Many Ficino families came together on Sunday for the School Picnic at Long Bay. This is always a wonderful occasion providing an opportunity for parents, teachers and students to meet away from the classroom environment. I have heard several reports expressing the enjoyment of the event, indicating that this year was no exception.
This was followed hot on its heels by our annual Parents Evening where we had a good turnout to hear the Principals address “Why teach Sanskrit”, followed by an opportunity to meet the teacher and hear what’s in store for the year ahead. It is worth restating some of the benefits Sanskrit provides, Being a source language for English and many other European languages, Sanskrit provides and opportunity to study language at its roots. Sanskrit is both ancient and highly evolved as well as being precise in meaning but infinitely flexible in its expression. Its succinctness has led to computer programmers and people working in Artificial Intelligence, including scientists working at NASA, to look for ways of emulating its natural elegance and efficiency in the machine world. Sanskrit offers our students an excellent grounding in grammar, which is essential in developing the ability to express ourselves well. One parent described to me after the meeting that some philologists have suggested that grammar originally developed in order to understand our thinking processes. It is largely forgotten today that a clear understanding of grammar is necessary to be able to think clearly let alone speak intelligibly. The teaching of grammar in both Sanskrit and English is a strength of Ficino’s curriculum and provides a foundation for leadership.
Peter Crompton
Principal
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