Dear Parents,
Farming Day on Tuesday was a massive success. The pupils came back ‘buzzing’ about what they had learnt – and hopefully having had their curiosity sparked and wonder ignited. We are a rural school and proud of our heritage – and are located in an amazing county that is full of such a variety of industries. The girls and boys saw the variety of agriculture, from grain to willow, and potatoes to milkshakes. They saw where what they see on the shelves, eat and drink, comes from and the work needed to get it to them. They got to see the immensity of machines, and the incredible technology used to farm today. They also learnt something of the entrepreneurialism of today’s farmers, the diversification and business mindset required today. For many what they took away though was the challenge to their sense, of feel (grain and soil), of smell, of sight and hearing. In today’s assembly I challenged the girls and boys to reflect on what they took away about farmers, food, engineering and their future plans – and to think about their plans for the future. Where are their interests? What skills might they need to succeed in business or engineering? I linked in how the 5Rs of Holmwood are integral to life, for example the resourcefulness to develop a new product and market it, or the resilience to deal with changing prices and the weather. I would like to thank Mr Cook and Fi for their work planning it, and the parents who so generously supported it.
Successes outside the classroom continue to flow with further equestrian success, with first place at the Beechwood show jumping competition for the team. There is a Maths challenge competition coming up soon and I hope this roll continues there!
We have been working at the menus over the last week to start a five week rolling cycle (Holmwood used to have a termly cycle, most schools operate on a three or four week cycle but the pupils have too many favourite dishes). Tracey’s goal is to maximise the ‘home cooked’ options and minimise the dependence on the wholesale catering suppliers who have been a little inconsistent of late. Quantity and quality is also foremost in her mind, and the food this term has been absolutely super.
I’d like to publicly thank Mrs Ellison-Oakes for her parent literacy seminar this week. Having worked through the slides myself I hope the group tasks were not too taxing for you! The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I am keen to have more of these seminars/workshops. Next term there will be ones on Phonics and Maths. The Century Tech one will happen this term!
Edward Bond
Head