Dear Parents
As the grass turns brown and the trips get ready to leave work carries on apace here. The Year 8s have been incredibly busy on their challenge week, I am not sure if they, or Mr Jeffries and Mr White were more excited about visiting nuclear races and the mud.
We had a fantastic concert last week, arranged by Mrs Mitchell, with numerous highlights. Fernando with Year 5 dancing, Spaceman from the whole of the prep part of the school, the choir numbers or the Rock Bands. As I said at the time, music is accessible, exciting and attractive if it is fun and how that concert was fun. The quality of the ensemble work, and the individual solos were both very high.I look forward to many more of these concerts, and will enjoy watching the impact of the Year 3 strings project on orchestral numbers.
Mrs Floodgate organised the whole of the Pre-Prep, Pre-R and Reception to write to the Queen to tell her about Holmwood’s Centenary. (Pre-R sent pictures.) One of her Ladies in Waiting wrote back from Windsor Castle, thanking them for their letters, and for telling her how much they enjoyed school, and what their favourite activities were. She apologised that she couldn’t come and visit but wished the children well. Well done to all those who wrote!
Today’s prep assembly focused on getting out of your comfort zone and the place of ‘good’ fear. The three trips out next week (Year 8 to PGL, Year 7 to Pembrokeshire and Year 6 to Anglesey) were placed in the context of Holmwood’s 5Rs – developing resourcefulness, reasoning, resilience, reflection and responsibility. An outward bound trip is not purely about resilience – they involve reasoning and planning the best route up a climb, or being responsible and helping your peers along, or being resourceful in solving a problem. BUT – yes they always involve some fear. How fear works was explained – the neuroscience to stretch the children – that fear makes your body react to danger and protect you – but also how overcoming fear gives you confidence that you can do it again – and how getting out of your comfort zone can be good for giving you confidence.
We also celebrated today the excellent grammar school results obtained by Year 6 this year. Four are taking up their places, and I know of at least three others who were offered and have turned them down (I didn’t share those names). My understanding, being new to the area, is that 7+/29 in a non-selective school in this area is excellent. Real credit must go to those pupils for their hard work!
Tonight sees the Year 8 drama production, which is devised by them with Mrs Mayhew’s support and I am very much looking forward to seeing their creative efforts!
Have a very good weekend
Ed Bond
Headmaster