HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL MORNING TEA FORMING A NEW TRADITION A REALLY ENJOYABLE ASPECT OF MY ROLE AS HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL IS TO HOST A MORNING TEA FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN NOMINATED, BY THEIR TEACHER OR A MEMBER OF STAFF, FOR THOSE ‘QUIET ACHIEVER MOMENTS’ – A CELEBRATION OF THEIR QUIET CONTRIBUTION EITHER IN CLASS OR AROUND THE SCHOOL. THE SELECTED STUDENTS DESCRIBED THEIR GENUINE RESPONSE AS “SURPRISE” ON LEARNING OF THEIR NOMINATION. CLICHÉD AS IT IS, THIS RESPONSE FITS WITH WHY THEY ARE AT THE MORNING TEA IN THE FIRST PLACE. The morning tea is a low key gathering on the balcony outside my office (or indoors if the weather is dreary) and it is so rewarding to have students from across all year groups gathered together. Many of the students have been nominated
because of their thoughtfulness towards others or that they have recognised a need and taken it upon themselves to respond. We celebrate that they may have been open and generous in their inclusion of others in the school community or the very special effort they have put in to a subject or task that may be challenging for them. In the second half of the year I was delighted to welcome an entire Year 7 tutor group – PD2 – who were recognised for the extended nurture of one of their classmates. Not a bad way to spend morning tea!
It wasn’t so much a promotion or a praise session; it was an expression of appreciation and encouragement. We had a chat about future plans and interests and it was an opportunity to get to know others there. I am confident that Mr Milligan’s morning tea system has been and will continue to be a successful method of appropriately giving gratitude to the many girls in the Girls Grammar community who show initiative. (Claire Paton, Year 12 2015)
8 | GRAMMAR REPORT No. 102
Peter Milligan HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL
Left: First HOSS Morning Tea – Peter Milligan and guests at the Head of Senior School morning tea. Left to right: Irene Zhong, Cherie Teng, Claire Paton, Roisin Lyons, Peter Milligan, Chloe Swan, Helen Truong, Alice Wang. Below: Deakin PD2 Tutor Group 2015 with Peter Milligan – Clockwise from front centre: Annabelle Connery, Jacoba McKellar, Polly Palmer, Liz Dickson, Kate Gordon, Priya Clarke, Jaya Ayyaluraju, Maddie Baldwin, Nishanka Kapuruge, Asvini Allada and Sophie Smart.