Last Thursday, we held our ANZAC commemoration service. In my message to the school community, I encouraged students to find occasions within their heritage where their family or nation had been involved in standing up for a moral cause. Perhaps members of their immediate or extended family had served in war, stood against oppression or even made the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of others. I asked students and staff alike to find where they and their families could connect to the picture of commemorating heroism, service and sacrifice.
I provided some examples from my own family and heritage. My wife had many relatives who served in the armed forces: Rear Admiral Dumaresq was the first Australian commander of the Australian Navy and her maternal grandfather was a member of the Light Horse that charged Beersheba in 1917. My own grandfather was refused enlistment because his occupation was deemed essential to the war effort, so in his way, he served the national interest. The same was true for my father, who was denied enlistment when he tried to put his age up during World War II. His friends, who were also underage, did enlist and lost their lives when HMAS Sydney sank in combat. On the day, I provided more examples, but these will suffice here.
Knowing more of our heritage is beneficial in and of itself. To know our place in the story of ANZAC and other great causes is a powerful contributor to our sense of personal identity. Last week, I interviewed a family for enrolment who had fled an oppressive regime, survived refugee camps and were now living out their lives in freedom. Such a courageous story should live vividly in the story of a family and foster personal identity. Our community is replete with the courage shown by parents and grandparents who forged new beginnings in foreign lands for the benefit of their descendants.
Moreover, having personal stories connects us deeply to the movement of our families through the generations. This knowledge brings empathy. It also diffuses the stereotypes that are so problematic in our world. Most importantly, it deepens and refreshes our humanity and connects us to the humanity of others.
Wars are always fought, by definition, with an "us versus them" mentality. Rightfully expressed commemoration and personalised stories can foster the recognition of tragedy, help us understand the necessity of moral causes and bring us closer into community.
Academic Progress
Term 2 provides an opportunity for students to refresh their efforts to improve both their learning outcomes and the routines and approaches they use to achieve those goals. Term 1 often presents significant challenges in the increased volume of work, the frequency of assessments, and, for the more senior levels, the conceptual difficulty of the content; for students to approach this term in the same manner as they did the last would be a missed opportunity for growth and progress.
The ideal approach is for parents to gather information from their conversations at Parent-Teacher Evening and build a deliberate plan to implement the advice and perspectives of the teachers. For those parents who were unable to attend, feedback from assessments and reporting is a useful basis for reflection. Additional information can be gained by reaching out to teachers.