The Courier

Dear Parents

 

As I write this in my office the clock is showing '20 to 5' and it is still reasonably light outside.  The weather still feels like winter but the days are lengthening and we start to think that the prospect of spring can not be too far away. 

 

As a good geographer, I like to follow the seasons as our planet orbits the sun and this winter I have been tracking on my phone the daylight hours of locations within the Arctic Circle. You will all be relieved to know that Murmansk in Russia has now emerged from its daylight free days and the days there lengthen rapidly by as much as an hour extra each day.  For the good people of Svalbard, however, the wait goes on and there will be no sun on their horizon until the middle of February.  We should be grateful for small mercies.

The children here of course embrace all the seasons with the same enthusiasm and wonder.  Whilst we as adults are tempted to imagine better days, or at least warmer weather, the children take each day as it comes and treat each day as an event in its own right. Working as a teacher, I often reflect that we as adults can learn a lot from the children in our care. Spending time talking and sharing with them is invariably the highlight of my working day. Talking of which, this weekend would be good time to go out when it is dark and have a go at some star spotting with your own children. Orion is still high in the sky in the south, is easily recognisable and not a bad place to start.

We are two weeks into term and we are now fully back in the swing of school.  We had a very positive Open Day on Wednesday and many of you enjoyed looking round the school on Friday after school.  Following on from my resolutions theme last week, in assembly this week I asked the children what we should do when things do not go to plan.  We developed the theme of resilience, not giving up, being prepared to say sorry at the appropriate time and always keeping up with good humour. This is not easy for any of us to do but they are of course very important life skills for the children to develop. These messages are backed up in PSHE lessons and in form times as well and they are in many ways the most important things that we as a school can impart to the children. I know that these messages are supported at home and it is this team effort that produces the Crescent children we are all so proud of.

We have had a busy start to the term on the sporting front.  It was great to go and observe our swimmers earlier in the week and see how these sessions run and play such a big part in the Crescent offer.  Good luck to our boys competing at Foremarke tomorrow as well, and many thanks indeed to all of the Games staff, Mr Phillips, Mrs McCollin, Mrs Dowling and Mrs Robinson who do so much to support the children in all of the sport, PE and Games we enjoy so much.

On a similar theme, I would like to say a special good luck and well done to Marco in Year 4 and Jamie in Year 5 who this weekend will be swimming at the London Olympic Arena in the IAPS National Swimming Finals.  They have done incredibly well to get as far as they have, regardless of how they do on Sunday, and they both go to London with all of the pride and support from everyone here to keep them afloat.