Achievement and success comes in all shapes and sizes and sometimes is quite obvious – competing and winning at different levels, such as sport; learning to play an instrument and performing a solo and as a collective in the band in front of an audience; achieving exemplary results in tests and receiving awards; creating an artwork for the Art Show, as well as standing at the front of lines and receiving weekly awards.
Achievement is not always obvious, however, but happens very subtly – having the courage to ‘have a go’ at something new, being able to decode an unknown word, reading with more fluency, having that ‘aha!’ moment when the maths concept makes sense, learning how to make a friend, making less mistakes in spelling over time, working with others in a group…the list is endless.
After reading through and signing off on 381 Semester 2 reports recently, it quickly became apparent to me that there are currently 381 students at Balmain Public School, from Kindergarten to Year 6, who have all experienced individual successes and achievements this year. These reports are all a celebration...hopefully you’ve taken the time to celebrate with your children.
The topsy-turvy world we have navigated through, and continue to do so, this year, has actually been a positive experience...out of adversity, our students have developed such a variety of skills: resilience, patience, perseverance, independence, determination, problem-solving, time management, grit and, of course, using the Google Classroom platform. Our students have learnt to get along with siblings, spend more quality family time at home, as well as to learn new skills such as cooking, gardening and learning new instruments.
They say that…“It takes a village to raise a child”…this African proverb certainly rings true at Balmain Public School; we have a fabulous community working together, to ensure the success of each and every member of our Balmain village.
Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and passion of all of Balmain's teachers, who ensure that the Department of Education’s goal of knowing, valuing and caring for each student, is undeniably upheld. Thank you to each and every one of you, who help make such a positive difference in our children's education.
The next special group of people is our P&C - your collective enthusiasm and dedication with fundraising for the benefit of all our children and school is truly commendable!
This year, our connection with the community has further strengthened. Without hesitation, we saw our school community come together to support the teachers, staff and school; we, in turn, tried to pay that generosity forward, by supporting our local community, too.
We continue in partnership to deliver a quality education to each and every student at Balmain Public School - that all our students make a strong start in life and education - that all students are engaged and challenged and continue to learn - that all young people have a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy, as well as deep content knowledge - that all students are confident in their ability to learn, adapt and be responsible citizens - that all our students will be well-prepared for the future that lies ahead.
This year has certainly been unique and a moment in time to embrace and treasure...'a picture paints a thousand words', as they say...enjoy the highlight reel of '2020 - THE YEAR THAT WAS'...
Mrs Maria Lambos
