Good Morning everybody!
I thought we’d start this week’s theme with a few words of wisdom from Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda.
Kung Fu Panda – Today is a Gift
As our lockdown continues, it can sometimes feel tricky thinking about how things were before the lockdown or what things will be like in the future when we return to our ‘normal’ lives again. So for this week I would like us to think in particular about that one line from Master Oogway that reminds us that ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the present’.
One of the Harmony principles that we think about in school is ‘Oneness’ and the importance of finding our place and our peace within the world. We are all part of a very big ‘whole’ and now more than ever, we are hopefully all able to see clearly the many connections that exist between ourselves, our families, our communities and the world around us.
So many positive things are happening to make those connections even stronger, resulting in healthier communities and a healthier world. You may have heard the word ‘legacy’ being used a lot at the moment and most of you will know that a legacy is a kind of stamp on the future which shows the meaning of the past. In the future, when we look back on 2020, I am sure that we will talk about many ‘lockdown legacies’ but for now I would like us to really think about what these might be at a time when we are living and breathing their meaning.
What are the gifts that have been given to us during this time which have made us happier as a family or stronger as a community?
If you were only allowed to use one single word to describe the most positive ‘Lockdown Legacy’ for you, what would that word be? Maybe ‘gratitude’, or possibly ‘community’ or ‘family’? I am sure that you will have lots of ideas of your own and if you struggle to think of just one word, this will be a good problem to have and I will allow you a bonus one!
I have plans for these words and something that we could create together when we all return to school – a new garden in our school grounds. I am hoping that this will become a visual reminder of this time and will provide us all with the opportunity to remember the positive gifts that we have been given right now, that will hopefully stay with us long into the future.
At the moment my plans are vague and I need your help! We have been given a very kind donation from Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Foundation to get us going and I now need your thoughts and inspiration to help my initial ideas to grow. My thoughts so far are that we could take over an area of the school grounds and create a garden that is both inward facing and outward facing, allowing us the chance to look at what we have but also to look towards our community as we are all doing right now. Our new garden could involve some topical rainbow planting reminding us of our current symbol of hope …
Our garden could also include the important words that you choose this week in a piece of artwork. I have shared a poem with your grown-ups that we may be able to include, but I have a feeling that one of you could create something even better. Our garden could provide a chance to sit, to reflect and to remember. And of course our garden needs a name … I have a few ideas so far, but I’d love to hear yours.
Once again an opportunity for you to remember your important role as agents of change and to sow the seeds of our very own lockdown legacy.
I can’t wait to hear the word that you have chosen, maybe each member of the family could choose one too? The more visual that you can make your word the better. You could simply create a work of art using the word or incorporate the word into a picture that illustrates its meaning. You could create your word out of objects or using a collage of different letters.
Some of you may also want to have a go at creating a poem or short story that will form a centrepiece in our new garden, using the Kitty O’Meara one as a starting point. You may also have some further suggestions for our garden design, or elements that we will need to incorporate. I can’t wait to hear your ideas. I will reply to any messages that come in and I will share all the highlights in our Celebration Assembly on Friday.
Enjoy a week where you are well and truly focused on the present and all that it is gifting you Team Damers! Hold on to those positives while you can genuinely feel them because if anyone can ensure that they become a lasting lockdown legacy, you can!
Mrs Smith 🦋