The Courier

Dear Parents

Preparations for the last week of term are well under way here. The Year 2 children have been practising hard for their performance to parents next week and their dress rehearsal was much enjoyed by the rest of the school this morning. Parents are in for a treat, I am sure.

On the drama front, we have just completed a series of LAMDA exams, which culminated on Monday this week. They were spread over three days rather than two, which I do not recall happening before, and reflects the level of interest and confidence that our children have in performing in front of others. This is such a key life skill to have but something many people find really hard, right into adulthood. In a course I attended on Tuesday, I was reminded of this when public speaking was listed as the third most feared thing in life for most people, coming in ahead of death, which was only fourth. Failure and rejection topped the not-very-jolly list, if you are interested.

Congratulations go to the children who took part in these exams, and also to Mrs Bowdige, our wonderful new Drama teacher, who has made such a positive impression on us all during her first two terms at Crescent.

On the theme of live performances, next week is also the time for our Easter Service, which is on Friday afternoon, as well as the Spring Concert next Monday. I know that plenty of parents will be coming along to the school for one or other of these events and I very much look forward to welcoming you.

School spilled over into the weekend last Saturday with our successful open morning. The children who came along to help were a real credit to us and received many favourable comments from visitors. On a similar Saturday theme, we wish best of luck to our Year 6 girls taking part in the Repton tournament on Saturday as well as all of those children heading over to the Diamond Jubilee swimming centre for the Rugby Schools Gala. Once again, many thanks to those teachers who give up extra time at their weekends to make these events possible and provide such wonderful opportunities for the children.

During the recent cold weather, my son James continued with his Royal Navy training with some camping on the wilds of Dartmoor whilst completing leadership tasks, sleep deprived, cold and wet. We were very pleased to hear that he came back safe and sound and that he has passed and is able to move on to the next stage.

I was also pleased that we were able to remain open for those snowy days last week. I realise how important this is for so many of our families with working parents. I also appreciate the many positive comments that I received as a result. As I said to the teachers, it isn't always the right decision to remain open in adverse weather, but on this occasion we made the right call.

I hope you have a restful weekend. 

Joe Thackway
Headmaster