Growing Good Men

There is an old saying that I often think about:  People will never remember what you say.  They never remember what you do.  But they do remember how you made them FEEL.

We remember emotions so powerfully, which is why the spirit of community is so important in choosing a school.

I am often very grateful to be a member of the Berwick Grammar School community, a place where we Grow Good Men, and work together to look after each other.  In this past fortnight, I have been fortunate enough to see two powerful examples of this.

Firstly, we had a terrific Peer Mentoring session last week, in which boys across all year levels formed groups within Houses and had a chance to get to know each other better.  It was wonderful to see the older boys take the lead, and show guidance and companionship to the younger boys.  Together, they also began a project that Year 8 boys will be continuing in the Personal and Social Education classes, in which they will write a story for Junior School boys that demonstrates their understanding of our ethos of Growing Good Men.

Additionally, we had 15 wonderful Year 6 boys join us for the first in a series of transition days last Friday.  The boys received a locker for the day in the Richards building, and in that locker found a ball which connected them to the colour of the House they will be in next year.  Following this, they had a chance to ask Dr Middleton all their questions about secondary schooling, who enjoyed even their curliest questions.  A brilliant treasure hunt around the school saw them engage in some key Berwick Grammar School activities such as Design Tech, the garden and the drones, and chatting to some Berwick Grammar students who kindly gave their time to mentor and befriend the new boys, who were referred to all day as the Berwick Grammar Class of 2025.  We could not be more delighted to invite them all into our Brotherhood.

Lunchtime provided a wonderful opportunity to sample the delights of the canteen, and catch up with our current Year 7 students about their transition to secondary school.

Many thanks to the Class of 2025 for their enthusiasm, for Ms Sayar and Ms Cardullo for coming along, and to all the staff and students who made the day so memorable.

Ms Lauren Cook
Head of Senior Boys, Wellbeing