I have a confession to make that I have never seen the movie, “High School Musical”. Until the 2019 Mueller musical I had no knowledge of who Troy Bolton, Gabrielle Montez, Sharpay Evans or East High school were. My television viewing habits tend to focus more on sport, so this phenomenon was lost on me! At least I was able to watch the musical without knowing the storyline! To add to this, I hadn’t seen or read Jungle Book either so that was new for me as well! The Mueller students and staff did an awesome job of bringing these stories to life.
The finale of High School Musical, “We’re all in this together” is an accurate description of the school environment. The shared experience of school is a powerful motivator and positive influence on students. There has been much this semester to enjoy together and many shared experiences to look forward to in the second half of the year, including the Mueller Fete, sporting finals, the Year Six Melbourne – Canberra trip and inevitably some graduation services.
However, right now the students, parents and teachers are weary and in need of a break! As students finish up their assessment and teachers their marking, the sense of relief is palpable. Working hard is good for us, the sense of accomplishment and completion builds our capacity and confidence. However, it is a great feeling to gather together on the last day and celebrate the completion of the semester, and for the students to leave to go on holidays at the same time. We also are very appreciative of the staff who do not have the chance for time off work and do important work at the school over the break to maintain the campus and its operations.
As we round the halfway marker of the year and start the journey to the end it is important to rest and recalibrate. One of the more confronting yet comforting passages in the Bible is found in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day-by-day”. This theme was made reality for me at the optometrist recently as it was explained to me that I will need stronger glasses because I am getting older! All of us become tired and weary but the encouragement of this verse is to ‘not lose heart’ as we are renewed day by day in Jesus. My prayer for each member of the school community, whether you have the opportunity to take time off work or not, is that you will be inwardly renewed over the mid-year break and maybe even have the outward ‘wasting away’ delayed a bit!
Week 10 News
