Junior Reflections Week 6 October 2024
Dear parents,
Firstly, I wanted to pass on my heartfelt thanks to the many pupils who gave up their Saturday morning to help for our Open Morning. We have received many, many compliments about our tour guides, classroom helpers and wonderful school, which is always lovely to hear. The corridors of the junior school were buzzing with conversations between prospective parents and our older pupils.
Celebrating our differences
Ms Simpson led our assembly on Monday and shared with the pupils the fascinating story of Floella Benjamin. I remember Floella from my younger days, (too many years to count), looking through the round window of… playschool! Her start in life was one of hardship and racial abuse, but through sheer determination and perseverance she didn’t give up and became an extremely successful actress, author, and politician. This theme was followed in the lower and upper school assemblies where ‘being different’ was celebrated. It is so important to embrace who we are and recognise everyone’s different qualities, it is what makes us all so special…being unique. We welcome everyone into our community with respect, kindness, and open arms. How boring a school would be if we were all the same.
Farmwise trip
Upper One enjoyed an exciting day at Farmwise, where they explored a wide range of topics including food, recycling, machinery, livestock, the environment, and more! The children had the chance to explore various zones and engage in practical, hands-on activities. Some favourites included: making pizza, holding chicks that were only 8 hours old, sampling fresh milk, learning how cheese is made and naming calves. They absorbed plenty of new information, making this trip a perfect complement to their current topic, ‘Farming in Devon.’
Hockey results
The upper school girls have had a super start to their hockey season, with great wins last week against West Buckland and more success against Maynard. They showed great teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship to their own team but to the opposition as well. The deputy head from West Buckland commented on how welcoming and inclusive our girls were, high praise indeed. Rugby has also had a fantastic start to the season with our U9 boys enjoying a successful afternoon at Plymouth Prep, dodging the rain, and scoring lots of tries in their first contact match.
World Mental Health Day
Thursday was World Mental Health Day, and we know that this shouldn’t just be a day. Mental Health is so important, and we encourage our pupils to talk about their feelings… we can’t be happy all the time and it is ok to be sad. However, looking after our brains by getting enough sleep, downtime from screens, and learning how to be bored is actually quite good for us. We need to remember to look out for each other and, as was our theme last week… always be kind.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend as we head into our last week before half term.
