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Dear Parents,

Geography in Focus

As mentioned, I would be alternating my broad educational writing with newsletters highlighting various subjects or activities within the schools.

Previously in this series, Art was celebrated and, in this edition, Geography is the focus.

Ricardo Vasapolli, our Geography teacher shared the following:

The Grade 8s started the year by exploring the concept of Geography and what this entails, culminating in some excellent posters by the students. Following this, they worked through Mapwork, then onto Plate Tectonics and related topics of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Starting Term 2, the students dove into Rocks and Soil and ended with Rivers and The Water Cycle. Term 3 starts off with Weather and Climate, and then moves into Urban Geography.

The Grade 9s started the year with Fieldwork and Mapwork skills, so they should be able to describe with pinpoint precision the route from school to home! Term 2 began with Plate Tectonics, building on from last year, and then moving on to the Water Cycle, Rivers and Coasts. Term 3 started with Weather and Climate and will move into a different section of Urban Geography after the Mid-term test – feel free to ask them questions about Cape Town’s rain and why they should be careful when going near rivers.

The Grade 10s in Term 1 focused on Rivers and exploring a range of concepts, from the Hydrological Cycle, to pollution in rivers and to the reasons why some dams were built. This course also entails fieldwork, and the Disa River inside the school’s boundary provides an excellent, hands-on opportunity to explore concepts learned in class and gain some practical experience. 

Term 2 was all about Coasts, including coastal landforms, coastal conflicts and coastal management strategies. Once again, fieldwork was carried out. This time it was off to Hout Bay beach. Unfortunately, the weather was not ‘beach day’ weather. However, lots of learning was still able to take place despite the conditions, and it was an excellent reminder to the students that sometimes fieldwork can be challenging and missing class time is not all it’s cracked up to be.

The Grade 11s in Term 1 learned about Fragile Environments and Climate Change, looking particularly at desertification, deforestation and climate change. They ended the term with their Mock Exams and then, with only a few weeks of Term 2, revision was the name of the game until their Final Exams started in May. Term 3 has started for them, but they have begun their AS Level Geography course which starts off with World at Risk, looking at the natural hazards that affect the world.

Last, but certainly not least, the Grade 12s. They started off the year looking at Urban planning, problems and regeneration, before finishing Term 1 with 4 weeks of Fieldwork, culminating in a 14-page document summarising all that was conducted – all a requirement for the course.

Their fieldwork was also a trip to Hout Bay beach, but due to it being earlier in the year, the weather was superb, as seen above! They also wrote their Mock Exams at the end of Term 1 and then had a few weeks of revision in Term 2 before they went off to write their final exams and finish off Geography as an AS Level subject – just waiting for their results in late August.

A wonderful summary of the inquiry-driven learning being experienced in the Geography Department.

Kind regards,

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

Leadership and Trust

What makes a great leader?

The High School will soon be announcing the Student Representative Council members for the term. These are students duly elected by their peers to serve as representatives of their Grades.

Being elected by your peers is an acknowledgement of confidence in the relevant student’s leadership ability. This is, to a large extent, built on trust.

I have spent considerable time reflecting on the notion of leadership. There are numerous theories and vast amounts of literature written on the subject.

It is a topic that stimulates debate and encourages questions to be raised. Inevitably we cast a critical eye on present world leaders. We hold these leaders accountable to lead exemplary careers, yet in my opinion, they fail dismally in many cases. Condemnation of leaders has been expressed when leaders deviate from a sound moral compass and start down the path of poor judgement and corruption. They often become self-serving and not selfless. They ignore the intrinsic reward of improving the lives of others and rather treasure the extrinsic reward of possessions and a lavish lifestyle.

At The Bay Academy, as do other schools, we have the window of opportunity to inculcate sound leadership qualities in the leaders of tomorrow.

I have alluded to the importance of trust as a key requisite in leadership, and I will now elaborate on this opinion.

Trust is not easily developed. However, it is remarkable how rapid trust is built in more extreme situations. Soldiers sharing a foxhole in combat depend on each other for survival and build a very deep brotherly connection. Circus acrobatic performers exhibit great trust in their partner’s ability to catch them. They just know that the hand will be there to catch them. In rock climbing, a belayer will hold the rope while you ascend the rock. They will arrest your fall by ensuring that the rope is held. That trust is there; it is almost tangible through that rope.

You can research all the masses of literature and make copious lists of the elements of leadership. However, I will relate a personal experience that will hopefully shed light on what, in my opinion, is the core requisite for true leadership.

As a young boy, I recall as part of my school’s outdoor education programme, having to hike what is termed “around the world”. This is a circumnavigation of a local mountain range. In the year when I embarked on this hike, they extended the traditional length and duration of the hike. As students, we set off, no staff to supervise, just a senior boy who leads each group. All went well until the night when a cold front arrived dumping profuse amounts of rain. Wind lashed our rudimentary shelters and snow fell on the higher mountains. Miserable, shivering we woke up on the mountain to zero visibility. Fortunately, we had a wonderful student leader who retained his composure and sat us all down and chatted to us. He reassured us that he knew where we were, he knew the path to follow and we were not in any danger. He said we needed to “man up” and see the conditions as a bonus, in that for years to come, we would be the group that completed the course in the prevailing miserable conditions. “Character building,” he said.

From being miserable and scared little boys, we puffed out our chests, encouraged each other and eventually, after another sleepless night, up mountain and down valley, crossing swollen rivers and many kilometers under our boots, we concluded the hike. Needless to say, I recall a great sense of pride in completing the challenge and being in awe of the senior boy.

So, what characteristic of leadership would I intimate is the core requisite from this story?

It is simply “Trust”.

Good leaders create conditions where followers trust their leader. People will believe and follow you if they trust you. They will follow you even if it is from a sense of curiosity. Where will the leader take me?

They trust the leader because he or she shares the risk. Trust allows them the confidence to know that they may well be led into the unknown, but the leader has their best interests at heart.

This means that being a selfless leader will generate trust. He or she serves the group and is not self-serving. The leader, having a clear vision and mission that is shared with the group, also instills trust.

In order to maintain trust it sometimes requires you to “man up”. You may be terrified, but you should not look terrified. You may be cold and hungry, but you must not appear to be cold and hungry.  Because if you do appear cold, hungry and terrified, then those that you lead will be cold, hungry and terrified.

So, to the new Student Representatives and others in our school who take up leadership positions, as you embark on your tenure,  I encourage you to serve others, be brave in seeking out new opportunities, carry the mantle of privilege and responsibility that you will now bear with grace. Above all, light that spark of leadership by building trust with those that you serve.

Kind regards

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

High School Subject Focus – Art

If you are a regular reader of my newsletters, then you will note that the focus of this newsletter is somewhat different from my previous publications.

I wish to alternate my broad educational writing with newsletters to celebrate teaching in classrooms. This edition hones in on the High School, however, I will also include Montessori activities in future issues.

As noted from the title, this newsletter will applaud the High School Art students’ work under the guidance of Christian Graser, their talented Art teacher.

I will let the images and explanations speak for themselves:

The Grade 7 Art students started the year learning about perspective. They learned about Brunelleschi and discussed how the problems facing early Renaissance artists (how to create the illusion of depths on a 2-dimensional surface), are the same as those faced by the special effects wizards of modern cinema. They applied their understanding to a challenging cityscape of Venice (which defies simple perspective by having multiple vanishing points as the buildings turn along the canals), and completed their exploration of perspective by applying it to structures and interiors that they transformed with their imaginations.

Term 2 was all about trees and drawing outdoors – watercolour painting by the river, pen drawing down by the field, pencil studies of trees (learning about simplification, volume and marks to create the impression of boughs and leaves), and then about the work of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser before creating their own Hundertwasser-Inspired Landscape.

The Grade 8 students spent the 1st Term learning to draw with a pen, developing a broader mark-making vocabulary to describe different surfaces, and then applying that skill to a surrealist artwork.

