Junior Reflections Week 31 2024
Dear parents,
The end of the first half of the summer term is upon us, which seems quite remarkable considering it feels like not long ago that I was welcoming so many new families to the school. I do always begin to get a sense of sadness and pride as I know that soon our Upper Two pupils will be heading to senior school which they are all ready for but, as a parent, I am not sure that I am!
English Touring Opera
Today, all the pupils were invited to watch the English Touring Opera who presented performances of a children’s opera called ‘The Great Stink’. It was amazing and the pupils were impeccably behaved, and it was wonderful to be able to have other local primary schools join us for this annual event.
Trips and worms
Tuesday was the highlight for me as I drove the school bus with a rather excited class of Upper Ones for their trip to the Exe Estuary. It was a glorious day, and the pupils had a huge amount of fun looking at the animals above the ground, in the ground and in the water – I have found my talent…worm finder. Who knew that if you identify worm poo, not far lurking under the sand would be a rather fat worm! To huge delight, we found many of these worms which, of course, were returned to their homes once they had been closely inspected. The weather didn’t play ball on Wednesday as sadly Upper One B’s trip to the estuary was cancelled. The cricket against Taunton started with gusto, but the heavens opened and the matches had to be stopped half way through. Lots of pupils got a game both here and away at Taunton and the rain certainly didn’t dampen their spirits and, interestingly, sun cream still made an appearance. You have to love their optimism.
Summer Fête
The school fête is in the final stages of organisation, and I know that it is going to be huge success. A big thank you to the parents who have graciously given up their time to organise this event. There are going to be over 40 stalls, with pizzas and nachos available, and many more exciting things. I do hope that many of you will be able to join us on Saturday 15 June 1-4pm.
Fees in advance scheme
A reminder to parents who wish to commit to paying school fees for the future, the school has a fees in advance scheme. We anticipate that the accounts team might be busy in the coming few weeks and so suggest that parents consider this scheme early if they wish to take advantage of it. You can find out more about this by reading the documents here.
Goodbye to colleagues
Very sadly we say goodbye this week to three colleagues, all from our wonderful operations and professional services team who work closely with your children, and who they will know well.
Mrs Julie Furniss will be leaving Exeter Pre-Prep School as she retires. Formerly the bursar’s PA and HR administrator, Julie moved to the pre-prep two years ago and has been a wonderful colleague there, doing everything from school administration and admissions to driving the minibus and serving school lunches. She does it all with a smile on her face and a very kind heart. Julie tells me that she has (term time) holidays planned to Iceland and Dorset almost as soon as she has retired – I think we are all jealous of her! We wish her a long and happy retirement and thank her for all her hard work.
Mrs Gina Robins, our finance bursar, is leaving us after a successful 18 year tenure in the accounts team where she has looked after our finances and worked closely with the bursar and governors on many initiatives. She has decided it is time to work part-time and is moving to be the head of finance in a commercial organisation, Bonsoir of London, a retailer. We are very grateful to Gina for her pragmatic, committed and supportive approach to all things financial in the time that she has been with us. Lots of you will know her through your own interactions with the accounts team and will know what a great Exonian Gina is. We will miss her very much and wish her good health and happiness and every success in this exciting new role.
Ms Michelle Hendrick is leaving us after more than forty years of service in our catering team. Michelle is a wonderful colleague, and while she is technically employed by Sodexo, our catering provider, she feels very much a key part of the Exeter School family. Michelle joined us as a young chef and has worked her way up through the organisation to manage our catering services, something that she has done with flair, creativity and innovation. We are incredibly lucky to have such fantastic food every day at school, and fortunate to have Michelle’s smiling face at the helm. We will miss her very much and thank her for all she has done to keep us well fed with such delicious and nutritious food for so many decades. It is hard to imagine our kitchens without her…. Best of luck for a long, healthy and happy retirement Michelle. Exeter School will not taste the same without you!
General Election
You will all be aware of the fact that the prime minister has called a general election for July 4. This will be a busy day at school – we have an open house for prospective parents and also new pupil afternoon on that day. These will go ahead as planned. The governors, along with the leadership of the school will be tracking the outcomes of the election and any ongoing impact on us as an organisation. We will of course keep you updated when we have information to share with you.
Reminders
A little plea to ensure that all items of clothing are named as we have an increasing number of unnamed items. Could you also have a check to make sure that items of other pupils haven’t made it back to the wrong house please (which from experience often happens)? I would also ask that no pupils are allowed into the junior school playground before 8am, as staff are not available to monitor pupils until that time. Thank you.
Wishing you all a wonderful half term break, enjoy the sunshine which I am ever hopeful will make an appearance.
