Dear Parents,
This is our final newsletter in this strange term; one week to go and we have all survived. Every day I look at my school diary and feel nostalgia when I see the constant trail of cancelled activities; Wheelies, summer trips, the summer fair, concerts, open dance and violin classes and end of term shows. For the children however, the most important aspect of school is being with friends and teachers. They are remarkably resilient and continue to show pleasure in one another's company. Our Year 2 children have spent the past week writing pieces for their class yearbook and making film-clips for an end of year video. This end of year is certainly different, but is remarkably happy. The Nursery children seem unaware of any great change and continue to play and talk with boundless enthusiasm.
Behind the scenes teachers have been writing school reports which will be sent to you at the end of next week. Reading them, it is obvious that teachers know the children extremely well and despite the interrupted term, children have made tremendous progress since the beginning of the year. Last September feels like another world. Everything has changed and when we return for the new school year, the hours and the curriculum will return to normal but the physical setting will be slightly different. My summer reading will be the new guidance on whole-school opening. I will write to you in the week before opening to remind you about the new protocols, many of which will remain the same as this term. I am hoping to reintroduce Spanish, dance, music and violin lessons, so will find ways of doing so safely.
Everyone loved Matthew's singalong and music story film-clips, so he will upload these onto Seesaw again for the summer.
We say a sad farewell to Kerry, our Year 1 teacher, who has decided to end her long commute by relocating to her home country of Canada. She is swapping leafy Hertfordshire for bear country in the Northwest Territories. We also say goodbye to Nursery children moving to 'big school' and to our Year 2 children moving on to Year 3. Most of those children have been with us from the age of two and a half and we have known some of them since they were babies. To everyone who is leaving, you have been an important part of our Children's House community and it is with real sadness that we say goodbye. Stay in touch and keep us updated on your latest adventures. To everyone, thank you for your support through a very difficult time; it has been tough for everyone but well done children, parents and staff.
I hope you find time to relax over the summer and I look forward to seeing returners back at the beginning of September.
Happy summer and warm regards,
Kate