Who can we trust?
Why is there so much fine print?
What is the difference between “I mis-spoke” and “I lied”?
“Far too often, the best thing I can have in my hand when someone makes a promise is a really big broom so that I can sweep up the broken pieces.” Craig D. Lounsbrough
Who are we to believe when our institutions and their representatives care more about their profile than the people they say they serve?
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 6:5
We live in a time where it seems we can make and break promises with the convenience of a text message, an excuse, a meaningless media apology or a shrug of the shoulders. Instead of being taught to do all it takes to show up and keep our word, society seems to be willing to give us permission to keep open our options with the truth.
We seem to be accepting that guarantees we are given will mean nothing at all when things go wrong. In a world that allows for broken promises, how can we trust that the people around us are going to be committed to their word?
How many times will we be let down, short-changed or cheated before we lose our faith in humanity and society?
As a school there are some things we believe we can promise:
- We will live up to our Vision: “At St Columba we will transform the lives of our students by offering the educational opportunities that will allow them to have lives of purpose, service and engagement.”
- We will never stop trying to give your child the best education we can because we believe “good enough” is not good enough.
- We will make every effort to repay the trust you have put in us. We accept our duty to care for and educate your children.
BUT
- We will not promise to give your child everything he/she wants but we will teach them how to aspire to do the things that really matter.
- We will not promise to get your child into the course they desire after graduation but we will provide them with the opportunity and support to develop their talents.
In fact, we will not promise to make your child’s education at St Columba easy; instead we promise that we will challenge them so that they grow in resilience, develop their talents, understand the value of hard work and realise what they are truly capable of.
That’s a promise!
Terry Muldoon
School Principal