A Letter from Mrs Coulson
By any measure, this has been an extraordinarily successful academic year and there is a good deal for us to celebrate in all aspects of school life.
Our Academic assessments have shown incredible progress, our sporting teams have had great success, we have built our values and together after consultation with all stakeholders, we have firmly embedded our four pillars which are: love, respect, honesty and fairness.
Of course, one could point to our sporting successes or our strong academic performance. Similarly, it is the case that the vitality of our performing arts programme and the rich diversity of co-curricular activities on offer here at Froebelian serve as a major draw. However, this is only part of the story for, in reality, we are much more than just a school.
We are unashamedly inclusive in terms of our intake for we believe that it is our responsibility to add value by providing an outstanding quality of teaching and learning. We delight in our ability to inspire young people to achieve beyond their wildest expectations and our progress would suggest that we do this very well. Mrs Soutar has played an instrumental part in establishing a rigorous assessment system which accurately pin points areas of development for each and every child.
There are no league tables to measure the intrinsic character of a pupil body. However, we know that our children leave Froebelian as confident and thoughtful young people ready to go out in the world and do good. As parents, we choose Froebelian because of the quality of the young people that we see before us today. As a mummy, I wish for my daughters to develop the skills and attributes that our children display so superbly well.
Ultimately, we measure our success in terms of the quality of individual outcomes achieved and our ability to help young people realise their professional ambitions and personal dreams. The true meaning of success is unique to each child and maintaining a healthy balance between individualism and community is of the utmost importance to us.
Today is always tinged with sadness because we say goodbye to Form IV. They have been superb role models for our younger children and I would like to pay tribute to our fantastic parents of Form IV children who have offered such wonderful support.
I love my role here so much but the travel means that I have to lean on my family tremendously. I am not grumbling, for the opportunity to lead Froebelian is one of the great privileges of my life. However, I do not think the year and a half would have been possible without the steadfast love and support of my parents, Pamela and David and my children, Gabriella and Sophia. Of course, my gratitude extends to the entire staff family and their families as they are also compelled to live lives that are, to some extent, shaped by the demands of our own roles and the rhythm of school life. Typically, they do this whilst managing busy personal and professional lives that have very little to do with extracurricular activities, reports, parents’ meetings and marking.
Froebelian is full of unsung heroes and the attentiveness with which all staff look after our children is a defining feature of a community where safeguarding is perhaps best understood as a cultural commitment to caring. I think we all delight in the cheerful informality and reassuring smiles of those who make us feel so entirely at home. Thank you.
The strategic vision that we articulate as a senior leadership team would come to nothing were it not for the extraordinary dedication of our teaching and support staff. My most important role is to appoint outstanding members of staff and I am immeasurably proud of my colleagues. Professionally accomplished, our staff are kind, compassionate, caring and inspire our children to become the very best possible versions of themselves. Froebelian staff members are not just subject experts, they are genuinely the most lovely group of individuals whom you would ever wish to meet.
I would like to end with the words of an Irish blessing for our Form IV leavers:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Thank you for giving memories that we can cherish forever.
