Dear Parents, Caregivers and Children,

This Friday is Pink Shirt Day. In assembly this week, a group of children shared with us the History of Pink Shirt Day. A Youtube clip can be found here. Essentially, the message is one of unity and one of sticking up for what is right. Sometimes we must choose the 'harder right' rather than the 'easier wrong' and on this occasion this is exactly what the lads who founded this day did. As a result a global trend has started and we have what we now know as Pink Shirt day. 

As many of you may have heard our School Production which involves our Year 5 - 8 Children is in full swing. Currently the children are transitioning from the creation phase, to the learn roles and practise phase. I always love production time. The energy it creates amongst our children, the rich learning that happens as a result, both curriculum learning and 'skills for life' learning is special. I also love the inclusive nature of it, each child is essential to the overall success to it, which I believe is one of the many strengths about being a part of a production at Puketaha School. 

Today's message is short and sharp (some additional feedback I received from a parent I know well "sometimes it is good to keep it brief"). However, as I sometimes like to, I will leave you with a little quote from Seth Godin. It links nicely to sport; being overly focussed on easy to measure outcomes; bullying; and a consideration that maybe we could engage in activities and projects that aren't always easy to measure.

Warm Regards

Geoff

Compared to what?

Organised sports, particularly for school-age kids, present a real challenge. The results are easily measured and are on just one axis. Points scored. Winning vs. losing.

If we teach a child to identify with the outcomes in this way, we might create arrogance. If you win, after all, you must be better than the others.

This is where the big man on campus comes from, the push for dominance and the brittle self-worth that can lead to bullying.

And of course, it’s not just sports, and it’s not just high school.

But in any scarcity-driven competition, sooner or later, you’re not going to win. You’re not going be state champ, national champ, world champ… Sooner or later, if you’re honest, you’ll need to acknowledge that winning isn’t going to happen.

And then what happens?

Economic utility almost always occurs when we’re good at things that aren’t easy to measure. And when the things we’re good at are additive, infinite and generous it can be something we embrace for the long haul. Because in those areas, it’s possible to be useful and skilled and make a contribution, every single time.

If you have a chance to play a game that’s based on scarcity and winner-take-all, perhaps it pays to play a different game instead.