Junior Reflections Week 22 March 2025

Dear parents,

Sunglasses have certainly been the order of the week! What a beautiful stretch of sunshine we’ve had, though the chilly mornings have reminded us that spring is still finding its way. The bright days have lifted our spirits, and with so much happening, the week has flown by faster than I’d like!

Musical talent

Monday’s assembly began with a stunning rendition of If I Only Had a Brain from The Wizard of Oz, performed by Ralph S. What a voice! I look forward to hearing more from him in the future. The musical talent continued on Wednesday, as many of our junior school pupils took part in an informal concert, showcasing their skills on the piano and violin. The standard of musicianship was simply incredible, and it’s remarkable to think that these talented pupils are still so young. We are incredibly fortunate to have such gifted pupils and a dedicated music department that nurtures their talents. The junior singers travelled to Whipton Barton school on Wednesday afternoon for the Celebration of Singing with Wynstream, Woodwater and Whipton Barton primary schools. Each group performed solo works to each other before collaborating together to perform two songs with one of our senior school ‘ESMUP’ bands. It was wonderful to see so many children singing and enjoying performing together.

Governors

It has also been wonderful to welcome many of our school governors this week for several of our termly meetings. Additionally, we held the first of our three parents’ evenings, providing valuable opportunities for discussions and reflections on the term so far.

World Book Day

World Book Day has been a spectacular celebration of literature, brimming with creativity and a shared passion for reading. Many of these exciting activities will continue into next week. In English lessons, pupils across the school embraced their inner authors. Form One wrote imaginative new chapters for The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Murphy, while Upper One, inspired by Michael Morpurgo’s The Butterfly Lion, created delightful mini-books featuring animal characters with a sprinkle of springtime magic. Mrs Hardy gave a book-themed assembly to the lower school on Wednesday, explaining the history and importance of World Book Day, emphasising how it helps to foster a love of reading and connects readers worldwide. Pupils across the school presented their book vlogs, which sparked excitement and inspired peer book recommendations. You can check up on these on our Instagram reels as more are added next week – there’s still time to record one if inspiration strikes over the weekend! The highlight of the week was undoubtedly World Book Day itself, when The Devon Library Reading Service transformed our hall into a vibrant hub of ‘Reading Roundabouts.’ Pupils explored tables displaying a variety of book genres, discussing and reviewing them, and selecting their favourites for our school library. There really was a wonderful buzz around the school. A special thank you to Mrs Hardy for masterminding all the wonderful activities.

Ramadan

During this week’s assembly, two of our senior pupils, Hammad and Mo, had the opportunity to speak to the junior school about the significance of Ramadan. Both shared personal reflections on what the holy month means to them, offering an insightful glimpse into the spiritual and cultural aspects of this important time for Muslims worldwide. They explained how Ramadan is not only about fasting but also a time for self-reflection, increased spirituality, and community bonding. They emphasised the importance of observing Ramadan, particularly the values of discipline, empathy, and gratitude, which help individuals grow both mentally and emotionally. Our pupils especially loved the opportunity to ask all sorts of questions to learn more about how Hammad and Mo prepared themselves with high protein foods to have enough energy for their school activities and found a common appreciation for pineapple on pizza!

And finally I want to wish all the incredible women in our community a very happy International Women’s Day tomorrow.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.