The View

Friday, 17 Oct 2025

Mind the Sign
Last year in Tokyo, I had one of those moments you don’t easily forget. I was stepping into a small sushi restaurant tucked inside a busy Tokyo train station, the kind of place where the food is amazing, the service impeccable, and the doorways clearly not designed with 189cm Englishmen...
Read More
Thursday, 25 Sept 2025

Kind or Caustic? You Choose.
When we think about kindness and compassion, our minds often go straight to actions: random acts of kindness, helping others, or serving our community. Yet one of the most powerful and lasting ways we can show kindness and compassion is through our words.  We live in a world where venting,...
Read More
Friday, 19 Sept 2025

Seeing Clearly Without Seeing the Future
When was the last time you listened to the music of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes? Probably never I’m assuming. Most likely because you have never heard of them before. In 1962 Brian Poole and the Tremeloes auditioned for a spot on the artist roster of Decca records. Around the...
Read More
Friday, 12 Sept 2025

Calm in the Chaos
All I could hear now was silence, so I carefully opened my eyes. The sounds of flying glass, crunching metal and breaking wood stopped as quick as it started. I found myself looking up, I had ducked just in time. A large fencepost entered the windscreen just above the steering...
Read More
Friday, 05 Sept 2025

Nurturing the Next Generation of Educators
It has been a joy to welcome Chantelle into my 2P classroom for her final university placement. A proud Avondale School alumna, Chantelle is now studying Primary Education at Avondale University. Many years ago, she was my student in Year 4 and seeing her return in this new role has...
Read More
Friday, 29 Aug 2025

A New Season for Worship
Since arriving at Avondale School, Week of Worship (WOW) has always brought with it a unique challenge transforming the MPC into a sacred space for worship. Converting a basketball court into a place of spiritual reflection doesn’t happen by accident. It has required countless hours of after-school setup, weekend preparations,...
Read More
Friday, 22 Aug 2025

The Power of Enthusiasm
One of the greatest qualities we can bring to our learning and to our school community is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is more than just excitement. It is the energy and commitment we put into the things that matter to us. When students approach their studies, sports, or creative pursuits with enthusiasm,...
Read More
Friday, 15 Aug 2025

Bullying: No Way
Bullying is a complex social issue and understanding it clearly is an important step in addressing it effectively. Bullying is defined as the ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical, and/or social behaviour intended to cause physical, social, or psychological harm. It can involve an...
Read More
Friday, 08 Aug 2025

Modelling Perseverance: What the Poison Arrow Frog Can Teach Us
A moist frog is a happy frog! Deep in the rainforests of Central and South America, the tiny poison arrow frog lives out this truth—while also providing one of the most remarkable examples of perseverance in the natural world. Despite its size, this determined amphibian goes to extraordinary lengths to...
Read More