The Courier

Dear Parents

Well, it has been a shortened week after a wonderfully sunny bank holiday but school life has been so busy that, by Friday, it is hard to feel the difference.  We started on Tuesday with the tail end of the heat wave and the boys had their first day of being allowed to take ties off to help them keep cool. When they are running around at playtimes, getting hot and sweaty, the ties become a real nuisance so we encourage them to take on plenty of liquids and allow them to dress down accordingly. The one thing I do say is that when they leave at the end of the day they should be smart and wearing their full uniform with pride.

I spent a fascinating day at a ‘Protective Behaviours’ course on Wednesday that focuses on managing children’s behaviour through listening, empathising and building relationships of mutual trust. It is based on the starting point that ‘We all have the right to feel safe all the time’. As you drill down into this simple idea it has broad implications for how we operate as individuals as well as how a school should devise and implement its behaviour policy.

 

I believe this philosophy is a really important element of who we are as a school and that the benefits of the approach can be seen on a daily basis in the way the children here interact and socialise. This is a culture that is deeply embedded in the school here, a fact that was commented on by the course leader, who had visited us last year and knew a number of our staff.

Many thanks to all those parents who released their children for our open evening on Thursday. It was well attended and the good manners and attentiveness of the children here was commented on by a number of our visitors. It was the final open session of the academic year and I am most grateful to everyone who has supported the events over the year and for the positive messages that we are able to send out to the next potential generation of Crescentians.

Unfortunately, my schedule this week prevented me from getting over to the Class 3 residential trip to Whitemoor Lakes. I have heard great things from both staff and children about their adventures and I know it will set the children up nicely for trips away from home in the future, both here at Crescent and beyond. My eldest son was a member of the scout movement from the age of 9 and as I think back on the many trips and camps he went on as a young chap, I know that they built so much inner confidence in him as well as the sheer fun and enjoyment that they provided. I hope these trips give our children just a small taste of the possibilities that are out there.