Storm Brendan came crashing into the school last week. It felt like the scene in the Wizard of Oz where whole houses go zooming past the window! And then, Wednesday: a day of beautiful, still, sunshine. As I write, Marcus and Ben are buzzard-watching on the front lawn. We have a pair who are seen regularly, circling over the school and stomping about on the playing fields. The photo featured is definitely my favourite shot, taken from my garden a while ago. I think we need to name them as we see them so regularly!
Week 2 was super busy, but I enjoyed a period of calm mindfulness at Year 4’s India Day. We have run our first Eco Council and School Council meetings of the year and the ideas from the children are outstanding: a staff v pupils netball match has been suggested for Sport Relief, as well as a ‘Minibeast bug hotel’ activity for next term. We have been running regular career assemblies on a Thursday morning and this week I told the children all about my journey from pupil to Headmistress! We covered what university is, apprenticeships, Masters degrees, what qualifications are for and the different pathways that people take. We want to convey the message that the children mustn’t worry if they don’t know ‘what they are going to do when they grow up’, but understand that the important thing is to grasp opportunities, work with different people and learn new skills. We had our first parents’ seminar on the EYFS, which was hugely valuable. Many of our Year 8s took the 13+ Exeter School exams, with the results shared with you next week. Congratulations to Josh, Luca and Zac on being awarded sports scholarships to Clifton College.
The children are happy and smiling and our new pupils have settled in remarkably well. Our first PTA meeting of 2020 is later this week in the Learning Hub. All parents are welcome to join as we look to plan the Easter Egg Hunt and the Summer Festival. This week, Reception and Year 2 celebrate Chinese New Year and Year 1 will learn about all things Australian!
Charlotte Johnston, Head
