Dear Colleagues and Friends,

When on your summer holidays, have your ever seen little towers of stones on the beach?   I recall holidaying in St Ives one year, when there seemed to be a craze  of building these. They were towers of different heights piled up on every beach we came to.

These little piles remind me of the tower of stones built by Jacob and Laban. In Genesis (Chapter 31), they build a pillar of stones which is a sign of an agreement between the two men. Laban declares, ‘The Lord watch between me and thee whilst we are apart.’

In the Bible there are a number of references to these towers of stone in different locations. They are known as mizpah - the word in Hebrew meaning ‘watchtower’ or ‘lookout’. They are a sign of God’s presence and protection.

Over time, mizpah has come to mean the emotional bond between people who are separated both physically in life or through death. It is also possible to buy coin shaped mizpah jewellery, split with a zig -zag,  a piece of which is worn by two people when they are apart.

As we near the end of the school year we are building up to a time when there will be transition and separation as the holidays begin. For pupils, this will mean time apart from their friends and the staff who support them. Older pupils are preparing for bigger changes  - new schools, colleges, universities or employment – again moving apart from those they know well. For some staff they too will be building up to changes, perhaps looking forward to retirement or a change of school. These changes also bring separation from those they know well. For others it will simply be the break that the summer holiday brings, but this too means time apart from classes and colleagues. Schools also prepare to say goodbye to families who may have been part of the school community for a number of years.

These changes can bring with them a mixture of feelings. Saying goodbye is often hard. Then there are the inevitable changes to routine which come about because of school closure. Not everyone finds it easy to transition to the new ‘holiday’ time.  For some pupils and staff, time away from the daily routine and supportive community can be tricky. For others, they can’t wait to be first out of the gate and prefer the freedom, space and time that holidays can bring. We are all different.

In these last couple of weeks of term, many schools are building up to end of term events, performances, celebrations and leavers’ services. Key messages of leavers’ services usually reflect on celebrations and achievements. They are a rite of passage for pupils, their parents and for some staff too. They are a time to say goodbye but they are also a time to come together, to pray and reflect and, just like mizpah, they are a time when we ask God to watch over everyone  in our school communities whilst we are apart.

Mizpah is a symbol of god’s presence and protection when people are apart. Perhaps you will decide to mark this important time of transition in some way – perhaps even with a pile of stones!

from June Richardson, School Effectiveness Adviser