Another wonderful and busy week at St Christopher’s has come to a close. This week we hosted two guest speakers, following last week’s Assemblies delivered by staff.
Across the year, children will hear from a wide range of speakers in Assemblies, learning about a wide variety of cultures and perspectives in the world around them. On Wednesday, Cllr Jackie O’Quinn, Mayor of Brighton and Hove, came to visit the Pre-Prep, talking about her role representing this most diverse and inclusive city. This is a big responsibility, as Brighton and Hove stretches all the way from Saltdean to Portslade, encompassing over 600,000 people. The children thrilled to hear that her Chain of Office, made from Welsh gold, has its own bodyguard!
Yesterday we were joined by Rabbi Rader, leader of the BNJC Community. St Christopher’s children have been visiting the synagogue next door for over twenty years as part of Religious Studies, and our first visits to the brand new site are planned. Rabbi Rader visited us to talk to us about the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah, which begins this evening. My best wishes to all who will be celebrating it.
The children who sit and listen to our Assembly speakers represent a very wide spectrum of cultural diversity and beliefs, and we aim to present the children with messages that are relevant and useful to them regardless of the cultural background they come from. To explain what I mean, let me return to Rabbi Rader’s message yesterday. He explained that Rosh Hashanah is New Year for Jewish people, and is followed by time for reflection on mistakes made in the past year, and attempts to remedy them. There is a clear secular message here alongside the religious one.
New starts are great opportunities for targets and goals; I hope many of our children set themselves Back to School resolutions for the new academic year, for example. The idea of reflecting on words or actions we regret is a helpful one, and the message of atonement is a universal one. As ever, the growth mindset is key. What can I do better this year? What goals can I achieve this term that evaded me last term? How can I be the best version of myself? These messages are accessible to everyone, and thus truly inclusive.
Extra-curricular activities began this week, with rehearsals for the Year 5 play, Romeo and Juliet, and our choirs already learning songs for our forthcoming Harvest Festival.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head