Remembrance Day

Our school community observed Remembrance Day today in a moving assembly. I am grateful for the organisation and efforts of Ms Amanda Pope and our Year 6 students, who made this assembly a respectful occasion.

For many of our students, this would have been their first time involved in marking this occasion at school. One of the aspects of the Remembrance Day commemorations that I have always valued is the moments of silence. These moments allow us to consider the sacrifice and cost that have accompanied conflict and war. I truly admired how our students could be so quiet and still as they participated in the assembly. The conversations I had with our students at lunchtime allowed me to see their understanding of Remembrance Day had strengthened through these moments of stillness, reflecting on what was taking place.

As a result of these experiences and conversations, it made me think about the importance of silence in our everyday lives. Silence allows us opportunities to reflect, think and learn. Silence can even provide us opportunities to heal, as is often the intention of the Minute’s Silence in Remembrance Day commemorations. During today’s assembly, our students were living the Erasmus virtue of wisdom, using the moments of silence to grow their understanding of this solemn occasion. This was a powerful reminder for me that taking the time to appreciate some moments of silence each day can allow us to grow our understanding of our daily experiences.

Adam Somes – Principal