Meeting with the new principal

It is not the first time the principal-designate, Ms. Lucia Lau, came to meet the senior teaching staff. She needs to get herself familiar with the people and with how Shung Tak has been running so far. Today, they met again to fine-tune the school calendar and the division of labour among teachers. I was included in the duty list out of courtesy. Frankly speaking, I do not have much say there and most of the time, I was only an observer.
Ms. Lau, yes Ms. Lau. Unlike the previous principals, she does not insist on our addressing her Mrs. So and So, nor Dr. So and So. I believe she is younger and full of energy. They spent about an hour debating the proposed discretionary holidays. In the end, no major changes were made. But all present reached a better understanding of how the rationale behind the design of the school calendar, why EAC put the school picnic on a certain date, how we might better utilize the days for post-exam activities etc. I am afraid in previous years, only a handful of senior teachers knew.
Then, Ms. Lau put forth the homework she had done: a revamp of the organization chart of the school. Probably a revamp is an overstatement. In actual fact, she preserved most of the existing committees but rearranged them in a more reasonable manner. She followed the 4 major areas discussed in the External School Review Report: School Management; Teaching and Learning; Student Support and School Ethos; and finally Home-School-Community. Only two new committees were introduced: Religious and Moral Education which goes under the Student Support and School Ethos; and Trading and Tuck Shop which goes under the Home-School-Community. The reasoning was easily understandable and the whole structure was accepted by all without many amendments. She allowed us to make changes freely. She seemed to be receptive to suggestions. Before the meeting broke off for lunch at noon, most of the heads of the committees were allocated. Teachers present were so eager to get the work done that they agreed to meet again at one.
While the others were debating about where the Award Committee should go, Ms. Lau came over to me to ask who the Catholic teachers were and whom I would include in the Religious and Moral Education Committee. Her social skills win hands down. She made use of this opportunity to tell me that Catholic education was high on her priority list. She seems to be more amicable to work with and I pray that, if God allows, I may contribute more to the building up of the religious atmosphere of the school. After lunch, they spent two and a half hours to deploy all teachers into different committees. The important thing is: more people are involved in the design of this deployment scheme and more people understand the rationale behind. This has been a very good professional development experience.

Shung Tak has been a Catholic school in name for a long time. We have RS lessons, morning assemblies, several religious ceremonies etc. Yet, God is still marginal and dispensable.
Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly (Isaiah 1:13).
Yes, we need to strengthen not just the religious atmosphere of the school. We need to put students on the right path in life. It is not enough to perform social services. Our students need be able to choose the right action to take.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
defend the fatherless, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:16-17).

My dear Advocate, I pray that we be Your channel of love and understanding. May we work hand in hand under the new principal to bring in a new era of Shung Tak, of opting virtues. Amen.