Friday Flyer - 7th November 2025
Dear Michael Hall Families,
Sacrifice
As the days grow ever shorter and autumn’s golden light fades toward winter, we come to a moment of collective remembrance, the 11th of November, Armistice Day. It is a time when we pause to honour those who gave their lives in the hope of peace, and to reflect on the profound meaning of sacrifice.
The word itself, from the Latin sacrificium, means “to make sacred.” In this light, sacrifice is not only about loss, but about giving, an act through which something ordinary is transformed into something meaningful, selfless, and deeply human. When we think of those who served in points of conflict, we remember not only their bravery but the love and hope that motivated their service: the desire to protect others, to preserve life, and to create a future in which peace could flourish.
In Waldorf education, we seek to nurture these qualities of courage, compassion, and service in our children. Whilst we never want our children and pupils to experience the levels of conflict being commemorated, we do want them to have the courage of their convictions, the compassion to care for others and the will to conduct service that will better society. Through our beautiful and carefully selected stories, songs, and shared moments of quiet reflection, we help them begin to understand that every act of kindness. Every time we give of ourselves for another is a small form of sacrifice. It is through these gestures that communities grow strong and trust deepens.
Marking November the 11th invites us all to consider what we are willing to give for the sake of others. Parents give their time, love, and patience to nurture their children. Teachers give their energy and care to guide learning and development. And our children also learn to give something of themselves be it their time, their effort, their kindness or their compassion.
Beyond our family and vocational commitments, many of us contribute to charities through time and financial support. Some of us are Trustees and Governors in schools, some of us work with disadvantaged groups or those who need additional support in living with a disability or spend time with the elderly who are living in care homes. It is important that our pupils see and hear about these choices we make, but also why we make them. Altruism and sacrifice help bind our society which can often seem fragmented and fractious. Showing our children through action, modelling how we want them to be is a beautiful message to send out.
In our school, we will mark Armistice Day with simplicity and reverence. The act of pausing of standing together in silence is itself a powerful lesson. It reminds us that gratitude and remembrance are living actions that connect the past, present, and future. We will end the silence with a collective question upon which to think: What are you prepared to sacrifice to make tomorrow better?
The collective conversations which I anticipate to follow will undoubtedly take an academic shift. For our classes 10 and 12 the question may be which aspect of my social life can be sacrificed in order to spend an additional hour or so studying for mock exams. In the knowledge that this sacrifice will make them feel more confident, prepared and ultimately offer wider options for their future. For those lower down the school, it may centre on completing homework upon arriving home which will allow them to enjoy the rest of the evening care free. It could be reading about a particular period in time or a story relating to a class topic which will allow them to share more in class the next day. It could be completing a maths challenge which helps to cement the topic covered in class which will give more confidence and increase the opportunity to take on more complex maths challenges or to support peers.
May this period of remembrance inspire us all to live with gratitude, courage, and generosity of spirit recognising that the truest sacrifices are those made with awareness and genuine care.
Warmest wishes,
Stuart McWilliams
Principal
Congratulations Mr Caffrey and Mr Jones!.png)
Ways to Contribute
Message from Jessika Hulbert
The garden doesn't stop in Autumn. I've been sowing snapdragons, sweet peas, delphinium, broad beans, garlic, and salads. The flowers can grow better with an Autumn start, flowering earlier than the spring sowings.
In the lead up to the final part 2025, our centenary year, we would love to hear from 100 past pupils of Michael Hall!
Large wooden chalet set in its own meadows beside an Alpine lake in beautiful mountain scenery for let. Very peaceful surroundings, 15 minutes walk from the local village of Lenzerheide.
