I can’t say it any better than Michael Leunig, so here is his poem for Winter:
We give thanks for the blessing of Winter.
Season to cherish the heart
To make warmth and quiet for the heart
To make soups and broths for the heart
To cook for the heart and read for the heart
To curl up softly and nestle with the heart
To sleep deeply and gently at one with the heart
To dream with the heart
To spend time with the heart
A long, long time of peace with the heart
We give thanks for the blessing of winter
Season to cherish the heart.
While it's cold outside, it's time to feel the warmth inside, both in our homes and in our hearts. It’s the season of inwardness. Our MidWinter festivals celebrate and nurture this season’s feeling of the warmth of the human heart. The spiral of candles at the close of a festival is a unique joy in the turning of the year, an image of the community of individuals united with the common intention of creating purpose and beauty in the world. We look forward to sharing this inner joy with our students.
MidWinter festivals through the school:
Middle Cove:
Class 3 – Year 12 over Tuesday and Wednesday June 22/23
Castlecrag:
Classes 1 and 2: Thursday 17 June - 11.30am – 12.40pm
Kindergarten: Tuesday 22 June
Willoughby Preschool:
Tuesday 22 June 5.30pm – 7pm
Thursday 24 June 5.30pm – 7pm
Unfortunately, this year we have COVID restrictions on numbers in the Sylvia Brose Hall at Middle Cove. While we can run festivals for the students, due to the unique nature of the MidWinter festival seating, we are unable to hold our community MidWinter festival in the evening. We are unable to maintain physical distancing and the numbers cap on the building. At least we can run the festival for the students unlike last year. We apologise to parents and former students for this year and hope that 2022 will provide an opportunity to hold our community MidWinter festival once gain.
Welcome to Peter Candotti as Chair of the School Council
Lee Hill retired as Chair of the Glenaeon School Council, our Board of Directors, at the recent AGM of the school’s company. Lee has served the school with great distinction for 10 years as a Director and four years as Chair. His professional skills in business and marketing have been invaluable in supporting our work in managing the school and in guiding the School Council’s role as our governing body overseeing budget, risk and strategy. Lee has given unstinting of his time, no more so than last year when he was central in guiding our financial response to the pandemic. He leaves the role with our gratitude and thanks for his service.
We welcome Peter Candotti into the role of Chair of Council. See below for Peter’s full biography and connection to the school. Peter has been an incredibly supportive parent over a very long time and his professional skills will be very much appreciated in steering Glenaeon into the next stage of our journey. Welcome Peter!
End of Term
As the last newsletter of Term 2 2021, I wish all families a restful and refreshing time over the break. There will be a very large building program underway as we replace the deck around the Sylvia Brose Hall. This work will continue for a number of weeks into Term 3, and we will be advising staff and parents around traffic movements on the drive and basketball courts. May the time of our winter break be as regenerating as possible for all staff, students and parents!