Welcome back, everyone! The new school year has well and truly begun and we find ourselves at the end of the first full week of school. Children have been enjoying the new front playground, Years 7 and 8 have had their first lessons in the brand new classrooms and we have all enjoyed the dazzling sunshine this week.
Last week, in my first Assembly of the year, we heard from our Head of School for the Michaelmas Term, Lucy S. In her well-crafted speech she emphasised resilience in the face of setbacks, never giving up, and making the most of every moment. She also changed the ending of a very famous poem to make it more inclusive to a modern audience!
In Assembly I reminded the children of my expectations of them. We have posters around school that simply say Try Hard, Be Kind, Take Care. At St Christopher’s we Try Hard in everything we do, we make sure to Be Kind to everyone and we Take Care of our school, our belongings and the people around us. I explained that these three simple rules ensure that everyone can make the most of each day at school.
Alongside these three rules, which even our very youngest and can understand, are our core values. A Culture of Kindness is something that makes St Christopher’s such a special place. I am always proud of how our children welcome new people to our school, from each year’s Reception intake to new members of staff, and very quickly make them feel “one of the family”. One new member of Year 7 described their two-day week last week as “Thursday was a bit daunting, but by Friday everything was excellent”. Short work indeed, to feeling at home.
Looking ahead, our first Parents’ Association meeting of the school year will take place on September 12th at The Stoneham on Portland Road for a 7:30pm start. The St Christopher’s PA is very active in its support of the school and they are always looking for new members. Please do contact the PA at pa@stchristophershove.org.uk if you are interested, or just come along to the meeting to see what it is all about, all are welcome. Their first fundraising event of the year, the Quiz Night, is on October 6th.
I hope those who are new to our community enjoy their first edition of our Newsletter. For those who are also keen users of social media, don’t forget that you can also follow us @stchrishove on Twitter and Instagram, and StChristophersPrep on Facebook. These sites have regular updates with further glimpses into the life of the school.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head