Dear Parents and Community,

Natasha Markwick
Acting Principal

Mudgeeraba Special School Community,

To those staff and community members I know well and to those who joined the Mudgeeraba Special School Family in 2022 that I look forward to meeting, I want to thank most sincerely Ms Natasha Markwick for leading Mudgeeraba Special School while I have undertaken family responsibility leave this year.  I personally want to express my deep gratitude to Tash for the dedication, creativity and drive in my absence. Tash has demonstrated her resilience and audacity leading the school, the excitement of the extensive master property redesign with the two storey building that has been in the pipeline for a number of years and so much more. She has evidenced her ability to maintain the school’s course whilst developing, implementing and delivering outstanding creative elements such as: bringing Puggles our Positive Learning Mascot to life, reinvigorating music to the curriculum design and with the Executive’s assistance co-verifying the school as the First Glasser Quality Special School which has been a significant decade plus piece of work. I personally believe in capacity building and growing our own leaders. The team have been “doing and not acting” and should be commended by our school community. As my leave provided an opportunity for Danielle Turner to lead up as Deputy Principal and Graeme Clancy and Michaela Austin to lead up as Head of Department Curriculum. I ask you to applaud Natasha and the team in these closing days of 2022 school year.

In addition, congratulations on the Student Volunteer Award with partnering with Mudgeeraba Showgrounds. This has been a longstanding partnership and I know the benefit personally as my own daughter was part of the horticulture program. The evidence of community partners through the Partnership Alliance has provided a meaningful reciprocal partnership benefiting students future pathways.

I will be returning in 2023 to Mudgeeraba Special School as Principal and the region has approved my four day per week part-time request. I will work Monday to Thursday and Ms Natasha Markwick has accepted partnering with me on Fridays. This is an exciting opportunity for us personally and the school community. We will undertake an extensive handover and I look forward to reconnecting in the New Year at Student Free Days in January. From my family to yours we wish you a safe and connected holiday period, a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to all the New Year has ahead for us.

Yours in Education

Colleen Hope

On Wednesday 7 December we said farewell to our graduating students with a lunch, assembly and guard of honour.  It was a great way to showcase their educational journey, and celebrate their amazing achievements at our school.  We are sad that to see these amazing young people leave our school, but also excited to see what their future will bring.  We also said thank you to the families, and acknowledged the support and advocation that they have done for their young person over many years.

Thank you to our special guests for the assembly, the Hon Karen Andrews MP and Cr Glenn Tozer.

Also thank you to Stephen O’Brien at the Woodchoppers Inn for the wonderful lunch provided.

Our graduating students celebrated the end of their schooling in style! They left school in a stretched hummer and then boarded a boat across to Couran Cove resort for a 3-day, 2-night camp.  The weather on camp was not the best, but the students still had a fanstatic time doing some craft activities, bushwalking, and having a big Christmas themed party! A huge thank you to Wellness Australia for being such amazing hosts.

Congratulations to Erin and Jay, our School Captains for 2023. We know you will do a fantastic job as representatives and role models for our school community.

This week, I’ve borrowed from an old wise fable about a wise old woodcutter. I didn’t write this story, but chose it because of its simple message, which I’d like to leave with you today in the Chappy Chatbox: Never pass judgement on life, based on only one day’s evidence. Put another way, avoid letting circumstances be your only guide. Here’s the story:

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, because he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before — such was its splendour, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in his stable. All the village came to see him. “You, old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But, he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again, the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of one phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?”

“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is one fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So, they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned. With a little work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again, the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken both his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighbouring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again, the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” They wept. “This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this. Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse.”