Bright Holiday Season, Shine Bright... Hillcrest Primary School : Sorrow

 

via TIF News

"Shine bright like a diamond. 

You're a shooting star I see"

As we end the trimester, moving through winter solstice toward the returning light, may the Holiday Spirit of the educational community help ease December’s chill.

I stand in sorrow & sympathy with the Hillcrest Primary School community. My heart and thoughts are with the families of those children who lost their lives on last 15 December or are still in hospital. 

What started as a joyful day of celebration ended with the entire Tasmanian community stunned & heartbroken.

credits: Twitter/NickMcCallum7

The deaths of six children after a jumping castle was lifted into the air from strong winds at a school end-of-year celebration as condolences flowed into the grieving small coastal city.

The sixth student has died last 19 December, after Hillcrest Primary School's end of year celebration event.

Four boys and two girls aged between 11 and 12 died in the accident which saw children fall 10 metres (33 feet) to the ground at a school in Devonport in the northwest of the island state of Tasmania. 

It was one of Australia's deadliest accidents involving an amusement ride.

credits: EPA

As a teacher, I believe that children, parents, teachers and families of Hillcrest Primary School must keep their privacy.

I have no words, I was devastated, absolutely devastated, still am. I had no words.

Holiday season is here. Christmas season is children's big dream. What can I say?

Tributes have begun pouring in online for the beloved students who are remembered as a 'beautiful, caring boy' and a 'precious' girl with a 'sweet, kind, old soul'.

credits: NCA Newswire / Grant

Rise of the Guardians, a lovely and original tale, came to my mind. Again. After Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The beautiful 3D animated film would be a sweet tribute in the memories of children.

Rise of the Guardians  also tells us to hold on to that child inside us as we go through life, and to believe in ourselves no matter what.

credits: EPA

The tragedy which occurred is beyond comprehension. It is devastating, heartbreaking. It is just simply incomprehensible.

Addison, 11, Zane, 12, Jye, 12, Jalailah Jayne-Maree, 12, Peter, 12 and Chace, 11.  How sad! Sorrow.

'Young children on a fun day out, together with their families and it turns to such horrific tragedy. At this time of year, it just breaks your heart," 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

credits: via Facebook

The immediate priority is supporting the children, families and staff who had been impacted.

The tragedy which occurred is beyond comprehension. It is devastating, heartbreaking. It is just simply incomprehensible.

Let's raise our deepest thoughts with sorrow to their parents, families, young classmates and teachers. And let's sing "Shine bright like a diamond."

"It is our job to watch over the children of the world and keep them safe. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives." 

North, Rise of the Guardians

Wishing everyone a Bright Holiday Season! Hug each other, hug your children, deeply and often.

G-Souto

24.12.2021

copyright © 2021G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com

Bright Holiday Season, Shine Bright... Hillcrest Primary School : Sorrow G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tribute : Students and teachers 4U 9526

Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium secondary school 

credits: Getty Images

http://i2.mirror.co.uk/

Candles and flowers were laid this evening in tribute to the 16 students and two teachers of the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium secondary school in Haltern am See.

Students and teachers are taking a few days off to enjoy easter holiday with family and to recharge batteries near family and friends. 

However a large number of students and their teachers go for school exchange trips to different European countries.

credits : AFP/ Getty Images

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/

Unfortunately sixteen German students and two teachers from the west German town of Haltern who were returning from a week-long school exchange language programme with Giola institute in Spanish village of Llinars del Valles, were flying on the aircraft Germanwings 4U 9525.

They had spent a week in a small town outside Barcelona, immersed in Spanish language and culture, as part of an annual exchange program. Their stay over, they and their two teachers were on their way back to this small town near Düsseldorf.

Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium secondary school 

credits: AFP/ Getty Images

http://i4.mirror.co.uk/

The students, 10th graders from the Joseph-König-Gymnasium, were about 15 years old. On Tuesday morning they departed the small, Catalan town of Llinars del Vallès on the 6 o’clock train, bound for the airport in nearby Barcelona. Many of their families were already at the airport waiting for their arrival when the unfathomable happened.
  During this time of year, tens of thousands of students just like them, all over Europe, board planes for a week or two of foreign culture on Comenius programme. 

It had to have been one of the happiest experiences of their lives, people said. And I really believe it. I know it's true.

As a teacher of languages curriculum who made some school exchange language programmes among European schools, I know how students love these activities. I could experience the enthusiasm and encouragement in language skills learning of school exchanges language programmes.

We were exausted but happy to see how the students learned and exchanged cultural traditions during these weeks.

And I know as well how we feel the great responsability to go abroad with 16 or more students for a Comenius programme. 

Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium secondary school 

credits: Reuters

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/

I can't imagine one of those thing happening to us or anyone who go for a school exchange language programme across Europe.

I have no words. I feel deeply sad. How tragic for the victims, students, teachers, their families, their friends.

But it's also a tragedy for school, classmates, other teachers. They will never forget. 

So I pay my respect to the 16 German students, 2 teachers, and to their families.

"No truth can cure the sorrow we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness can cure that sorrow. All we can do is see it through to the end and learn something from it, but what we learn will be no help in facing the next sorrow that comes to us without warning.” 

Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

G-Souto

25.03.2015

copyright © 2015G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Tribute : Students and teachers 4U 9525 by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.