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Reflections from Dr Judy Stokes

When I was asked to write about the school’s values ‘then and now’ and to reflect on today’s values of respect, courage and inclusion, I thought about change - the inevitability of it and the need to embrace it. Change since our first child started Kindergarten at CCGS in 1990. Change since being on the School Board from 1996 to 2004. I thought about the introduction of computers, mobile phones, social media, AI, diversity - gender, cultural and religious. An increase in litigation, privacy laws, audits, regulations.

I also noted the increased sharing of roles in parenting, the juggling of home and career, more car and less bus travel, more demands on staff, Smartboards and open classrooms, apps and the school portal, MyCCGS, in place of the green weekly Headmaster’s Newsletter and printed parent contact lists.

Yet, some things stay the same. 

The original Charter of CCGS included the values of honesty, personal integrity, individual and team effort, diversity, respect for others and authority, commitment to family and community, being excited about life and setting goals for lifelong learning. With a Christian ethos, the school strives to meet the individual needs of its students, drawing out from them their best efforts in the varied fields in which their talents lie. 

This charter encapsulates why our four children started (and stayed) at CCGS. Despite their different personalities and talents, the school recognised and drew out their best efforts: academically, travelling to Orange or Bowral to play sport,  performing on the stage or playing drums in the background, or making a rickety pottery bowl or paper aeroplanes in various clubs.

I remember the resilience gained by 10-day Outward Bound camps where the students when ‘lost’ had to navigate their own way back! I reflect on the lifelong friends we made as parents, helping to clear the bush, to build the original grandstand, to dig drains on the rugby oval, run lamington drives and paint faces at the Country Fair (now the Spring Fair). Parent-student netball matches, trivia nights and auction dinners and gala balls. Fireworks Night. Carols by Candlelight. It’s wonderful to see some of these traditions continue. 

Yes, some things stay the same. 

The School Board continues to play a pivotal role with our Headmaster providing excellent management and the best education and pastoral care for our students, ensuring the values of respect, courage and inclusion, inculcated in the school’s foundation, live on.

We look forward to our  grandchildren embracing these values and becoming kind, curious and hopeful young people in this ever-changing and challenging
world. We look forward to them embracing the opportunities offered and giving back to the school and to their community. 

The original mission statement still holds true today: ‘Striving for excellence in all endeavours in a happy, caring and supportive environment’.