A valedictory is a farewell address. It enables us to say ‘goodbye’ to you as you leave ¹ú±êÂ鶹ÊÓƵAPP which, for many of you, has been the only school you’ve ever known.

I am confident that your time here has been a time of learning. A time of asking curious questions, discovering passions and challenging yourselves, both academically and personally. A time of embracing new experiences and celebrating achievements, big and small, whilst finding joy in the journey. A time of laughter and tears, shared memories, late-night study and spontaneous adventures. A time of building connections, making friends and sometimes losing friends. A time of growing up.

This year in particular, it has also been a time requiring resilience. You have needed to navigate some pretty scary things and we have watched you support one another through it all. 2024 has been a challenging one for the Jewish community and for ¹ú±êÂ鶹ÊÓƵAPP. We have listened and watched as horrors have unfolded in our world and we have struggled to work out our place in this. But I have seen the resilience and strength of so many of you. I have seen such strong connectedness to each other, to your families, to your School, to Israel. It is this connectedness that will provide you with the strength you need.

ÌýIt seems a long time ago that we spent so long working through our school vision, mission and values, discussing what was most important to us and what we wanted our Carmel graduates to be. The values of excellence, connectedness, curiosity and integrity came through strongly from the very beginning of the process, as we consulted students, parents, teachers, OKCs and community members. But it felt as though there was something missing. And it wasn’t until we finally added courage to the list, that it felt complete and made sense.

Courage may have been the last value that we agreed as a school to adopt, but courage has been required more than ever, this year. Thoughts of what is going on in Israel and across the world are always there in our minds. We all know people who have been deeply affected. But our school has continued to be a sanctuary for learning – a safe place of education. It is a place where I trust that your understanding of what it means to be Jewish has been reinforced and that you know what is important in life.

We have loved working and learning with you. We now look forward to hearing of the next step in your learning journey as you fly the Carmel nest and proudly share what you have learned as a Carmel graduate, with the world.

Don’t forget the basics. Get enough sleep. Eat some vegetables. Read lots of books. Look after your friends. Call your parents occasionally.

מזל טוב, Class of 2024. תודה רבה. Thank you for your contributions. Thank you for being yourselves. Thank you for asking questions and being honest and making us think.

Remember to choose carefully who you spend time with and listen more than you talk – you were given two ears but only one mouth for a reason. Listen to others and fight courageously with words. Read books. Real books. Lots of them. Go into the world and make a difference.

Dr Julie Harris

Principal