Ending the Year Well
As the year wraps up, it can be tempting for girls (and us adults) to spend time reflecting on the disappointments. The results we didn’t achieve; the friendship that became complicated; the mistakes we made; the opportunities we missed out on.
Instead, we encourage the girls to reframe their thinking, and instead name their hopes for the year ahead. The school holiday period provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on a busy year and plan for the future, to engage in possibility thinking about the future, instead of getting stuck on the problems of the past.
In the Pastoral team, we have discussed what it means to hope well. It requires us to actively choose to see glimpses of hope now, even in our disappointments. So, as you reflect on the year as a family, we encourage you to ask your daughter:
- What is something you are proud of this year?
- What did you learn about yourself this year?
- What is a new skill you learnt?
- What is something you enjoyed this year?
As the year draws to a close, I am encouraged by how well our school community has fostered a joyful, hope filled, culture this year. Each day, the girls are provided with tangible experiences of hope – hope for themselves as they develop their skills and self-concept, hope for the future as they learn about the world around them and a sure and certain hope in a future that will never perish, spoil or fade. As Christmas draws near and we reflect on the incarnation and the significance of Christ’s birth, it is our prayer that the girls at Meriden are convicted of this sure and certain hope. A hope that brings peace to the world and to every one of us.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6