By the time you read this, a number of our older children will be in Iceland! That’s not a sentence many Heads get to write, and I am proud to be able to. Led by the intrepid Ms Laatz, they are off on an amazing adventure and we’ll have lots of news and pictures for you in the first Newsletter of the Summer Term. It seems incredible that we have reached the end of another term when Christmas seems so recent. This half of the Lent Term has occupied half a day less than four weeks, but brings to an end a brilliant start to 2025.
What have we achieved in this shortest of terms? As a whole school, we have celebrated Lunar New Year, World Book Day, and Wellbeing Week. We have raised the school flag for the first two Scholarships of 2025, with more expected next term. We have had sporting success in the U13 IAPS Netball, the U11 Pelican Netball Cup, and the Vase at the Snell Rugby Cup, and every single child in Years 3 to 8 has had the opportunity to represent their school in a match. We have had a LAMDA performance evening, a Senior Drama Club play, and a Year 6 film and variety night. The latest additions to the performing arts this term took place this week, with a Teatime Concert on Monday and yesterday’s Year 2’s performance of Alice In Wonderland. We have visited Preston Manor, The Mayor’s Chambers, Fishbourne Roman Palace, Hever Castle, Pizza Pilgrims, the Booth Museum, Chichester Observatory, and finally not one but three different West End shows in one day! All of this of course has taken place on top of nine weeks’ work in the classroom, with some impressive exam results for those in our Upper School, showing how effectively they have consolidated their learning throughout their St Christopher’s journey.
There were a few tears yesterday as we said goodbye to two members of our Support Staff, who do so much to keep the school running behind the scenes. Mrs June Compton has been with us for eight years, a daily presence in the lunch hall as we feed our children across four lunch sittings every day. A stickler for politeness and good table manners, she is also someone who enjoys talking to the children and getting to know them. Mrs Helen Browning’s association with St Christopher’s goes back many years before she joined us as a member of staff shortly after we became a Brighton College school in 2003. As our first response First Aider, she has put inestimable plasters on knees over the years, as well as ably and sensitively supporting children with more serious and long-term conditions. She has also baked a countless number of cakes for the Staff Room. We wish them both well for a well-earned retirement.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head
