I have been reflecting on what makes GCC such a special place? With the Virtual Open Day just around the corner celebrating and showcasing the College, letters of appreciation and thanks from many parents over recent weeks and video clips produced by teachers thanking students and students thanking parents, the word that comes to mind is ‘family’.

During unprecedented times, we have seen students pay it forward with coffees for staff members, teachers and parents sending in home baking to bless others and parents looking out for students as they have worked online. This care and support has been very evident and tangible.

These acts of generosity and kindness have gone towards highlighting our very special sense of community. The way in which people have helped each other out, been kind and made an effort to pitch in have added to our sense of belonging.

Sharing our stories of ‘learning from home’ over this time and viewing examples of the amazing, creative talents and abilities of parents, teachers and students have highlighted the strength of our GCC community as a whole.

A good community is resilient and adapts well to change. At GCC the partnership between family and school over this time has never been stronger. An appreciation of the value and importance of our partnership has never been more evident.

We are a connected community. Whether we have seen each other every day or had Zoom sessions, we have made it a priority to keep in touch, individually or collectively.

As we celebrate Open Day on Saturday, in a very unusual way, we also celebrate the generosity, kindness, talent, resilience and connectedness of a very special community – the GCC family.

This is what make GCC a special place!

Gail Mitchell – Head of Primary