NEWSLETTER

These last two weeks have been very hard for our little school community. Our hearts have been breaking. Our sympathy and our love goes out to ‘our’ Ella, and her dad (Richi), her sister and brothers.

The students have been wonderful in the way in which they have coped so far. Our department has been very supportive, ensuring that social workers have been on-site and that other behind-the-scenes supports are in place to help them.

In addition, the Schools Ministry Group (Jennette’s employing body for her PCW role) have ensured that we have not been left to manage alone. Jo Herrmann has been ‘on loan’ to us from Lyndoch Primary School and has made lots of connections with our students in helping them cope. We are very fortunate that Jo has been granted some additional hours, which will mean that she will be with us for two days a week throughout Term 4. This will give us some continuity while we are still coming to terms with our loss.

Our staff, the teachers and SSOs, have been outstanding. They are coping with their own grief and sorrow, while still managing to teach and support students. For us, Jennette wasn’t just a colleague; she was a companion, a mentor, a shoulder to lean on. She baked us scones, listened to our stories and shared a laugh with us. She was a friend.

We have all been very appreciative of the understanding and support offered to us by the parents and families. We simply thank you all for that.

The students have many questions that they would like answered. Some were concerned to see things being moved out of the Wellbeing Room. I have reassured them that this was part of a long-term plan to upgrade the room: a plan that Nettie was very excited about. During the holidays, the Wellbeing Room will be painted, both inside and out. Funds for this are from YOUR generous donations, through our Governing Council fundraising efforts. Next term, the Wellbeing Room will look a bit different, but will still be the same.

The children have also asked about the Christmas Choir. We will honour Nettie by all being a part of her choir. All the classes will learn and rehearse some Christmas songs that they will all perform together at our end-of-year concert.

The other frequently asked question is about ‘Nettie’s Kindness Awards’. These have become a valuable part of every assembly and the children look forward to seeing who will receive them each fortnight. The recipients always felt proud to have been recognised for their kindness towards others. At yesterday’s assembly, I invited the students to come up with a solution for this. The awards are for them, so they should be the ones to determine what we should do in the future. I have asked them to talk to their teachers about their ideas and we will discuss it further in our SRC meetings.

As I reminded the students yesterday: kindness, however, isn’t about awards. Kindness is about how we talk to one another, how we treat other people, how we live our lives. Nettie embodied kindness. We can all continue to honour her through our kind acts every day. We can make Nettie proud by being kind.

Gail Holland

Principal