The Stonar Way 28.02.25

More of a ‘newsy’ piece this week. Thank you for your patience with car parking at the School. We understand the challenges and want to reassure you that we are actively working on both short and longer term solutions to improve the situation. In the meantime, we appreciate your consideration for each other on the school drive, where space is limited, and on the surrounding roads.

As you may have seen, we are opening the Courtyard Café, located next to the Buckle Theatre, from 8.15-9.15am each morning next week. We will be serving fresh coffee, tea, hot chocolate and pastries at prices much lower than Costa! This is a great opportunity for parents to grab a quick drink to go, or enjoy a coffee together before starting the day. However, this is very much a "use it or lose it" trial - if successful, we will look at making it a more permanent fixture.

This week in Assembly, I shared something simple but powerful that I recently came across -a guide to how we interact with each other, especially regarding comments on appearance. A Minnesota teacher, Natalie Ringold, has gone viral for her “30 seconds or less” rule, a lesson on kindness.

She tells her students: “If somebody can’t change something about themselves in 30 seconds or less, then you shouldn’t mention it.” Examples include an untied shoelace or ketchup on your cheek - things that can be easily fixed. Commenting, however, on someone’s hair, body, or other physical features? Those can’t be changed quickly, and those words can have a lasting impact.

Ringold reminds us that once words are spoken, we can apologise, but we cannot completely take them back. She squeezes toothpaste out of the tube and then tries to put it back in to demonstrate her point. I did this in Assembly and I can testify that it is not easy! Our words hold power, and we are responsible for the way we use them. Even small comments can stay with someone for years.

The ‘30 seconds or less rule’ is a simple but meaningful guide that we can use with our children and that can help us all be more thoughtful, kind, and considerate in our daily interactions.

I look forward to seeing you for a coffee next week!