Primary School Principal Mrs Wahl’s speech:
Good morning Cannons Creek family, and welcome to our Founders’ Day Assembly. Today we extend a very warm welcome to our special guests: Mrs Duncan, one of our founder teachers and former Trust member; Mr and Mrs van Haght, founding High School Principal and Secretary; and Mr Parkar, one of our current Board members. We are grateful to have you with us, along with our teachers, staff, and wonderful pupils who make this school such a special place.
This year, Cannons Creek celebrates 29 years of learning, growth, friendship, and community. Founders’ Day gives us the opportunity to pause and remember the vision, dedication, and courage of those who planted the first seeds of our school. Because of their commitment, Cannons Creek has become a place where children are known, supported, and encouraged to grow into the very best version of themselves.
Our theme for this year is SHINE. To shine is not about being the loudest or the best, but about showing kindness, perseverance, respect, and care for others. When each one of us shines in our own unique way, our whole school shines brighter. And when we share our light, we help to ignite the shine in those around us. So today, as we celebrate our past, let us also look forward with hope and purpose. Let us continue to build a school where every child feels valued, every effort is encouraged, and every small act of kindness adds to the warmth of our community. May Cannons Creek truly sparkle this year as we live out our theme of SHINE—together. Happy Founders’ Day, everyone.
High School Principal Mr Morton’s speech:
Good morning pupils, staff, parents and guests of honour.
Today we gather to celebrate Founders’ Day, a day where we pause, look back with gratitude, and reflect on who we are as a school.
This year is particularly special, because Cannons Creek is 29 years old. That means for nearly three decades, many children have walked through our gates, sat in these classrooms, played on these fields, and been shaped, in big and small ways,by this place.
Founders Day is not only about our past. It’s also about the values that have carried us to where we are today and continue to guide us forward.
In past years we have focussed on the school song, the school badges, last year we focussed on the different Houses.
Today I want to focus for a few minutes on the school’s mission statement. This is up in every classroom.
Before I read it, let’s remind ourselves what a mission statement actually is.
A mission statement is a statement that says:
This is who we are.
This is what we are about.
This is what we are trying to achieve right now.
A vision, on the other hand, is about who we want to become in the future. But our mission statement is firmly rooted in the present. It describes our identity, our character, as a school.
As I speak today, you will be able to decide for yourselves whether we are living up to our mission statement or not. Are we doing what we say on the box. Choice Assorted Biscuit box example.
Our mission statement reads:
Cannons Creek Independent School is a safe community school with a Christian ethos, staffed by passionate professionals who endeavour to educate confident, trustworthy individuals who are encouraged to reach their full potential.
I want to walk through this statement and look some of its key words. Again I am asking you to answer the question, is this us.
So let’s look at some of the words.
We begin with the word Independent.
Does someone from the prep school want to tell us what the word independent means.
Respond to suggestions
Independence gives us freedom, freedom in our curriculum, freedom in our teaching, and freedom in our priorities.
It means we are able to decide what we teach, when we teach it, and how we teach it. We are not boxed into a one-size-fits-all approach. We can adapt, innovate, and respond to the needs of our pupils. It allows us to introduce Inquiry Based Learning in the Prep school or STEAM in the High School
It also means that we do not receive government funding. That is not always easy. It requires careful budgeting, wise financial decisions, and sometimes difficult choices. But independence also gives us the freedom to prioritise what matters most, our pupils, our staff, and the values we believe in.
The next word in our mission statement is Safe.
If I were to ask our High School pupils, “What does it mean for a school to be safe?”,
Some might talk about physical safety about our security guards, our controlled access, and the fact that we don’t have problems with theft. Our belongings are safe. Our environment is protected.
But safety goes much deeper than that.
True safety is also about how a place feels.
It’s about feeling safe enough to be yourself.
Safe enough to ask questions.
Safe enough to make mistakes and try again.
A safe school is one where pupils feel accepted for who they are, not for who they pretend to be. It’s a place where difference is not just tolerated, but respected.
A place where I can be me.
For staff, safety means being supported, trusted, and valued. For parents, it means knowing that when you drop your child off each morning, they are known, seen, and cared for.
Safety is not accidental. It is something we build every day through relationships, consistency, and care.
Community
We then describe ourselves as a community school.
