Business as Usual

Dear Parents,

How exciting to be back at school, and it is business as usual.

If ‘business as usual’ sounds boring to you; that is because you’re new to MCC. For us who have been here at MCC for a while, business as usual is very exciting. We love business as usual.

The reason that business as usual is so wonderful is that we are much more than a school. We are a Christian learning community. Let me explain what community means for you and your children’s teachers.

In contrast to community, some schools are similar to sausage machines. Some schools churn out children like life is a production line. We are not like that. We are a learning community, a Christian learning community. The term ‘learning community’ accurately fits our practice because our school is not about teachers merely filling kids’ brains with knowledge. Our school is about teachers and parents working together to grow our children into wonderful citizens who shape the future for good.

We are a community because parents and teachers share this honourable task. We are all in this together.

So, business as usual for us is parents and teachers being partners. Good partners are better than bad partners, so let’s be good partners, and to be good partners, we must commit to supporting each other’s work. Parents I want you to support the teachers’ work. Teachers you are to support the parents’ work.

In the nurture of children’s learning, parent-work and teacher-work differ, and when these two different roles complement each other supportively, it’s then that the children’s learning is optimised.

Optimising your children’s learning is great for you, parents. Apart from anything else, it means you’re getting value for your investment. Let’s not forget, you’re paying for this. You want value for money and a sure way to get value for your money is to treat the teachers as partners. It is very motivating for a teacher to know that the parents are alongside them in partnership. MCC is a place of wholistic learning. That means we teach to the whole child. We work to develop our learners’ intellects and we are equally passionate about social, physical, and spiritual development too. We hone our teaching skills to build growth for the intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social development of our students. I know you MCC parents want your children to grow and succeed in these areas.

So, the teachers’ task is to build a culture of excellent learning. Teachers impart calm energy into their teaching, they keep their students on track and on the ball. The parents’ task is to validate what is being taught at school and endorse passion for learning, openly to encourage wholistic learning; intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual, because learning matters.

Parents and teachers, let’s selflessly and supportively partner together throughout this year for the sake of our wonderful young learners.

David Gleeson, Principal.