Impact That Matters

This week I received a letter which moved me to tears. The letter from Esra V (Year 4 student) seeking my support and suggesting ideas for a fundraising initiative to support the humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria. With Esra’s permission I have included her letter for you to read here.

‘To Mr Thomas

I hope my letter finds you well. I am sure you have seen on the news that Southern Turkey and Northern Syria has had a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Many people have died and many people are still under broken buildings. It is very cold in this part of Turkey at the moment. It is snowing and so many people have lost their homes and their belongings.

It makes me feel very sad and I also feel lucky and grateful to live in Australia. I am a third generation Australian with Turkish heritage and because of this I would like to raise awareness to my school. With your permission and advice I would like to raise money to help the people who are suffering.

I was thinking of having a stall and selling Turkish things such as Turkish delight, jams and honey, and evil eye bracelets or keyrings. Another idea I had was to have a Doner Kebab Day at school for lunch. My grandfather has a doner machine and knows people who have all of the ingredients for a day like this.

I am hoping you could maybe let me know what you think and maybe we could have a discussion when you have time.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards
Esra V’

Esra’s words reminded me of the Claremont College Vision Statement, ‘Impact that Matters’, which in essence is what a Claremont College Christian Education is all about - equipping children with the knowledge, skills and attributes for a life of success, service and contribution that makes a difference in the world, and in the lives of others. 

Our current ‘Strategic Intent’ (published late 2022) outlines 5 Graduate Attributes. These statements capture our commitment to shaping our students to become remarkable individuals who, by the time they leave Year 6, will do so with specific qualities, skills and understandings that each student will gain as a result of their learning experiences throughout their time at Claremont College. We aim for our students to become young citizens who leave our school to become successful in life and in their careers, and in their contribution to society, and we hope and pray that they continue to grow and mature to continue to be:
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• Curious and resilient learners;
• Critical and creative thinkers;
• Confident and respectful communicators;
• Courageous and humble citizens and leaders; and
• Committed and empathetic problem solvers.

Thank you Esra for being a courageous, compassionate and humble citizen. You have certainly demonstrated the leadership that I referenced at this morning’s Chapel and School Leadership Induction Service. Following your lead, we will plan ways over the coming weeks for the Claremont students and community to raise money for the victims of the earthquake. I encourage our whole school community to get behind this important cause.