Many people who speak about Cannons Creek use the word family. And for many, that is exactly what community means, a place where relationships matter and people look out for one another.
Community means that we celebrate together and we struggle together. We know each other’s names.
We notice when someone is missing.
We care when someone is hurting.
But community also stretches beyond our school gates.
Being a community school means we understand that we are part of a wider neighbourhood. It means acts of kindness, service, and generosity not because we are forced to, but because it is who we are.
Community is built in corridors, classrooms, on sports fields, and in small, everyday interactions.
It’s built when we choose kindness over indifference, and understanding over judgment.
Christian Ethos
Our mission statement then speaks about our Christian ethos.
This means different things to different people, and that’s important to acknowledge.
At its heart, a Christian ethos means that we are clear about our values. Values such as love, kindness, humility, honesty, compassion, forgiveness, and service.
These values guide the way we interact with one another, pupils with pupils, staff with pupils, staff with parents, and colleagues with one another. We operate from the belief that people make mistakes, and that learning and forgiveness are essential parts of growth.
Our disciplinary processes are not about punishment alone, but about restoration, learning and healing.
It’s also important to say what a Christian ethos does not mean.
It does not mean we are a church school.
It does not mean we are a school only for Christians.
We are blessed to have pupils from many different religions and backgrounds who have chosen to come to Cannons Creek and feel that their beliefs are respected and valued. A Christian ethos, when lived well, creates space for inclusion, dignity, and mutual respect.
Passionate Professional Staff
Our mission statement speaks about being staffed by passionate professionals.
This is not just a line, it is one of our greatest strengths.
Passionate staff care deeply about their subjects and, more importantly, about their pupils. Professional staff hold themselves to high standards, continue learning, and give far more than what is required on a job description.
They teach, mark, plan, coach, encourage, listen, and support, often without applause.
To our pupils, I want to ask you something:
Do you thank your teachers enough?
Do you recognise the effort behind the lessons, the extra time, and the quiet moments of care?
And to our staff thank you. Thank you for your passion, your professionalism, and your commitment to this community.
Confident
Our mission statement then shifts from who we are as a school to who we are trying to develop, beginning with confident individuals. Confidence does not mean being the loudest voice in the room. It does not mean never feeling afraid or uncertain.
Confidence looks like pupils who are willing to try.
Who are willing to speak up respectfully.
Who are not paralysed by the fear of getting things wrong.
A confident pupil believes that growth is possible. That mistakes are part of learning. That effort matters.
Confidence is built when pupils are encouraged, challenged, and supported and when they know that their worth is not determined by a single mark, result, or performance.
Trustworthy Individuals
We also aim to educate trustworthy individuals.
Trustworthiness is about integrity doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
It’s about honesty, reliability, and accountability.
A trustworthy pupil keeps their word.
They take responsibility for their actions.
They can be relied upon by friends, teachers, and eventually employers and communities.
Individuals
The word individuals is also deeply important.
We are not trying to produce an “ideal Cannons Creek boy” or an “ideal Cannons Creek girl.” We are not aiming for clones.
Our goal is that each pupil develops fully into themselves, authentic, self-aware, and grounded.
Each pupil has different strengths, different challenges, and a different journey. Our role is not to erase those differences, but to nurture them, so that every pupil can grow into the unique individual they are meant to be.
Reach Their Full Potential
Finally, our mission speaks about encouraging pupils to reach their full potential.
Reaching potential begins with discovering talents, academic, creative, sporting, relational.
It involves setting goals and then doing the hard work required to grow skills and discipline.
But reaching potential is not only about academics.
It is about becoming someone who is confident enough to step into the world. Someone who understands their values. Someone who is willing to make a difference in the world.
As the Bible verse that was read earlier reminds us, in Micah 6:8, we are called “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.”
Those words speak not only to belief, but to character and that is at the heart of education.
So, as we celebrate 29 years of Cannons Creek, we return to our mission.
How are we doing?
And perhaps more importantly, what is your role in helping this school remain a place that is a safe community school with a Christian ethos, staffed by passionate professionals who endeavour to educate confident, trustworthy individuals who are encouraged to reach their full potential?
Founders Day reminds us that a school is not a building. It is people. And every one of us has a part to play.
Thank you, and happy Founders Day.
Read more about our Mission, Aims, and Ethos here.
