Hebron Parents |
1. Home / School partnership:Hebron puts a significant emphasis on the Parent / School partnership as being indispensable for the right upbringing of the children in our care. Boarding students spend over 70% of the year at Hebron and so it is essential that we work closely with parents. This is done formally through letters, emails, phone calls, reports and newsletters, but we delight in the visits and friendly, informal gatherings of parents and relatives here at school. 2. Parental meetings:Most families try to attend the October Drama Festival and the April Parents’ Week but several manage to come for one or more weekends to see their children. During October and April there are Parents’ Meetings which focus on current issues (e.g. Careers and University choices, dangers of the internet, relationship issues) and where parents have the opportunity to ask questions of the Management and Council. In April there is also an invited group of parents who form the Council’s “Advisory Council” on major issues. Additionally, in April, we arrange some social gatherings for parents such as a walk and a picnic. 3. Parents and the Alumni Association:We are delighted to welcome Parents as members of the Alumni Association. Details of life membership are on the Alumni website www.hebronooty.org/alumni but we are also very happy to keep parents on our mailing / email list for newsletters and prayer news. 4. Parents and prayer:We arrange prayer meetings during the October and April periods when parents are at school. This is an opportunity to pray for personal concerns as well as for the work our parents do. However, staff meet weekly on a Thursday evening for prayer and we welcome email prayer requests. 5. Day Parents:It’s lovely to see several local parents on an almost daily basis. The Day Student Co-ordinator arranges a regular tea and chat for them! 6. Visiting school:We ask parents to give us as much advance notice as possible of a visit. This is especially important for parents of boarders. Parents who arrive at short notice to see their children may well find that they are away on a weekend outing or already fully committed to an activity. There are some weekend school events (such as major sports’ tournaments, special services and concerts) which are compulsory for all students. Parents are always warmly welcome to these – as they are to all Assemblies. Whilst at school, parents usually base themselves in our staff room. Lunches can be arranged on a ticket system via our Reception Office (before 10:00 a.m. on a daily basis). 7. Parental comments:As a school we are keen to respond to questions, constructive criticism, advice and suggestions. We try to reply to emails / letters ‘by return’ but it might take a little while to research some issues! It’s also good to receive unsolicited comments which we are happy to publish, with permission. The following letter was received from boarding parents after witnessing an especially busy Hebron weekend in November 2007.
Dear Mr. Reid, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Green, and all those who work so tirelessly to make Hebron what it is, Thank you. Thank you for maintaining the extraordinary Christian ethos which has made Hebron School a unique oasis to which parents like us can feel content to send their children. The world has changed in the past century, and many of those changes have been positive, while far too many have been negative. There was a time in the Western world when parents could be busy about their lives and ministries and children would have been nurtured by an infrastructure of connected family and a society which supported right and good and kindness and obedience to God. Those days passed long ago. Now there are many forces degrading the righteousness and purity of the hearts and minds of young people. This is obvious to everyone, but what is not so obvious is the pressure this society places on an institution like Hebron school. While the world has changed, with many of those changes being toward evil, Hebron has maintained a level of commitment and clarity of identity that make it a taste of heaven. Heaven will not have misunderstandings, failings and imperfections, as Hebron must in this fallen world, but in other respects Hebron stands as a model of the Christian community on earth--seeking to see God's will and word formed in the hearts and minds of people. Such an environment cannot exist accidentally, but must be maintained with constant effort and focus and discipline. I think it was Andrew Jackson (1837) who said 'the price of freedom is eternal vigilance'. After spending a weekend here and seeing our own children thriving in the environment you all work so hard to create and maintain we felt compelled to send a note of thanks for your vigilance in paying the price so that our children can be free to serve God well, becoming all He has called them to be. This note does not say all that is in our hearts. I'm not sure a note can. But please accept our expression of gratefulness. For us it is not ideal to have our children away from us during these years. We begrudge the time away from them. At the same time we feel that they are thriving with you at least as much as they would have if they had been with us, and, honestly, probably more because of the extraordinary environment you have for them at Hebron School. With a grateful heart and prayers for all of God's richest blessings and peace to be with you, Ken and Vinita
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