of goals.
As Rudyard Kipling said in his poem “If”
‘If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch, neither foe nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you, but none to much, … you’ll be a man my son, (or woman my daughter).
To be confident means to look the world in the eye to always give your best and to accept all results and then to move on and accept life's next challenge.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan

2 March 2010

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
During the week in my R.E. class we have been studying the Parable of the Talents, and every time I read this parable I reflect on how important that the lessons from it are today.
We as a community strive to always get our pupils to achieve the most that they can from their abilities - the things that they find easy are the key areas in which they have special talents. But you only know if you have a talent in any discipline or area of life by attempting it in the first place.
For too often people pass through life never ever realising the talents that they have.
That is why we encourage our pupils to be risk taking because only by being strong enough to attempt the unknown will you ever realize in which directions your talents lie.
Too many people are like the third slave and hide their talents under a stone and by doing so condemn themselves to a life of mediocrity.
Remember to encourage young people to attempt as many activities as possible, so that they are able to identify their talents and pursue these leading to a more fulfilled life.

Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan