Dear Parents,
Last week, I challenged the children to be poets, artists, sculptures and singers. I also promised that I would write a poem for them, about Hazlegrove – which I shared on Monday morning in These Times. We need to all celebrate our uniqueness and our specialness! No excuses. No negativity. No criticism. (Parents, when last did you write a poem or paint a picture?).
In the Bible, the word Church refers to the people not the building, nor the stain-glass windows nor the incense wafting through the pews. The church is the people and that got me thinking. What makes a school?
My previous prep school sadly closed last year and if one walked past the campus, one would be excused for thinking that it is still a school – but it’s not. It may have classrooms, a pool and a sports hall, but it is no longer a school. It is the children, the staff and you, the parents, who make a school a school.
So, fear not – the astroturf at Hazlegrove is still very much operational, the lawn is, as always, stunningly manicured and the front doors continue to hang proudly and welcoming…the point I wanted to emphasise is that as important as all of these things are, the real essence, the real magic at Hazelgrove is a result of the special children, staff and parents who cross the cattle grid.
The same is true of our homes – it really doesn’t matter to our children if the carpet has been vacuumed, or if the windows have had a lick of paint or even if the bin in the kitchen has never worked when stomping on its foot…what really matters is that they feel loved and feel safe. I feel very humbled to be in a school, where the staff know what is really important to the children – to feel loved, cared for and safe.
So, let’s make sure, especially in these busy (and sometimes crazy) times, to stop and think: is our family okay… not the house and its contents but the members of our family…do we sit together, engage and connect with each other?; and is the school okay – not the grounds and the grass, but the children and all of us involved.
I feel very proud to be a member of the staff at HZG – to work with ladies and gentlemen who are deeply committed to the children and have their eyes firmly fixed on what’s important to you and your children – their health, happiness and safety. The children know this too – it is no more evident than in the way that they treat each other.
Hazlegrove is indeed healthy and well.
Regan Schreiber
HEAD of BOARDING
