Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
Well the beginning of another week, a week that started with us as a nation having just commemorated ANZAC day. When we think of ANZAC we remember the sacrifices that so many were prepared to make because they shared a vision of a greater goal.
Personally I always stand in awe of the resilience that so many of our antecedents showed in surviving the terrible deprivations and trauma that war entails.
But when I think on the matter further, I have come to the conclusion that all people who succeed have developed a high level of resilience.
Resilience is - from the Collings Gen English Dictionary ‘The ability to return to normal after stretching, recovering quickly from shock’. Basically in terms of human beings, it is the ability to operate under stress or in difficult situations. Life is full of stressful situations and teaching children when they are young how scenarios will prepare them for their future.
It is why outdoor education is still a vitally important component of our school’s curriculum. As a world renowned child psychologist once noted the hardest thing to do, when dealing with a child is nothing. That is letting them solve their own problems - without offering advice.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan
Monday, May 24, 2010
20 April 2010
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
Welcome back everyone for Term Two. This is meant to be the first of our winter terms but as I look out the window it still looks like cricket weather.
Over the term holidays I attended the second first time Principals’ course in Auckland, where I was lucky enough to hear a number of excellent speakers. The most exciting was an Australian named John Edwards. His main point which we often forget, is that when we first begin to learn something new, a new piece of knowledge or a new skill, we struggle at first because what we are learning is outside our previous comfort zone.
To achieve learning we need to carry on through the confusion and frustration we initially feel (Remember first learning to drive or play golf or ski)?
If we stick to it and accept that we will initially struggle then we succeed, we can now drive, or ski or play golf. If we stopped when the going got hard we didn’t complete our learning or achieve our target.
This is the same for students and as a school community we need to support the pupils through the initial difficult part of the learning process so that they can fly out the other side.
One key component is that support from home is vital for success, remember children spend only 15% of their time at school. So in our newsletter we will continue to offer advice that will enable you to support your child’s learning.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan
Welcome back everyone for Term Two. This is meant to be the first of our winter terms but as I look out the window it still looks like cricket weather.
Over the term holidays I attended the second first time Principals’ course in Auckland, where I was lucky enough to hear a number of excellent speakers. The most exciting was an Australian named John Edwards. His main point which we often forget, is that when we first begin to learn something new, a new piece of knowledge or a new skill, we struggle at first because what we are learning is outside our previous comfort zone.
To achieve learning we need to carry on through the confusion and frustration we initially feel (Remember first learning to drive or play golf or ski)?
If we stick to it and accept that we will initially struggle then we succeed, we can now drive, or ski or play golf. If we stopped when the going got hard we didn’t complete our learning or achieve our target.
This is the same for students and as a school community we need to support the pupils through the initial difficult part of the learning process so that they can fly out the other side.
One key component is that support from home is vital for success, remember children spend only 15% of their time at school. So in our newsletter we will continue to offer advice that will enable you to support your child’s learning.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan
30 March 2010
Dear Parents/Caregivers and Friends of
St Mary’s School,
Last Friday I was lucky to be given the privilege of attending The New Zealand Principals’ Federation Annual Moot in Wellington. The theme of the day was the question “What Matters Most?”.
During the day a number of highly engaging speakers put across their perspective on this statement focusing on a range of important themes. But during the day I came to the conclusion that obviously working within all of the ‘legal framework’ the answer to the questions is - what is best for the children.
Achieving excellence in academic subjects is obviously important but so is nurturing and encouraging the physical and the artistic.
The Year Seven Religious Education programme highlights that what God wants for his people is for them to be happy. The skills, the values, and the attitudes that we install into our children also set the tone for what they will achieve in life and if they will have a happy life.
Children who are brought up to be caring and compassionate with a sense of justice and respect and who are prepared to serve others with no requirement for payment will, I believe, grow to be happy balanced adults.
Within our school community we have great role models for these attributes, our excellent Board of Trustees and PTA. People who give huge amounts of their busy lives in the service of others. We have a brilliant parent community who: coach sports teams, go on school trips, and help on school camps. All of these people who contribute so magnificently to our school, you are the answer to the question ‘what matters most?’, because you show in all that you do, that what we want for the
children - is the best.
You don’t just talk the talk - you walk the walk.
So from me and all of the staff thank you for your support, thank you for your efforts and most of all thank you for your honesty.
Have a happy holy and safe Easter and holiday.
Regards Mike Brosnahan
St Mary’s School,
Last Friday I was lucky to be given the privilege of attending The New Zealand Principals’ Federation Annual Moot in Wellington. The theme of the day was the question “What Matters Most?”.
During the day a number of highly engaging speakers put across their perspective on this statement focusing on a range of important themes. But during the day I came to the conclusion that obviously working within all of the ‘legal framework’ the answer to the questions is - what is best for the children.
Achieving excellence in academic subjects is obviously important but so is nurturing and encouraging the physical and the artistic.
