Principal Pat Oosthuizen on Blairgowrie Primary School’s year at a glance

Principal of Blairgowrie Primary School Pat Oosthuizen writes:

Our theme for this year was ‘Be Brave’ – how appropriate it turned out to be, despite being chosen as a theme at the end of last year. This has been the year when everyone around the globe has had to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic with its restrictions and personal protection protocols.

A highlight for us was getting the staff trained for online blended teaching, 2020 has been challenging and life-changing. We had to learn quickly what to prioritise, what is truly important in our lives and to adapt to an ever-changing political, social, and economic landscape.

Another highlight was being back in the classroom and seeing the children again. Children thrive on touch – so not being able to hug, high-five or even shake hands with friends and teachers – has been difficult but bravely conformed to.

This year has been disruptive, unpredictable, and the pandemic made planning almost impossible. However, it has also been the year where our country had an international dance challenge sensation – Jerusalema – which our children, teachers and the senior management team took on.

Our heroes for this year are definitely all our pupils, teachers, interns, senior management team, admin, support staff, parents and all stakeholders. It was with their support that Blairgowrie could truly ‘be brave’.

As a principal, I was extremely proud of our BPS family that embraced all the challenges of this year. It is my heartfelt wish that next year, we as a school can return to normality as soon as possible.”