In Term 2, they started on a sculpture project inspired by Netsuke figurines. To prepare for the Netsuke sculpture, and to familiarize themselves with clay sculpting, they began with a ball of clay and the instructions to turn it into an ox. A few restrictions were placed on them to encourage them to engage more carefully and consciously with the medium – they were not allowed to add or subtract any clay from the ball, and they were not allowed to remove a piece of clay from one place and reattach it in another; everything had to be accomplished by pushing and pulling from the central mass.

The Grade 9 students explored the relationship between and translation from text to image. Each student was given a card with a different image on it. Without revealing the image to each other, they wrote a text describing the image as accurately and in as much detail as possible – subject matter, placement, disposition, colour, style, etc.

That description was given to one of the other students, who then attempted to recreate the image of the original card based only on the description. Thereafter, the image cards were revealed, and the students were given the chance to make a copy of the original, and that is what the final outcome showcases: the original image card, the textual description, the visual interpretation of the text, and the copy of the original.  

The senior Art students are busy with their amazing portfolio work, but space limitations in the newsletter curtail inclusion. Having studied their work, I am so proud of their work commitment and depth of talent.

Congratulations to all the Art students and their Art teacher, Christian, for superb work.

Kind regards

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Teachers, Parents and Students

I am excited to join The Bay Academy and to contribute to its future growth and development as an excellent, innovative, student-focused learning community. As previous head of various schools, my roles and responsibilities have included strategic planning and change management processes. My educational philosophy is based on the belief that the best schools offer an educational experience that shapes confident, curious and well-rounded individuals. My objective is to work closely with teachers, students and parents towards a common vision of excellence at The Bay Academy whereby students can flourish and teachers feel supported to nurture a genuine love for learning.

I am deeply interested in student achievement and success. It is important to recognise that the factors that contribute towards and ultimately determine a child’s achievement and success at school, are complex and varied.

In his book, “An Ethic of Excellence” (2003), Ron Berger highlights the importance of why culture matters when it comes to student success. There is no magic solution to make children succeed at school. The curriculum matters! The physical classroom environment matters! Appropriate technology enhanced equipment and programs matter! But only as part of a strong classroom culture or school culture are those things valuable.

Based on my own observations and experience as principal of various schools over the last 25 years, I agree with Berger that achievement of students is governed to a large degree by their family culture, their neighbourhood culture and their school culture. I would add that powerful social media platforms have possibly surpassed neighbourhood, family, and school as the most important cultural influence for some of our children.

Students may have different potentials, but, as Ron Berger highlights “in general, the attitudes and achievements of students are shaped by the culture around them: students adjust their attitudes and efforts in order to fit into the culture. If it isn’t cool to raise your hand in class, to do your homework, to care openly about school – this is a powerful force. If the peer culture celebrates investment in school – it’s cool to care – this is just as powerful.”

At The Bay Academy, we should commit as teachers, parents and students, to continue to consciously shape our culture as a place where it is safe to care. Let us support each other to strengthen a culture of care and excellence.

Kind regards
Pieter Steyn
Principal

Dear Parents,

It is without fail that, as a teacher, if you are invited to a home for supper, the other guests on hearing that you are involved in education, start questioning you on the merits, or lack thereof, of curriculums and pedagogy approaches. You can almost predict the questions and the timing! The debate around the table is not entirely unwelcome, as it allows one to reflect and take stock of trends and acknowledge the opinions of others. 

At The Bay Academy, the Grade 11 and 12 students are all busy with International examinations.  There is a definite atmosphere of academia in the school.

Are exams necessary? Is the education that we offer appropriate? As parents and educators, these questions are critical and inevitably lead to debate.

In this letter, I will have no definitive answers. I will, however, hopefully make you pause, question and ponder.

I will start with the opinions of Sir Ken Robinson, an iconic TED speaker, who has been downloaded 40 million times. He is renowned for his opinions on education. In summary, his main points are:

• Schools kill children’s innate creative talents.
• The school system prioritises academic ability.
• The system neglects other intelligences.
• Creativity is as important as literacy.
• Subject hierarchies of English, Mathematics & Science over Drama, Dance  &  Art are destructive.
• Schools encourage conformity rather
• than diversity of intelligences.

Some of his noteworthy quotes:

‘All kids have talents, and we squander them ruthlessly.’

‘We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it.’

‘Education dislocates people from their natural talents, buried deep; you have to create circumstances where they show themselves.’ 

‘What is education for? Who succeeds? Who are the winners? The purpose is to produce university academics. The whole system is predicated on academic ability, a protracted process of University entrance. Our system has mined our minds for this commodity … .’

In summary, he is arguing that schools test factual recall, encourage rote-memorisation and promote conformity; that creativity and the arts, are not provided with the same status as traditional core subjects.

Conversely, it can be argued that repetition and disciplined application, deemed by Sir Ken Robinson as archaic and which are reflected in many current schooling systems, leads to excellence. Then again, this will depend on the style of assessment being implemented. If factual recall and limited critical thinking make up the bulk of the exam, then repetition will be effective. 

Critics will also point out that there must be a hierarchy of subjects. Literacy forms the basis of all subjects, and therefore must be prioritized. 

While conformity in general terms should not be applauded in schools, it is a necessary evil to ensure that a calm and effective learning environment prevails. This will permit children to learn without unruly behavior distracting them.

I am biased. I am a great follower of Sir Ken Robinson. I am not saying that there are no flaws in his arguments. However, in my opinion, the world does need an educational paradigm shift. 

The reality is that we must, first and foremost, not compromise the student’s ability to excel within the prevailing exam system. What we can do is work within the system to ensure that each student excels to the best of their ability in the exams. We must simultaneously ensure that students are critical thinkers, who are able to analyse and apply knowledge over a broad spectrum.

To this end, The Bay Academy must fashion a reflective culture that encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching. We must ensure that students not only excel in exams, but also are equipped to be tenacious, adaptable and be life long learners able to cope in the dynamic work place.

To achieve this, we require reflective, resilient and passionate teachers, who are fascinated by their subject content and generate a well-planned learning environment that sparks engaged inquisitiveness in the child. They understand that teaching is a learning experience for them and that nothing is taught unless it is learnt; that successful teaching is measured by monitoring the progress of each child. 

Having witnessed teaching in many classes in all our schools, I would advocate that our teachers have all these fine qualities. In addition, they promote the importance of values and principles in their teaching.

Kind regards,

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

What is in a name?

One of the most striking scenes you can experience is hiking through the mountains and coming across a herd of Nguni cattle. These unique cattle, with their dappled hides, gentle nature and inquisitiveness, are intrinsic to the South African landscape.

A past colleague of mine, Tim Javis, once commented on the importance of the naming of Nguni cattle. I want to elaborate on his idea.

There are more than 300 different names assigned to the varying patterns found on the hides.  As every cow is marked so individually, it is possible to distinguish each one in the herd by its hide. This has promoted an individual naming process where each member of the herd is quite literally known by name.

Naming the cattle is a fundamental part of the care of the herd. To know each cow by name enables nurturing of the herd. Even horn shapes determine names like “Mfazi wa lahlega icxala” or the “woman who lost her court case”. This name is given to cows with horns that grow forward and then back, thus resembling a woman with her hands in the air!

Here are a few examples:

Below is “Inasenezimbukane.” Meaning : ” flies in the buttermilk “

Another superb example is that of “Abafazibewela”. The literal meaning of this name is, “the woman lifts her skirts to cross the river” and this perfectly describes the cow shown below:

Below is “Inkomo engamafu.” Meaning: “beast which is like clouds.”

In naming a cow, great care is taken to ensure that an appropriate name is given. The name must reflect the mannerisms and appearance of a cow. Having said this, there are certain parallels that we can draw from the Nguni naming process and The Bay Academy.

We should know each child in our care well enough to ‘name’ them.

Naming, in this sense, means to distinguish each child, to know their routines and character and to anticipate their needs. For all our students, we should recognize their weaknesses and their strengths, so that our care for them is informed and personalized to their requirements.

Having been at The Bay Academy for 6 months, I have started to know all the students well. I have become sensitive to their idiosyncrasies, their strengths and their concerns.