The Year Seven Religious Education programme highlights that what God wants for his people is for them to be happy. The skills, the values, and the attitudes that we install into our children also set the tone for what they will achieve in life and if they will have a happy life.
Children who are brought up to be caring and compassionate with a sense of justice and respect and who are prepared to serve others with no requirement for payment will, I believe, grow to be happy balanced adults.
Within our school community we have great role models for these attributes, our excellent Board of Trustees and PTA. People who give huge amounts of their busy lives in the service of others. We have a brilliant parent community who: coach sports teams, go on school trips, and help on school camps. All of these people who contribute so magnificently to our school, you are the answer to the question ‘what matters most?’, because you show in all that you do, that what we want for the
children - is the best.
You don’t just talk the talk - you walk the walk.
So from me and all of the staff thank you for your support, thank you for your efforts and most of all thank you for your honesty.
Have a happy holy and safe Easter and holiday.
Regards Mike Brosnahan
23 March 2010
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
It’s hard to believe that we are beginning week eight of the year already.
Yesterday was, of course, Otago Anniversary Day. This is always an excellent time to reflect on how fortunate our lives are here in Otago, and what life may have held for us if our antecedents had not taken a huge risk and emigrated to New Zealand.
While it is important to be proud of who we are and where we come from, I believe that we also have a dept of service to pay to those who went before us and shaped this great province. The explorers and pioneers, the settlers and farmers, the builders and miners, of course the soldiers and visionaries.
These people took risks because they believed that they could build a great place to live not just for themselves but for future generations. We support their legacy by showing loyalty and giving of ourselves to further develop our communities.
Every time you do something for someone else without expecting a reward them you honor the memory of our forefathers.
So by coaching sport, by serving on boards or committees, by being involved in community
projects you honor the memory of our forefathers.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan
It’s hard to believe that we are beginning week eight of the year already.
Yesterday was, of course, Otago Anniversary Day. This is always an excellent time to reflect on how fortunate our lives are here in Otago, and what life may have held for us if our antecedents had not taken a huge risk and emigrated to New Zealand.
While it is important to be proud of who we are and where we come from, I believe that we also have a dept of service to pay to those who went before us and shaped this great province. The explorers and pioneers, the settlers and farmers, the builders and miners, of course the soldiers and visionaries.
These people took risks because they believed that they could build a great place to live not just for themselves but for future generations. We support their legacy by showing loyalty and giving of ourselves to further develop our communities.
Every time you do something for someone else without expecting a reward them you honor the memory of our forefathers.
So by coaching sport, by serving on boards or committees, by being involved in community
projects you honor the memory of our forefathers.
Have a great week.
Regards, Mike Brosnahan
16 march 2010
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of St Mary’s School,
To be successful in any endeavour, especially one predominantly based on working with people, the key is good communication at it’s most basic level is “to give, share or convey information”. But for it to be successful the person that the information is being conveyed to must be listening and willing to make an effort to understand.
Wars have been won and lost, empires raised and razed, Kings crowned and dethroned, businesses developed and bankrupted on good communication or the lack there of.
The ‘enigma machine’ a device that enabled the British to ‘crack’ the Germans secret coded messages during World War 2 is looked upon as a major reason for the allies success. The German Armies, communications were being read and acted upon by a group who they did not want to know this information - the result as they say is history.
In a school communication is just as important and we really do value the fact that we are part of a community that is open and honest in it’s communication. Feedback is a crucial element of our school’s internal self review procedure and we welcome it.
Communication in it’s more formal setting will change slightly in our school this year. In line with the expectations of the National Standards we will be presenting to the parents two written reports this year. The first will be accompanied by an optional back up interview to enable parents to discuss the new format that we will be
using. More information on the timetable for these events will follow next term.
Have a great week. Regards, Mike Brosnahan
To be successful in any endeavour, especially one predominantly based on working with people, the key is good communication at it’s most basic level is “to give, share or convey information”. But for it to be successful the person that the information is being conveyed to must be listening and willing to make an effort to understand.
Wars have been won and lost, empires raised and razed, Kings crowned and dethroned, businesses developed and bankrupted on good communication or the lack there of.
The ‘enigma machine’ a device that enabled the British to ‘crack’ the Germans secret coded messages during World War 2 is looked upon as a major reason for the allies success. The German Armies, communications were being read and acted upon by a group who they did not want to know this information - the result as they say is history.
In a school communication is just as important and we really do value the fact that we are part of a community that is open and honest in it’s communication. Feedback is a crucial element of our school’s internal self review procedure and we welcome it.
Communication in it’s more formal setting will change slightly in our school this year. In line with the expectations of the National Standards we will be presenting to the parents two written reports this year. The first will be accompanied by an optional back up interview to enable parents to discuss the new format that we will be
using. More information on the timetable for these events will follow next term.
Have a great week. Regards, Mike Brosnahan
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
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
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
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