I have often written to you regarding our school’s tagline – “It’s where I belong.” I love the way that this expresses our unique and close knit community and our genuine appreciation for the value of each community member that we are so fortunate to connect with.

King David’s community feel is well regarded among our students, staff and parents. Indeed, it is often the first thing that comes to mind when we ask students to characterise the School’s “superpower” and is frequently reflected upon in our annual community surveys.

Of course this atmosphere is something that we cannot take for granted – we need to tend to it and maintain it as new generations of students and their families pass through our school. 

Over the course of the pandemic, it seems that our society has become more divided and that family units who were disconnected due to lockdowns have become more insular. Many in the wider community are still tentative about social gatherings and are feeling insecure regarding the future. 

While I like to assume that the School is an oasis exempt from some of these factors, I am aware that many members of our school community have indeed felt isolated through the past two and a half years.  

I believe that it is now more vital than ever that we provide avenues for our families to build connections and to enhance their sense of belonging. 

The School is keen to provide such opportunities for this to occur. Some of the best available include volunteering on the King David School Parents’ Association and the Parents’ Safety Group. 

Volunteering with the KDSPA provides instant connection to the other parents in our community. It offers the chance to model the relationships that we hope that our children are forging and to contribute meaningfully to building the school that we want our children to grow up in. The wide array of KDSPA activities ensure that there is an avenue for every parent to become involved regardless of the age or stage of their child. 

Similarly, the Parents’ Safety Group plays a vital role in enhancing the visible security of our school and in providing an indispensable set of eyes who are totally invested in monitoring the safety of our students. 

I write to you about the KDSPA and the PSG as it has been noted that volunteering levels in both these groups are slightly down on previous years and I wish to encourage those who have capacity to contribute wherever they can.

Over Term 2 the School will once again provide a large range of activities that are designed to contribute to our collective sense of community. My hope is that we can overcome the COVID fatigue that has seeped into so many aspects of our lives and still find the time, energy and inclination to get involved.

I can assure you that King David will continue to provide the glue that connects our families.  I know that through our united endeavours we will maintain a school community where we all feel that we belong.