The Bulletin – Edition 12
Mrs Murphy and I are delighted that Pre-Prep children, at home and at school, have embraced the Spring Term and all that has come with it – very well done to all. It is very busy at Pre-Prep, we have all of our Kindergarten class present on site, as well as a significant number of key worker children on site each day. The experience of Guided Home Learning will differ from age group to age group, which is only to be expected, but how quickly the Pre-Prep pupils have adapted to new working practices has been impressive for both Mrs Murphy and me in equal measure to see.
In a similar fashion, the majority of boys in Years 3 – 6 in the Prep have, by and large, been swift to pivot from working on site to following our programme of Guided Home Learning for this half term at least. As ever, if it all becomes too much and if, as the old saying goes, “the juice is no longer worth the squeeze” and the lap top has crashed and the broadband is on the blink and the lunch has burnt and it’s raining and everyone at home is crying, please do not worry!
We will understand if any pupil here has had enough. The work will be set in varied and manageable ways and I am confident we shall all adjust in time to a new pace and a new routine. Please remember we are here to support and help as best we can. Sometimes that might mean we will tell the boys to take a break from it all and to gaze in an absent-minded manner out the window, or just to settle down with a good book for a bit and to start afresh tomorrow!
Some exciting staff news for you now. I am delighted to report that Mrs Sheaff, currently on maternity leave from her role as Head of English at the Prep, along with her husband and young twin sons welcomed the safe arrival of another baby boy into their family on New Year’s Eve. What a party that must have been! Our warm congratulations have been passed on to her and her family.
Prep
Headmaster’s Cheerful Challenge
I believe ensuring we remain cheerful, positive and upbeat over this next period of enforced school closure is terribly important. Colleagues will be doing their best to vary the pace and content of all lessons, as they would be if we had all pupils here on site in both the Pre-Prep & Prep. I am keen to play my part in this too, naturally, hence me launching in my assembly for the Prep boys on Thursday the Headmaster’s Cheerful Challenge (HMCC)!
An Individual Pupil’s Accomplishment
Congratulations to Sebastian Young in Year 3, who was inspired to make a difference to his local community as he worked towards completing a section of his L.I.O.N. Award recently. Sebastian was keen to repair the sad looking street sign at the top of his street. Permission was secured from the Council, who supplied paint & PPE, additional supplies were purchased from B&Q, and the work was completed in two stages. Many compliments were received from neighbours, and his local MP even Tweeted about his endeavours! This accomplishment is all the more impressive, considering previous (not to mention current) national restrictions and the fact that many more straightforward ways in which we might all wish to make a difference to other people’s lives are of course limited.
Pre-Prep
A word from Mrs Murphy
Very well done to all for completing the 12 Days of Giving and a little reminder to say please don’t forget to let me know if your child completed the 12 Days of Giving. A quick email will suffice and we will send the certificates out at the end of next week. I have every confidence that the children will keep up their good deeds this year, too!