The girls and teachers live through complex days at St Mary’s School. There is a spectrum of experience and opinion within the school and then, added to this, influence from outside often further complicates our days. When we focus on the good about our school and what binds us together, we can navigate any challenge but it is not always easy to navigate through the noise of social media, rumour and conjecture. The class of 2019 and I had some time to assess a difficult situation last week and we spent time in conversation in an attempt to discover the
truth about a matter. Through conversation we found understanding and agreement.

A few days later a colleague mentioned a sermon that she had heard at her church and the lesson was particularly valuable in our community of diversity.

The power of words:

• Do not complain or grumble
• Do not boast about anything at all
• Do not gossip or repeat bad information about anyone else
• Don’t run someone down even a little bit
• Do not defend or excuse yourself no matter what
• Do always affirm other people

Our words have the power to taint and limit our experience; let us rather use language to open our hearts and minds.

Deanne King
Head of School