Message from the Principal
Diversity – what an amazing world!
I write this newsletter early on Friday morning as I look forward to the KGV School Diwali celebration. The PTSA and community are coming together for a special lunch with our students to celebrate this Hindu festival that symbolises the ‘victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance’. Personally the excitement for me is higher this year due to the fact that the kind ladies in our PTSA have gifted to me a traditional Indian attire to wear to our Diwali celebration. I tried the ‘attire’ on at home on Wednesday evening, where I received a standing ovation and positive encouragement from my two 7 and 9 year old children!
I would like to thank our PTSA and parent volunteers for their work in helping us celebrate the Diwali Festival. I know our students really enjoy the event and the celebration of culture and tradition.
This festival falls just after our Challenge Week experience. The week was incredible, and provided a wealth of opportunity and experience for our students. Whether it be in Hong Kong or places overseas, many of our students got to see and experience a different side of life and a range of cultures and beliefs. One of the key aims of Challenge Week is to ‘disrupt’ student thinking and make sense of the world and the way communities and cultures live and interact. Whether it be visiting an orphanage in Nepal, a historic site in Bosnia, or the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, it is all about appreciating the diversity of belief, culture, religion and lifestyle and how we make sense of the world.
Interestingly, we also recognised Armistice Day at school this week as we approach the 11th November this year. Significantly, it is 100 years since the armistice to mark to cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War 1 in 1918. Our Head of History, Mr John Edwards spoke to all students at assemblies this week about how some key acts of intolerance and violence spiralled the nations of Europe and the world into a conflict that claimed over 20 million lives.
Mr Edwards talked about learning lessons from history as a way to reduce the chance of these horrific events happening again. This links back to our recent Challenge week experience and our celebration of Diwali. It is all about understanding, knowledge, empathy and a celebration of diversity. Our school in partnership with parents and our community, we want to develop our students into true global citizens. Citizens that seek first to understand and embrace difference and seek to discover and enjoy the remarkably diversity that is the essence of humanity.
Kind regards
Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V
