Page 15 - Southwell School Chronicle July 2018
P. 15

 As parents you are great contributors to Southwell in terms of commitment and time, from coaching rugby, cricket and hockey, attending school camps, Southwell School Association, Opera, Quiz nights, School Fetes and the Gala. What motivates you both to give so much of your time?
We are strong believers in “the more you give the more you get” philosophy. Being actively involved in the Southwell family gives us an opportunity to contribute with the skills, knowledge and expertise we hope can help the School and the children. I think we both know that when it comes to setting an example to our children, actions very often speak louder than words; we would hope that they all grow up to be active contributors to whatever community they are a part of. I guess we try to lead by example. We believe everyone gets a great sense
of belonging by getting involved and because it gives us an opportunity to participate alongside the kids. Often our involvement has been with sports teams as we enjoy seeing all kids
get enjoyment, pride and a sense of achievement from sporting activities
Every Shale has great energy and drive, where does this come from?
An understanding that hard work can give rewards in whatever pursuit you love. This could be training for sport, homework for academic results, or practise for music. We encourage the kids to give everything a go, so they become well-rounded individuals. We focus on the inputs (prep, practice, fitness, homework) of learning as opposed to the outputs/results. We do adhere to the theory that “if it’s going to be it’s up to me”. In a busy family of six with both parents working full time, each child has learned naturally to self- manage and be independent.
What are your favourite family activities away from Southwell?
We love just spending time together as during term time life is pretty busy. We always make time to eat dinner together at the table and discuss/dissect the day. It seems such a small thing but
it’s massively important in terms of staying connected to the children’s lives when we both work. When we have
free time, a lot of it revolves around sport! Cricket, hockey and rugby are some of our passions, as well as skiing and mountain biking, but we also love the performing arts. We love to cook together and food is a big part of what brings our extended family together.
We love to travel whenever we can as we love opening the children’s minds to new cultures; last year we did a month long RV tour through California.
What aspects do you most enjoy about the Southwell community?
I always remember our very first days at Southwell when Hugo started as a Year 0, over twelve years ago. I was blown away by the warmth and friendliness
of the other families as well as the teaching staff. I still believe this is
what makes Southwell unique; that wonderful sense of belonging to the Southwell family. On top of this we love that the Southwell ethos is built upon the Christian faith and that our children are growing up with a strong moral compass at the core of their education. While academic, sporting and artistic achievements are fantastic, what is most important to us is that in investing in their education at Southwell we are helping create good humans.
FEATURE
OUR SOUTHWELL FAMILIES
THE SHALE FAMILY
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