I don’t know about you, but it feels like one minute we were in Term 1, Day 1 and then I blinked and it was Term 4, Week 4.
This year has flown by! It has been packed with Athletics carnivals, theatre trips, zoo trips, hikes, sports gala days, showcase evenings, musicals and…well, you get the idea!
Whilst the end is in sight, it isn’t there yet! On the first day of this term I challenged my Year 2 class to think about how they would finish a race. After running the majority of the distance, would they turn the corner, see the finish line and start to walk? Would they sit down in the middle of the race track and have a rest? (to which their response made me feel like I could be a stand-up comedian).
The resounding answer was a no! You would give the last sprint of the race your all and do your best. You would want to finish the race well. This is our intention in Year 2 Hedgehogs – to approach the final weeks of learning striving to give our best, because the end is in sight.
Another year group that is coming to the end of their race is Year 6. Notably, this term we have our Year 6 Graduation – a chance to look back on 7 years of primary schooling, celebrating the individual achievements of each person and recognising how far they’ve come.
As they prepare to leave the familiar track of primary school and begin a brand-new race in high school, our school memory verse from 2 Timothy 4:7 has reminded us; “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
This verse captures beautifully what it means to finish well – not just to reach the end in whatever fashion you have the energy left to do, but to do so with perseverance, effort, and faith.
Whether it’s completing a maths challenge, finishing an artwork, performing in a musical, or wrapping up a whole chapter of school life, we’re all called to give our best right to the finish line.
So as we enter these final weeks of the school year, may we all – students, teachers, and families alike – keep running our race with energy and joy.
Let’s finish this year strong, proud of what we’ve achieved and ready for what’s ahead.
Kate