“Music speaks what cannot be expressed,

Soothes the mind and gives it rest,

Heals the heart and makes it whole,

flows from heaven to the soul.”

Unknown

Last week, on both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I had the pleasure and the privilege of sitting in the front row in the Centenary Hall watching the musical performances of all our Junior School girls who take extra-curricular music here at Springfield. I was absolutely delighted by these performances, which showcased the incredible talent and hard work displayed by our girls and their teachers over the past six months. We had the opportunity to hear all the following instruments being played by our girls: piano, violin, cello, viola, harp, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, as well as voice. The performances began each evening with a string ensemble and ended, on Wednesday evening, with a wind ensemble where teachers joined pupils in producing a fitting final fanfare (enhanced by piano and violin – a wonderful ending!)

I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing you are bestowing on your child by letting her delve into the magical, creative world of music. You are expanding your child’s horizons and enabling her to learn a skill that will remain with her throughout her life. The benefits of what is happening in the Junior School right now will definitely be seen over the next number of years, as we pave the way to subject music, orchestra, jazz band, choir tours and all the wonderful benefits experienced in the senior school for our musicians and singers.

While last week’s concerts did not showcase the group musical activities such as Choir, Marimba Band and Orchestra, these are given other platforms to perform. Our Choirs joined fourteen other choirs from Catholic Schools on the City Hall stage on Sunday 4 August, and on Women’s Day our senior marimba bands performed at Grand West in the Marimba Jam Festival – all of which succeeded in making a truly joyful noise. My congratulations go to all involved.

Music is indeed food for the soul.

The Journey

Last week I was asked to deliver a paper to a Principals’ Conference and one of the questions I was asked afterwards was really thought-provoking.

‘What would you say is an indication that a school is successful?’

I had to think quickly and decided to plagiarise Professor Tim Noakes who discussed the issue of ‘success’ in his very readable book: Challenging Beliefs.

‘The greatest compliment on earth is to be called ‘Coach’ by those whose lives you have changed. So, if you really want to make my day, don’t call me ‘Doc or even ‘Prof’. Just call me ‘Coach.’

He meant it in the sense that a coach is a bus which takes you from Point A to Point B. It is about the distance of the journey travelled and the lessons which are inevitably learnt along the way which are the real rewards for the Coach. The greater the distance travelled, the more gratifying and fulfilling it is for the Coach. The journey is about making mistakes, learning lessons from them and coming back stronger. Then the Coach can revel in the knowledge that the long journey was worthwhile.

In a school, the destination may well be academic results, the win-loss ratio in sport or leadership positions at school, but even more importantly, it is also about instilling a state of mind that it is on the journey where the real lessons of life are learnt - with the invariable disappointments, setbacks and frustrations. Some of our girls are destined to learn this lesson during the next week when announcements will be made indicating who will be the school leaders in 2020. All the sentiments expressed in the above lines will come to the fore and Coaches (parents and teachers) will be needed to remind our girls that it will not be possible for all of them to realise their ambitions. These goals are not dependent on one moment in time. The coach ride has to continue.

A few days after my talk to the Principals, the All Blacks took a most unexpected pounding from the Wallabies last Saturday. They have a wonderful motto: ‘A Better Human Being is a Better All Black’. I wouldn’t bet against them in the upcoming World Cup as they understand that success is a journey not a destination.

As we journey with our girls through their teenage years, perhaps we too can adapt that All Black motto.

‘A Better Human Being is a Better Springer’ has a great ring to it.

Keith Richardson

Headmaster

WEEKLY INFO LETTER – 14 AUGUST 2019

The opening of the Senior Art Exhibition takes place from today (Wednesday 14 August) at 18:00.

NB*** Tomorrow – (Thursday 15 August) Winter Team Sport Photographs will take place. ***As photographs will be taken first thing in the morning, girls must please come to school in their sport togs and bring along their School uniform.

No togs – No photo!!

Girls must bring their school uniform to change into after their photographs.

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**DATES TO REMEMBER**

Friday 16 August: Junior School Art Exhibition at 13:00 – 15:00

Monday 26 August: Happy Hampers go on display.

Tuesday 27 August: First Holy Communion Prayer Service for Grade 3 Parents will take place in the School Chapel at 18:45.

Friday 30 August: Grade 1 Outing to the Planetarium.

Friday 30 August: Grade 7 Quiz Night taking place in the Art Room.

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The pearl of tech wisdom for this week:

Wireless protection

1. Any device that’s can send data across the airwaves is a concern for security.
2. Always switch off your wireless connection when it’s not in use. It ensures that people can’t connect to a device without your knowledge.
3. It’s also worth checking your phone’s network security settings as it might be configured to automatically connect to a network when in range without you knowing.
4. Ensure that your home accessed wireless router is protected by a passcode.
5. If using mobile wireless or a hotspot, be careful of malicious connections that looks very much like a legitimate hotspot from a large company.