Welcome from the Principal
Welcome to Term 3
I can’t wait to hear from the students about their holidays and to see everyone refreshed and eager to be back with friends.
This is an important time for our Year 12 students, who will be on the countdown to exams in October. This is when the pressure mounts for them. We will be doing everything we can to smooth the way for them and keep them from burning out or getting too stressed. Our teachers will be talking with students individually and in groups about keeping up with activities they love, doing some exercise and trying not to burn the candle at both ends so they can enter the exam period feeling calm, well prepared and in control. The important point is to have a plan but take it a day at a time.
We have a busy term ahead, starting with performances of The Drowsy Chaperone and the NSW regional Interschools Snowsports competition. Then we have our Year level Snowsports days, Year 11 and 12 exams, Father’s Day breakfast, Henty Field Days and our Interschool Equestrian Challenge, just to name a few.
Scots is a busy school. We offer so much opportunity that it is important to make choices that suit your child or family to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
As we have all learned during COVID-19, there’s nothing like a pandemic to make us appreciate what is important.
Family, work-life balance, the privilege of being able to travel and discovering what and who is important in our lives.
During the holidays, I finally returned to New Zealand after 6 years; partially to see family and friends but also to relinquish my storage unit.
Nineteen years ago, Yvonne and I left my Principal’s job in Whakatane for a 2 year sabbatical. We always believed we’d return, hence maintaining the storage unit!
Now, almost 20 years on, our children are settled in Melbourne and Yvonne and I feel very much at home in Albury. Our new house, Fabio and every day life has solidified new roots here. Thus it was time to clear the rented storage.
Several things we learned from the mammoth 4 day clearing task:
- Memories are precious (all our children's toys and clothes from 20 years back!) but they are things. Real value is in people. Memories just remind us of them.
- Stress is often (not always) a state of mind. Recognise it, work with it but don’t let it take over.
- Friends and family are gold, distance and time can not undo
- How fast time passes. Make every day count.
And it felt good to travel!
I know many of you also will have taken the opportunity to travel during the school holidays; overseas, to see family or friends domestically, to the snow or just away for a few days.
I trust you have rejuvenated and ready to dive into a busy Term 3!
We have nine new students joining us across the whole school to begin the term. I trust that our wonderful community will reach out to any new faces and help to make them feel welcome.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank our wonderful community for helping to make our inaugural Giving Day a huge success! We couldn’t have done it without you. Through the generosity of our community, we were able to raise $192,330 towards the building of our Senior Study Centre set to open in 2023. This will enable Scots to remain a leader in providing world-class learning facilities for our students today and into the future.
I look forward to sharing the term with you all.
Mark Geraets
