Lucy M. Gowdie, Head of School
14 June 2024
Top Secret
There are moments in leadership where you are put under enormous pressure, where you feel you are prepared for what may come your way but, in education, a leader must remind themselves that they are working with the people, for the people, that one must do what is right, not what is popular, and this can at times, be unpredictable.
In my most challenging meeting of the week, subject: The Six Steps of Summer, I met with my Top Secret Staffers, in preparation for the launch of our Campus Development Project. Each Staffer representing a key area of the build, and providing (rather direct and very constructive) feedback.
With articulate and challenging questions, representations made on behalf of their peers, and a colour scheme that would put Gaudi to shame, it was an intense thirty minutes in my calendar.
Despite the high expectations, the meeting went well, and each staffer was introduced to their summer mission:
- Widen the Road,
- Build a new Playground,
- Start the Pavilion,
- Build Green Steps,
- Repair the Black top, and
- Return to School
It is clear, that from 24 June, much will change at the school, and upon their return from the summer break, our students will step into a new and exciting time in the life of the school. When I asked, in the meeting, how the students felt about the changes, they wrote, happy, excited, ready, and nervous. I must say, I share the last emotion earnestly, but if we were not nervous, it would mean we did not care, and so I am content to sit with this feeling over the coming months.
It is my hope, that you, their parents, have accessed the updated website, and taken note of the Memorandum provided that highlights logistical changes that you can anticipate over the coming month. We will update this information at the beginning of each month, and keep our community informed of changes to the campus as we begin to write the next chapter of our story.
The involvement of our young people in the development and design of our school, is about to commence, as they consider how we plan for a sustainable school that respects the environment and stands tall in our village for decades to come. We are a humble school, not an ostentatious one, and so we are preparing to honour our history in a way that builds upon our current design and the considerations for how learners learn today, and tomorrow.
We will update our social media platforms over summer, giving our families insight into what is happening at school while you are away. Some two decades in the making, this is the most exciting time for us all, and should you have any questions about what is occurring over the break, do not hesitate to reach out to the Top Secret Staffers, who know exactly what they can anticipate upon their return to their school.
Lucy M. Gowdie
Head of School