Welcome to our end-of-term assembly and what a pleasure it is to see you all gathered here today. The last 16 weeks have absolutely flown by, it’s been an extraordinarily busy term, and I think you all deserve a well-earned rest.

We had our Christmas party yesterday, and what a fantastic event and fitting end to the term that was. The SRC and volunteers did a superb job of organising and running the games, and congratulations to all of those who presented and performed. I was inspired by what I saw from our performers - I enjoyed the music and dancing, certainly, but what really impressed me, what always impresses me, were the qualities of character displayed by those who stood up in front of their peers and teachers and gave it their all in their performances.

To do this takes courage, skill and resilience, and any person who stands in front of others to share their talents, interests, ideas and work immediately has my admiration. To put yourself out there for scrutiny, to risk mistakes, that takes a lot of something special, and in my view, those who do it represent a fine example of the qualities we aspire to immerse everyone in our community in during your time at ICHK - well done to you all.

And this got me thinking about community, because, as those of you who know me well will know, community is really important to me, it’s important to our school, and now that we’re settled into the year, we can turn our minds to looking ahead and bettering our community together. The reason ICHK is a special place is because of the strength of our community; it’s about all of us, together, and I want to take a moment to share with you what the word ‘community’ means for us here because it underpins everything that we do.

A strong community is diverse and vibrant, woven from threads of different cultures, beliefs, backgrounds and perspectives. It’s a place where we cultivate, we celebrate, we accept, respect, and understand - we saw this on full display yesterday.

A proud community has empowered people who have the best interests of everyone at heart, who look out for and support others, people who push for improvement of themselves, of others, and of their environment.

A thriving community is one where all members take responsibility and hold each other accountable. We expect that in our community, everyone will respect our shared norms and values.

A joyful community is a nurturing environment where each of us feels valued, where leadership potential is celebrated, and where we uplift one another as we travel along our personal journeys.

And finally, a harmonious community is at peace with itself, confident in its identity and its purpose.

This definition serves as a reference point for our decisions and actions as we move forward together. You as ICHK students, as individuals, matter, and it’s essential that you thrive here, but recognise that you are also a part of something much bigger.

We had a lot of people, both students and staff, join our community here at ICHK this year, and to all of you, welcome and thank you.

To our Year Seven students, my heartfelt congratulations to you all, and what an incredible start you’ve made. We all know that joining a new school is not an easy thing to do. You've faced the excitement and the nerves, perhaps some anxiety, but you have settled extremely well and are starting to get involved, from joining sports teams to making excellent, delicious pizza in HT.

We’ve had several students from Years 8-12 who have also joined ICHK this year, and again each of you has impressed with how well you have settled. It’s not always easy to start in a new school, and watching you navigate your way into our community and form friendships has been heartening. Joining a new environment can be pretty daunting, and I commend all of our new students who have successfully embraced the ICHK experience.

Further, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our Year 13 students this year. Without exception, you have all been outstanding in terms of your determination to work to your potential, and your discipline in doing so. You are a group that is determined to achieve, and to see you all meeting deadlines, completing tasks in a timely manner and studying with a resolve and determination to be at your best is inspiring.

To all of the rest of our students, your journey of 9500 hours continues, and I hope that you are embracing every opportunity that presents itself and is of interest.

The key to a successful ICHK experience is to embrace the process of being here, and recognise that we’re working on the cultivation of a mindset that is different to other schools. It’s a mindset that prioritizes contentment, security, and relational well-being among all of us here and sharing this within our community at large.

Our educational approach at ICHK serves as an apprenticeship in living and promoting this new mindset, designed to provide you with the skills and perspectives necessary to navigate and reshape a world urgently in need of kind, thoughtful people and deeper connections.

Through our shared commitment to working hard at our studies and being the best versions of ourselves, through being nice to each other, through real-world encounters, diverse learning environments, sports, the arts, we learn and grow thoughtfully. Involve yourself in as much as you can, whether it be hiking, climbing, playing volleyball, football, touch rugby or basketball, creating a thoughtful piece of art, designing a solution to a problem, learning how to knit in the library - we aim for all of you to become thoughtful leaders and trusted, respected members of our wider community. Our intention as a school is to empower all of you to forge a new future, one that balances our personal fulfillment and interests with our ecological and societal responsibilities.

Your teachers, LSAs and our support staff have worked hard this term to provide these experiences for you, but experiences and opportunities are incomplete without the values that must be lived daily by all of us here. These are the values we truly celebrate, and a representation of these is displayed by students who will be on stage here today, and who are wearing or displaying an ICHK pin.

Building a community, living its values, growing as a person - it takes time, and you’re going to make mistakes - we all do. But what I’m proud of, and what I hope that those of us who are new to ICHK recognise, is that we understand that mistakes are all a part of the process, and that’s important in a school designed for human beings and working to build a community that cares.

You’re here with us for over 9000 hours. Be kind and patient with yourself first, take care of yourself through sleep, exercise, a good diet, and talking to supportive and caring people, because when you are in a positive place as a person your experience of learning and life at ICHK can be dramatically different, for the better.