Dear parents,
Quiz night
I cannot believe that half term has arrived – what a busy half term it has been – and I think the pupils (and staff) are all in need of a rest. The quiz night was a huge success last Friday, and it was lovely to see so many parents and staff. Thank you to the staff who helped make this happen. We raised just over £700, which is brilliant. I would also like to say thank you to those parents who generously donated raffle prizes, as this was very much appreciated by everyone. The staff tables are already revising for next year’s quiz in order to hold onto the title.
Pancake day
Tuesday afternoon saw a group of sixth form pupils stopping by to use the science lab and cook some delicious pancakes to celebrate pancake day in France. A lot of fun was had, and I was impressed with the amount of French that the pupils were using.
Children’s Mental Health Week
This week is Children’s Mental Health Week and, in assembly, we shared how important our voice is. Seth and Louis were excellent actors, demonstrating that you can’t always see if there is an injury or if someone is hurt. I am not sure that my bandaging skills are up to much – I will leave that for our nurse, Mrs Barlass. As part of celebrating mental health week, I was delivered some flowers from two lovely pupils from the hub to spread some cheer, and it certainly did that. They have brightened up my office. We have considered where to get support for our mental health both at school and at home; remembered our 10-a-day to balance our physical and mental health (e.g. staying hydrated, keeping our body and minds active, and talking about our feelings); learnt more about how to stay safe online; and tried out some different strategies and activities to support our mental health (e.g. blowing bubbles, finger breathing mindfulness, and delivering flowers to staff).
This half term, our Lower Two pupils have been receiving excellent first aid training from Mrs Barlass, our school nurse, as part of their PSHE learning. This Tuesday, they took part in a ‘CPR’ session, and Mrs Barlass said that they all had a really good go at practising and asked lots of great questions.
Swimming galas and annual pancake race
The swimming galas were a super end to the half-term, with some outstanding performances from both year groups. The support from the pupils was loud and proud, and I think next year I will be bringing my earplugs. Well done to everyone who took part and our helpers, and a big thank you to Mr Dutch for organising such a smooth-running event. And our annual pancake race took place, with Gilbert being the winning house for flipping pancakes. What an end to the half-term!
Staff inset days
A gentle reminder that school starts on Wednesday 21 February due to two staff inset days. You will have received an email inviting you to a talk by Gary Wilson on raising boys’ achievement on Tuesday 20 February from 5.30-6.30pm in the Andrews Hall at Exeter School. I do hope many of you will be able to attend, and if you wish to find out more information about Gary, do have a look at his website.
Wishing you all a lovely half-term and a happy Chinese New Year to all of our Chinese community. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