We must never stereotype our children. Each is an individual with unique characteristics and needs.

At the end of each term, I am involved in reading and signing the end-of-term reports. As I was reading each report, it became very apparent that the teachers have a finger on the pulse of every child. The very personalized and

 highly detailed comments underscore the care and passion that the teachers invest in the school and the children.

The comments ranged from celebrating the diligent and conscientious, to strongly worded warnings to those who were below par in their work ethic. The most meaningful comments for me were those that applauded a child who had overcome a challenging situation and risen above the occasion to excel.

As I mention at all Assemblies, our students are particularly well-mannered in daily greetings. Being greeted by name is not only good etiquette but affirms to the recipient that they have been “seen” with a personalized greeting.

This is so important and as a school we must nurture the personalised experience of the students and teachers.

Kind regards,

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

Humility and Excellence

We are coming to the end of a busy quarter.

When reflecting on all the wonderful activities and achievements of the quarter, what stood out were the variety of activities and the level of excellence achieved.

If I had to single out one highlight this quarter, it has to be the recent staging of the Fair Trade Faire.

As this was my inaugural experience of the annual Faire, I was kept informed of all the stages of planning, student preparations and tasks. While I was updated regularly, I had no idea of the incredible occasion that I would be privileged to witness.

As I type this newsletter and reflect, even after the praise that I gave at the closing of the Faire, my sentiments expressed at the time have not changed. If anything, after the closing of the Faire, I stand in awe of what has been achieved.

So what do I think now?

I tried to find an adjective to describe my feelings. I mentioned that I was in awe, so awesome comes to mind, but the word awesome has been used in such a casual manner these days that it has lost its gravitas.

I could say outstanding, brilliant and superb. These are all applicable, but they did not resonate with me. I finally settled on one word….

Astonishing

• Astonishing – that a young body of students offered such a professional collection of stalls, activities and performances.
• Astonishing – that the Faire, through incredible mentorship by Linda Wilson, our Business Studies teacher, developed and nurtured in our students, vital entrepreneurship talents, self-confidence, project management skills and retail abilities.
• Astonishing – that the students achieved all of this while still doing homework and tests and being teenagers.
• Astonishing – that the Faire was described as “iconic” and life-changing to quote one visiting business leader.
• Astonishing – that the students from a range of ages and backgrounds all bonded and collaborated to work seamlessly together for the greater good of the school, the environment and themselves.
• Astonishing – in that I do not think that the students realize what they had achieved. The students have taken this acclaim in their stride. Being humble in the limelight is an endearing quality and one that I find that we as a school have embraced.

It is the latter point that I wish to expand on.

Whether we are busy with the Faire, learning in class or taking part in extra-murals, recognition for excellence and being in the limelight is not why we at the Bay Academy give of our best. Rather, we excel to prove to ourselves what we are capable of.

In a past letter, Mr. Alan Thompson, past Head of  St Andrew’s College, highlighted this quality so eloquently and captured my sentiments perfectly:

 “Humility is a sign of strength, not weakness. People with humility possess inner peace. They are modest about their achievements, grounded in their values, and they have nothing to prove to others. They are down to earth, comfortable in their own skin, and quietly proud. Humble people shift their focus from taking to giving, from talking about themselves to listening to others, from hoarding the credit to deflecting the praise, and from being a “know–it-all” to knowing there is so much more in life worth learning. There is no ego, no pretence and certainly no gamesmanship. Humble people are authentic.”

All that remains for me to say is that as Principal, I am very proud of what Linda Wilson our Business Studies teacher achieved, our team of supporting teachers and the students in their astonishing accomplishments and their humility.

Kind regards

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

“We are so much more than a school; we are a family.”

Over the last 2 weeks, I have once again been out and about. I have taken time to enter into conversations with our students. What is on their minds? These short but important interactions have been most revealing and rewarding.

