We are so glad to be back on campus, the challenges of social distancing, mask-wearing and persistent wet weather notwithstanding. Parents worry about the warmth and comfort of their children at times like these, which is understandable, especially in classrooms and venues that are well ventilated to meet present Covid-19 health and safety standards – but I think you would be surprised by what we observe of your daughters at school.

For some reason – scientists have their theories – the rain and unseasonably cold temperatures bring with them a sense of camaraderie and heightened playfulness, or what one blogger refers to less euphemistically as “kids going a bit feral in the rain.” And the category of “kids” is best understood in its broadest sense: earlier this week, a meeting I attended in Deanne King’s office was interrupted by raucous giggling and the sound of footsteps clattering around the corner – some matric students were unself-consciously absorbed in chasing one another along the corridors.

Walking past groups of girls working, playing or eating outside in the Junior School, I am struck by how animated they are, especially the younger ones, as they greet their teachers and each other across the Junior School Close. (Appetite, incidentally, is also stimulated by overcast skies and rain: a decrease in the hormone serotonin can increase carbohydrate cravings and make you hungry.) We adults might seem muted by contrast, but there is little evidence, thankfully, among our staff of the irritability or dissatisfaction documented in a 2012 study on the effect of inclement weather on human behaviour. The same report found that women’s sense of psychological well-being declined more than men’s when it rained – if that is the case, our teachers are doing a consummate job of masking their true feelings.

I am aware not only of the teachers’ immense gratification at teaching onsite again, but also of the remarkable tenderness and patience they have shown the children this week as they ease them back into a routine. A message received from a Grade 000 parent testifies to the genuine companionship the teachers enjoy with the children, and their commitment to looking after them:

I watched a teacher yesterday in the pouring rain having stood outside in the cold for 45 minutes already. She held the umbrella over one of our kids and at the child’s walking pace, without hurrying her, she walked alongside her, listening to the early morning greeting. Such a beautiful and simple kindness.

And such a beautiful and simple pleasure: to be back on campus, walking alongside your children, and doing the work we love.

Dr Sarah Warner
Headmistress: Junior School