It was lovely to see so many parents on Wednesday at the St  Christopher's service where Harry Brünjes, former parent and school doctor, spoke brilliantly about the strengths and traditions of the school which remain strong. Mr Holt's drama piece, Looking Up, was very moving and Schola Cantorum sang beautifully, supported by the ever increasing Choral Society. I hope more and more parents will join us in this singing group which now includes teachers, parents, friends and Governors and is a lovely, fairly informal way, to get involved with life at School. Further details can be obtained from Mr Coppack on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to know more!
 
Sadly the rain continued to blight the normally busy fixture lists again this week but thankfully we were able to get many of the children playing cricket and rounders in some form by hiring the Hall at King Alfred's again as well as getting some cricket on the front playground which gave me a grandstand seat over the U11s and Alex B's controversial decision to give Mr Ball out LBW! Mr Holt led a passionate Assembly about the power of music on Thursday, the Year 7s went to see the phenomenally powerful production of Warhorse in the West End and Mr Stead led an excellent Positive Parenting Evening offering help and advice on how best to support our children during the stressful period of exams. For those of you who missed it, his notes can be downloaded from the website in the correspondence section of the members area. I look forward to the first ever St Christopher's Swimming Gala this afternoon at Brighton College (although if the rains keeps up we could soon host it on the playground!) and hope to see many of you there.

Thank you to the Form Reps and those of you who have contributed helpful ideas and initiatives through them for the School Development Plan which will be completed this week. Not everything can be included but I am grateful for your time in contributing to this document which hopes to ensure that we continue to improve in all that we do. On the subject of contributions our first poll got everyone talking and produced interesting results with 41% favouring fish and chips every week and 59% preferring some variety (14% often, 35% sometimes, 10% never). I have therefore asked the kitchens to add some variety but still preserve the idea of a treat meal on Fridays so every third week we will have pizza and chips instead of the traditional fish fare. This week's poll is pitched more towards parents and asks which days suit the majority for evening events at the school. As ever, I am grateful for people who take the time to vote as we try to manage things to suit as many people as possible in the construction of future calendars.
 
Congratulations to our Year Three Scholars - Dylan W, Max D, Anvi S and Dillon O.

Could I remind all parents that they should only be coming in to school if they need to and politely request that you ask the member of staff on duty at the gate and then sign in at the office? Whilst we want to feel that the school is a shared resource, security during the school day is, of course, of primary importance. I would also ask that dogs be kept on a lead and under close control on the playground.
 
The forecast is sunny for this weekend so enjoy getting your Vitamin D as, according to the forecast, rain will return next week.

RECEPTION JUNGLE THEMED TOPIC

As part of our Jungle themed topic, Reception have been looking closely at tropical fruit this week, using all of their senses. After looking carefully at the shape and colours of the different fruits, the children made careful observational drawings. They then evaluated their work and we recorded their comments on what they liked about the art as well as what they could do to improve it next time.





We then enjoyed smelling and tasting tropical fruits and adults are pleased to report that everyone was very adventurous and tried most fruits!

YEAR 1 SCHOOL ROLE PLAY

1P investigated what it takes  to make St Christopher's into the smooth-running, high profile, international business that it is. They organised an "Upside Down Day" where they all swapped roles and became teachers, headmasters, caretakers, lunch supervisors and secretaries. It was a great learning experience for them but also for the classes they taught and people they stood in for.


One group gave a Geography lesson to Year 6 and floored them all by asking tricky questions such as "In what country is the largest puddle?" (Lake Superior, North America) and “How many animals are there in the UK?”(Not sure).

They had a great day and came out more confident and appreciative of what people do in the school.

YEAR 7 TRIP TO SEE WAR HORSE

On Thursday, 10th May Year 7 enjoyed not one, but two emotional journeys. The first journey saw us battling through the congested streets of London past soldiers practising for the Olympics, marching policemen and agitated crowds.

The second journey took us back in time to an idyllic pre-war rural setting somewhere in Devon, and the intense relationship between a young boy and his horse. Finally we witnessed the separation of these two characters as their lives were torn apart in the bitter conflagration of the First World War. This was a riveting show complete with spectacular puppetry, sound and lighting effects, and deeply moving at the end. It is fair to say that we all enjoyed a fantastic day out but we may be tempted to go by bicycle next time.