 In classes, I have again been privileged to observe students and teachers. In Humanity classes, I have witnessed intellectual debates and the grasping of difficult concepts. In Drama classes, students were stimulated by taking on roles that develop confidence and expression. In language classes, creative writing has been nurtured and senior students have been preparing for their examinations. In Chemistry and Biology, I have reflected on the amazing media shown to the students and the engaged teaching of the subjects. In the Art Department, I watched as our young artists painted self-portraits and shared their excitement as their skills were honed. I have watched students mastering physics problems and engaging with the magical logic of Mathematics. The Business Studies classes reflect a growing appreciation of the importance of entrepreneurship and the students are also fine-tuning their marketing and business skills for the annual Faire.

All of these experiences highlighted a number of points. Firstly, as I have reiterated a number of times, we are blessed with professional, dedicated and passionate teachers.

 As Barack Obama said: “When I look back at the great teachers who shaped my life what I remember isn’t the way they prepared me to take a standardized test. What I remember is the way they taught me to believe in myself, to be curious about the world, to take charge of my own learning so that I could reach my full potential, to inspire me, to open up a window into parts of the world that I had never thought of before. That’s what good teaching is.”

 Secondly, to our brave teenagers. As I chat with students, I realize that life is difficult for them. They face pressures and challenges that perhaps, as adults of a different generation, we do not understand.

 To these students, know that we will be here for you. Yes, as teenagers you must develop “grit” or resilience, but you do not have to do this alone. The Bay Academy is a family.

 I was so proud this week when I witnessed a number of students who took the time and effort to help others. Well done to all, you are an example for others to emulate. You are being a family. You are looking after the wellness of others.

 I was reminded of Wellington College, a prestigious UK school, where wellness classes are timetabled as part of their curriculum. Topics that are covered include resilience, mindset, active-constructive responding and mindfulness.

 Dr. Anthony Seldon, Headmaster of Wellington commented:

“There was a chorus of doubt and scepticism when we announced that children could be taught the skills of living happier lives, including the fundamental idea that acquiring ‘stuff’ does not make you happy, but helping others does.

 Four years on, many schools have introduced similar lessons, in the UK and other parts of the world, and the subject is becoming established as a vital addition to the academic side of school life.

 I think that teaching well-being has contributed significantly to the positive changes at our school, including an atmosphere of encouragement and a zero-tolerance attitude to being unkindly.”

 The Bay Academy must be more than a school. Given the present torque in the world and the apparent deterioration of altruism and the rise of being self-serving, the school is on the right journey with our values to empower our students and the broader community to reflect on what is important and, more importantly, what is right. As with any journey, we have yet to arrive but we are on the path.

 Let us not just be a school.

 Kind regards

 John Alexander

 Principal

Dear Parents,

Cairns

Recently in an Assembly presentation, I commenced by asking what the following words mean:

Awesome? I mentioned, in my opinion, that this had been somewhat diluted compared to the original connotation.

Hero? Again, perhaps eroded from its original status.

Extraordinary? So far, this term appears to have retained value and meaning.

I mentioned that it was the word extraordinary that I would focus on and link to the importance of cairns.

Recently, I commented that we, as partners, all play a role in making a school special. Parents, teachers and students. However, in this Assembly, I wished to focus on the role of students in this partnership.

I then posed the question: Beyond the obvious academic achievement and progress, what values or character traits am I looking for in students from our school?

I listed the following: Confident, authentic, respectful, balanced, accepting, empathetic, sincere, true to yourself, proud and generous.

My Assembly then turned to the word cairn.

So, what is a cairn?

A cairn is a wonderful Scottish word. It refers to a pile of stones, predominantly found in the mountains. These stones are used, to this day, to mark a path or some interesting location.

As a traveler, it is also traditional for you to add a stone to the cairn – in appreciation for those who passed before you. By adding a stone, you also show gratitude for the guidance and direction that the cairn has provided.

One example of a cairn, that not many know about and is so significant, is a cairn that provides an opportunity to stop, or in this case stumble, to take time to remember, are the Stolpersteine plaques in Salzburg, Austria. These are actually made out of brass, but the literal translation of Stolpersteine, is stumble stone.

They are slightly elevated in the concrete of the pavements to cause pedestrians to stumble. The plaques are dedicated to the Jewish residents of Salzburg who were murdered during the Holocaust during the 2^nd World War.

