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Dear Parents and Carers
In this morning’s assembly, I spoke to the girls about a powerful idea that can help each of us grow and improve in anything we choose to learn or do – whether that’s drawing, reading, swimming, writing or being a kind and thoughtful friend.
I explained the concept of a Growth Mindset, with one of the key messages being that “Practice Makes Progress.” We talked about how it’s completely normal to feel frustrated when things don’t go right the first time. However, what truly matters is how we respond when we find things difficult.
To bring this idea to life, we watched a short video called Austin’s Butterfly, shared by teacher, Ron Berger – a powerful and inspiring example of how feedback and perseverance lead to real progress. If you haven’t seen it before, I would highly recommend watching it. It tells the true story of a boy named Austin, who as a Year 1 pupil was asked to draw a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. His first attempt didn’t look much like the real thing. Instead of criticising him, his classmates gave kind, specific and constructive feedback:
- “Look carefully at the shape of the wings.”
- “Pay attention to the patterns.”
- “Try again and don’t give up.”
Austin didn’t give up. He listened, learned and persevered like Perseverance Squirrel. In fact, he redrew his butterfly six times. By the end, his drawing was remarkably close to the real one – a clear illustration of how determination and thoughtful feedback can lead to real improvement.
Together, we reflected on what Austin’s story teaches us:
- You don’t have to get things perfect on your first go.
- Listening to feedback can help us improve.
- With practice, perseverance and encouragement, we all make progress.
I encouraged the girls to embrace the power of yet – turning “I can’t do it” into “I can’t do it…yet.” We also took a quiet moment to reflect on something each of us finds tricky and how it might feel to improve, step by step, with effort and support.
As we head into the final weeks of term, I am encouraging the girls to choose something that challenges them – to persevere when it feels hard, to seek support and to notice their own growth along the way. Whether it’s handwriting, learning lines for a play or managing friendships, every small step forward builds confidence, resilience and pride.
I left the girls with this reminder: “Success is not about getting it right the first time. It’s about being brave enough to try again.”
Finally, as we approach the weekend, I would like to wish a very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, stepdads, grandfathers and father-figures in our school community. Thank you for all the support, encouragement and care you give – it makes all the difference.
With warm wishes
Miss Dina Hamalis
Head of the Junior School