Welcome back to a new term and a particular welcome to our new families. I trust everyone had a much-needed break and are ready for all that the coming weeks will offer. It will be marvellous to have parents attend some Parent Teacher Meetings face to face and to have our full Secondary and Junior School Assemblies in the Hall, for the first time in more than a year.
At this time each year, we are reminded of service. Service to our nation, and service to all those organisations which we hold dear, and which play an integral part in our lives. And this year, it is even more so, given the death of HRH The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, the epitome of service through his long and distinguished life to his Queen, Nation and Commonwealth.
Whilst we will stop and remember our ANZACs at our School Assembly on Friday, and our Cadets will be supporting a range of ANZAC Services on the beaches, there have been significant numbers of our students who have borne testimony to the concept of service through the Easter Recess. I do wish to acknowledge the work of these fine young men and women in our midst.
Early in the break, 76 members of our Cadet Corps attended their annual bivouac and I look forward to sharing with you the report that they will write for the next edition of HouseNews. The focus for our cadets has always been service; and their presence at so many community events across the beaches each year reflects the significance of their role. Their attendance at ANZAC services each year is both expected and appreciated, in equal measure. Therefore, their bivouac is timely in ensuring the company is focused on their role; it is a lived experience. The fine and detailed preparation from senior cadets ensured its success. This was followed by a 24-hour turnaround for six members of the Corps who attended the Adventure Training Award course at Holsworthy Army Base and in a first, all six passed the course. Congratulations to Chris, Paris, Jared, Sascha, Jamie and Anderson.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Program is an enduring legacy from the man whose service to the Queen and the Commonwealth has been the subject of continuing accolades since his death. How fitting therefore, that six of our Year 10 students were out on a camp from the 13th to the 17th of April. All these students were completing their Adventurous Journey components of their Bronze and Silver Awards. Additionally, Paris and Anderson from Year 12 were also out in the field completing their Gold Residential Project through the Adventure Training Award for Cadets. Currently we have 45 Bronze participants, 15 Silver participants and 4 Gold participants in the Pittwater House Duke of Edinburgh program. It has been challenging for students to complete elements of the program through the COVID restrictions and therefore we are hopeful that a lessening of such restrictions will allow not only the resumption, but the growth of this program.
Therefore, I challenge students who are aged 14+ to set personal goals, push their comfort levels, and achieve success on an internationally recognised platform. With character building and community involvement being key to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, there could not be a more appropriate endeavour for Pittwater House students. Please contact Ms Fonso sarah.fonso@tphs.nsw.edu.au for further details on how your sons and daughters can become a part of the 800,000 Australian students who have been the recipients of this splendid Award program since its inception.
The holiday Recess also saw great success from Grammar student Conner. At the 2021 Aussies Surf Lifesaving competition held on the Gold Coast, Conner came away with FIVE Gold Medals and TWO Silver Medals, including second in the prestigious Ironman. What an outstanding young man. Congratulations Conner.
Last weekend, Pittwater House took to the Curl Curl Netball Courts where we began our new venture as a member of the Manly Warringah Netball Association. Decked out in our new and very smart uniforms, only one of our teams were playing and despite being undermanned, came away with a crushing victory. Congratulations to our newest competitors as we look forward to the growth of Club Netball at Pittwater House, in addition to the regular Peninsula Cup and PISA Netball held during the week.
How wonderful it is to welcome you all back for Term 2. Prior to writing this article, I reviewed photographs, personal stories and teachers’ programs and reflected upon where we were this time last year from a school perspective – with students, parents and teachers, adjusting to the challenges of remote learning at home. Now we appear to have come (almost) full circle, the many lessons we have learnt about ourselves, our families and our community will probably prove to be among the most valuable in our lives. Let’s never forget how we overcame the challenges that we faced; how we were required to become solution focused, how we managed to find new and innovative ways to share household resources, how we supported each other during the tougher times and so on, but, most importantly, how we must never take anything for granted.
As we commence Week 1 of Term 2, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest students. In the ECC the Possums welcomed Viveka, and Luke joined the Bilbies. In the Junior School, Sullivan joined P1, Harrison P3, Remy P5P and Elliot P6F. We trust you will be well-supported by the wonderful Pittwater House Family.
The final two days of Term 1 were most exciting for the students in the K-2 Discovery Hub with the highly anticipated Swimming Carnivals and Easter Hat Parade. The students participated with high energy and joy. Thank you to all staff, students and parents for your enthusiasm and support.
