The Courier

Dear Parents

Following on from my IAPS conference last week I started the week back here with a professional development twilight session for staff where I fed back on the themes of building sustainability in education and also promoting well-being. Well-being is one of our targets for the year and we are looking to develop this idea in various ways. We also looked at the 17 goals for sustainable development agreed on by the United Nations Development Programme and how we can introduce these ideas to the children in a fair and balanced way.

On a closely related topic, on Tuesday I ran an assembly on the theme of endangered animals. This was linked to the life and works of Saint Francis of Assisi, who spent so much of his time working for the poor in central Italy where he lived. St Francis was also one of the very first people at the time to advocate the care and conservation of all the animals in the world around him. This theme always resonates with children who have a natural affinity and love of the natural world. When I asked the question who would like to save those animals that are in danger by habitat destruction, every single hand in the hall went up immediately. This might be something you would like to explore further with your children over the weekend.

Many thanks to everyone involved in the Crescent 70th celebrations on Saturday. It was great to see so many of you coming along to support the event and helping to create the wonderful atmosphere that we all enjoyed. You will find a more detailed report on the day’s events elsewhere in this week’s Courier. The amazing weather played a great part in the success on the day although the forecast for the next two days looks considerably more unsettled.

Whatever the weather, have a great weekend everyone.

Joe Thackway

I would just like to remind parents about expectations regarding mid-morning snacks.

Children are expected to bring with them to school a healthy snack that will see them through the morning. Please avoid chocolatey or over sweet snacks or anything with a high salt content.

Also, in line with our nut free zone policy, please do not send in snacks that contain nuts. Please check on the labeling of all products to ensure this is the case. This also includes macaroon or marzipan based products that contain almonds. Chewy energy bars also need to be checked carefully for their contents.

Thank you.

For a two or three week period this year we will be focusing on one of the sayings in the new School Promise. We will talk about this in assembly and in form period. It would be great if you could discuss this with your children at home and support the messages we are emphasising in school.

This week we feature Good Learners and a good motto for our Class VI children as they approach their entrance exams:

‘We work hard and try our best'