Carpe Punctum
As I write this article, I look out over an oval covered in white frost and the thermometer showing the first negative degree Celsius day of the year. Winter is coming!
Whilst I confess to being a lover of the warm weather rather than the cool, looking out the window at the golden leaves of the gingko tree makes me realise how extraordinarily beautiful this time of the year is. It marks a moment in time for me to reflect on. We often say that life is made up of milestones, but I believe it is made up of moments. Many of you will have heard the phrase carpe diem, or seize the day, but a less often used phrase I enjoy is carpe punctum. Literally translated it means to pluck the moment. Every day that we come to school provides a moment in time and we make choices of what to do with that time. Sometimes I think that we overlook the many moments to grow and to learn. That little things come together to make big things. The Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu wrote that;
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination
they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of
them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.”
Every day we wake up we are given the gift of 1440 minutes before our day is over. If we think that through, apart from the need for sleep, we have hundreds of moments and opportunities that will occur throughout the day. How we use those moments is entirely a matter of personal choice. I once read of a sporting coach that told his team that there are three things in life that they can never get back. The first is the spoken word, the second an arrow in flight and the third an opportunity lost. Every single day we have an opportunity to tackle a task that is hard, to strive to learn and to practice self-care. As part of a community of learners we are fortunate to be surrounded by people whose sole focus is to help us achieve those very things. As I look back over the last few weeks students have challenged themselves in outdoor education experiences, in the Launceston Competitions. on sporting fields, and in the recent NAPLAN tests. I encourage our students to continually seek to seize the moment and make the most of opportunities every single day.
I would like to congratulate our boarders with a wonderful entry they made into the Australian Boarding Schools competition as we celebrated Australian Boarding Week. It was wonderful to see the amazing range of moments that our boarders enjoyed over the last few weeks.
Watch the video HERE.
Last week we welcomed staff from the Australian Childhood Foundation to the School as part of our work towards national accreditation with the organisation. I will provide more feedback as the School now enters the final stages of this process. This process is voluntary, but underlies our commitment as a School to continually seek best practice.
I look forward this coming week to the annual Rowing Presentation Evening, celebrating the end of the rowing season with our rowing families. It will be fantastic to celebrate the achievements of one of the most successful rowing seasons for a number of years.
Can I remind parents that compulsory winter uniform commences on Monday 30 May, and commend those students still brave enough to wear their summer uniform!
Finally, as we reach this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful time with your children and encourage them to pluck the moment.
God’s Blessings,
Nicholas Foster
Acting Headmaster