Community

There is always a sense of trepidation around evenings at schools when families are invited – will people turn up? This week we had our second ‘Meet and Greet’ evening after a successful year in 2012 with a more informal evening format. We start with a barbecue followed by staff introductions then open classrooms. My night started with an ex student and her mother approaching me to talk about her first three weeks at high school. They asked for help and advice about her new laptop and when she would need an Internet connection at home for her school work. It was lovely to think that a parent with limited English still saw our school and her daughters ex teacher as a safe place to seek help and advice.
Following many chats with my current students parents, future students parents and former students parents and lots of ‘show and tells’ in my classroom, I headed out to my car. I was greeted by two ex-students (one who I’d seen earlier in the evening) who were a bit disappointed to find out the open night was pretty much over. This was at 7.30pm!
I left school marveling at the community we have built at our school. We are clearly a place students feel safe and happy to return to and share with their families.