This initiative was started in the 1990s and since then there are 1000s of these commemorative plaques in Europe. Each is a “cairn” if you may, to keep alive forever, the memory of innocent victims.

Memory is important. As students and teachers, we need to be custodians of school memories, but also be in a position to guide future generations along memory paths which have been left behind.

So how can The Bay Academy be a cairn? How can it guide you to “take the right path” and others to follow?

Despite many difficult challenges, the school as a community has endured and even grown, if not in numbers, then in significance.

I wish to repeat my latter comment:

“The school has grown, if not in numbers, then in significance.”

The school has become more significant as it has grown as a cairn. A proud beacon of what it means to endure, to be accepting of others and to act as an example to many other schools. This is highlighted by

our bespoke mode of teaching, the international academic rigour and the informal and accepting environment that nurtures students to be themselves.

To support our iconic school culture, we must protect our shared values of respect, kindness, and accountability.

As an extraordinary School let us be the cairn. The students in being who they are, are extraordinary. This encourages the students to take up the mantle of responsibility of protecting values. To simply make a difference. To be a custodian of values that are important. To each be a cairn to guide others within and beyond our gates on what is right or wrong.

I mentioned that I will start a cairn on the garden path to the science laboratory. I invited students to place a stone there when they feel the time is right. This will be when they have been guided or been guided to do the right thing. This cairn will grow in size and significance in acting as a guide for a student to pause and consider their compass, their path and their choices, as they move past.

As students depart the school at the end of Grade 12, they will also be able to leave a stone. This will allow them to always feel connected to the school and when they visit their alma mater, they can revisit the cairn and reflect.

I concluded the Assembly with the following words:

“Students, be proud of your school and who and what you represent. You deserve to be so, as you are, extraordinary.”

Kind regards,

John Alexander

Principal

Dear Parents,

Accountability 

As you may know, the 2023 theme is Accountability. I launched this at the first School Assembly with the students.

I was reading a series of articles recently and to continue our focus on our theme, I thought I would share some of my observations.

Accountability in education has since time immemorial, been a subject of debate. On the occasions when a child does not complete a homework assignment, is it the fault of the child or the parent? When a child fails an assessment, is it the fault of the child or the teacher? If a child does not achieve a Grade 12 examination at the anticipated level of excellence, is it the fault of the child, the parent, the teacher, the school, or the external examination authority?

The obvious answer is that we are all accountable for education.

The teacher must prepare well-planned lessons that are engaging, lead to inquiry and motivate and encourage the incremental acquisition of skills and knowledge.

A student in the class must be attentive, or I prefer the term, “present” for a lesson. The student must complete the work required to the best of their ability. They should add to the class experience and collaborative learning by being an active participant in class activities and discussions.

The parent should encourage their child to work hard at achieving their best. To support a child who wishes to explore and be inquisitive in their learning. While encouraging the child, the parent on the flip side must hold their child accountable for work not completed at the expected level of excellence.

In summary, we are all in partnership to act and support the best interests of the child. This takes work and accountability. I know that The Bay Academy families, teachers and children, to a very large extent, support this constructive and positive partnership and I am extremely grateful that we have this relationship.

Having said this, it is important to protect this partnership. In the public domain, over the past year, it is dismaying to note how often taking responsibility for oneself and consequent actions are replaced by the blame game. Children look to role models to emulate and unfortunately, there are, in my opinion, few examples of where public figures have shown good conduct. Where if a mistake has been made or an error of judgment has been incurred, the individual or group holds themselves accountable.

The difference between children who accept accountability for their learning and conduct and those that do not is significant. While a general observation, the children who hold themselves accountable are more determined, more resilient and importantly, they reflect deeper on challenges and show a propensity for independently addressing these trials.

Once again, to highlight the growing accountability in a school, I was recently shown where a student had reflected on their marked assessment and written down their thoughts and examined their own accountability. “I could have taken more time here to answer this better”. “I read the question wrong.” “I need to brush up on my understanding of this area for next time.”

You will note the “I” in all of the above. The child is taking responsibility and being accountable. Well done.

Kind regards,
John