Earlier this week, I attended the GDST’s 150th birthday celebrations at the Science Museum. Sitting alongside my colleagues, as we watched the inspirational guest speakers, I felt an immense sense of pride at being part of both the Bromley High School and the GDST communities.
A sense of belonging is central to human experience. It unites people into a powerful collective and can steer change and drive new initiatives forward. Our sense of community in school expresses itself in manifold ways; from our Sixth Form Diversity Committee presenting assembly last Friday, through to staff supporting each other with cover lessons as their own children’s nativity season starts.
‘Do Pause – You are not a To Do list’ by Robert Poynton is a great book, which helps us all to remember that we must identify some protected time to pause, so that we may prosper. Whilst I do have an ongoing ‘to do’ list which I use daily, I am also blessed with an incredible community of staff around me who support each other and enable our school to thrive.
I am looking forward to opening our Christmas Market this Saturday, with Mrs Dickerson by my side – we may even tell a few Christmas cracker jokes! It is here that we open our doors to the wider community and continue to foster local partnerships. This will be an event that will bring fun to our weekend and marks the beginning of the exciting month of December.
Over the next few weeks, I look forward to seeing you at the Prep Christmas Celebrations, the Senior School Christmas Concert, and the Junior School Christmas Pantomime. I feel very honoured to enjoy watching your wonderfully talented daughters on stage, and the happiness and pride that it brings them to perform for their family and friends.
As a school, we remain undivided as we enjoy the festivities of this month together.
Mrs Emily Codling, Headmistress