Dear Parents,
What an exciting week it has been! It has been fabulous to be able to welcome so many of you into school and we really appreciate your help and understanding in ensuring this was done as safely as possible.
On Tuesday I was delighted to have the opportunity to present a “Looking Ahead to Senior Schools” talk to parents of children in Years 5&6 and to be able to outline our vision for Holmwood’s Senior School. A recording of the evening will be sent out to those parents who were unable to attend. We will also be holding a special dinner event for Year 7 parents in the new year – details will follow.
Yesterday and today have seen the performances of the two, much anticipated, productions for the Early Years and Pre-Prep. The Early Years put on a sparkling performance of “The Christmas Star” and Years 2 and 3 had us all enthralled with their very entertaining and ambitious production of “The Elves and the Shoemaker”. We are so pleased you were able to come in to watch your children perform as these events create memories, for the children and parents, that are treasured for years. However, they are also incredibly important opportunities for your children to develop some important skills that will be critical throughout their lives.
Performing on stage comes more naturally to some children than others and, for those who enjoy it, we are lucky to have the facilities and talented staff to allow us to support and encourage their passion. However, the Christmas productions are not just about being the “star of the show”, they allow all children (even those who are talented in performing arts) to step outside their comfort zone and to do something that makes them a bit nervous. This is something they will come across regularly as they grow older, whether it be a job interview or a presentation, and the more they experience this, the more their confidence will grow.
Having the opportunity to be involved in a show of this type also develops other skills that transfer directly into the classroom. It works on their language and communication skills, by introducing new vocabulary and encouraging them to express themselves, not only verbally, but also using facial expressions and body language; making them more effective communicators. It builds their concentration, collaboration and team working skills, as they are required to listen to the instructions they are given by their teachers and they have to listen to each other! Finally the discipline of rehearsals is a brilliant process as they realise that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them, it teaches them to never give up and it is a very obvious example of what hard work and dedication can achieve.
Productions like these aren’t possible without an incredible amount of hard work from the staff. A particular thank you has to go to Mrs Mayhew, who has guided and driven both shows with huge dedication and passion, for which we are very grateful. However, I am fully aware this was a massive team effort, so I would like to thank all the class teachers and teaching assistants for their help with rehearsals, props and costume making. Mrs Mitchell and Mr Snell for their support with the music. Mr Jeffries for stepping in to help with the lighting and the hard work of the Site Team. Finally we are immensely grateful to the parent helpers Mrs Cottrell, Mrs Childs and Mrs Siggers for their help with all the costumes.
Have a great weekend!
Ed Bond
Headteacher