The end of another year is almost upon us, and the Christmas season is just beginning. In many parts of the world this is celebrated in the darkest months, with the Christmas message and the resulting good cheer a beacon of light in the middle of winter. In New Zealand, we are fortunate to have fine weather at this time of year. This was certainly an advantage for our Christmas Bazaar last Friday afternoon, which was a wonderful event with a vibrant atmosphere. It was great to see so many members of our school community there with friends and family. Thank you particularly to the Friends of Ficino for their organisation and wonderful support that made the event possible.
This week, Year 3 students performed our annual Nativity play. The comical parts of this always make me laugh from year to year, and Miss Doctor has adapted the script to increase the entertainment level. However, behind all the good humour, the beauty of the Christmas message shines through. The sincerity of the children’s delivery has a wonderful innocence and humility. This, in no small part, stems from the script, most of which is taken directly from the King James Bible. This exquisite piece of scholarship was translated around 400 years ago, and along with the works of Shakespeare, was instrumental in forming modern English.
One of the important founding principles of a Ficino education is to provide the children with the finest material. This is particularly important when learning things by heart. When the children prepare for a play like this, not only are they learning their own lines, but they immerse themselves in the whole story and absorb into their hearts much of the rest of the script. This experience will stay with them long into adulthood. We recently had a group of former students, who are now in their thirties, take a tour of the School. When they arrived at the hall, one of them spontaneously quoted a line from one of the plays they performed there in their childhood. Information absorbed at this tender age is very important because it helps to form the character of our young minds.
This will be the final newsletter of the year, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to seeing you at our carol service and Prizegiving.
