11 Feb 2008 - Newsletter 14
11 February 2008
Newsletter 14
Dear Parents
A Voice in the Wilderness
I’m not sure that Year 4 could manage 40 nights, but two nights in the Wilderness Centre near Mitcheldean seems to have been beneficial for our party from 4E and 4D are now enjoying the unseasonable weather as they investigate environmental and geographical features of the Forest of Dean. Feedback from pupils and parents to date seems very positive and I have booked the Centre for next year (sadly I cannot book the weather as well!).
Governor Update
There have been recent changes in the structure of the Governing Body. Mrs Jayne Yates has left after many years of service. We would like to thank Jayne for the support and dedication she has given to the school throughout her time as governor. Joining the Governing Body are Mrs Rachel Cottell (Parent Governor) and Mr Ian Thomson (Community Governor). We welcome them both to the school and look forward to working with them in the coming years.
Rewards
Apologies are due to our cup winners from last term who have not been given their trophies to take home. The reason for this is that we have still not received all the sport and music cups back from the summer term recipients. If you know of any Year 6 pupils from last year who are still clinging on to their cup, could you remind them to bring them back into school please. We will present all other cups again this week and replace missing cups where necessary.
Recipients of bronze and silver cards are being entered into a half-termly draw with the opportunity to win prizes for themselves or their class. We hope that this will help to motivate pupils even more to earn merit points in class.
Hank Marvins
How nice to see so many children learning to play the guitar. I would like to think that we will have several groups to rival The Shadows before they leave the school (I used to work with Jet Harris when he was a bus conductor!). However, I feel that some children are not getting enough practice at home. I have come to this conclusion as a result of falling over the large number of instruments left in the music room throughout the week!
Memories …
It is suggested that a child’s earliest experiences in school can mould its perceptions of learning for the rest of its life. It may also be true of teachers.
My first post in primary education was in Northway back in 1978. The Headmistress was a lady called Miss Bonning. (I never knew what her first name was – perhaps she didn’t have one!) There was no messing with Miss Bonning. She told me off for wearing a cardigan (did I really do that?) for wearing a round necked sweater over my shirt and tie and for not eating cabbage at lunchtime. She commended me for my ability to throw balls from 50 yards into a neat group and for doing cross country practice when it snowed (“Mr Clough is making men of them” was her response to one of the parents who came to complain). If an item was slightly out of place as she walked around the school, she would replace it in its correct position; she chastised the deputy head if staff were 30 seconds late leaving the staffroom and she reported visiting teachers to their own Head if they had the temerity to shout encouragement to their team during football fixtures. We used to sing “When a Knight Won His Spurs” in assembly, in which the last line is “… and the dragons are dead”. I always remember a colleague remarking with reference to Miss Bonning that this was not quite true!
As you can see, this lady had quite an impact on my formative years as a teacher. One other thing she said that still remains in my memory was that she wanted all the pupils in her school to be “like Dean Close pupils”. What she meant, of course, was that she had high expectations of the children in her school and that she wanted to set the highest possible standards for them to follow. Whilst some of her methods were rather draconian in nature, her vision was certainly one to be admired and the pupils in her school thrived. I still don’t like cabbage, but I have always tried to instil standards and a pride in doing a job well wherever I have taught.
The latest additions to our stock of school uniform have been well received and enhance the appearance of our pupils both inside and outside the school. With this in mind, may I remind you of the school uniform policy that can be found in your Parent Handbook, and in particular the section on “extreme” hairstyles, including dye, Mohican cuts and the excessive use of gel. The school governors, staff and I, as Headteacher, feel that these are inappropriate for school and would ask for your support in this facet of school life which, although it may be perceived as slightly old-fashioned, is one which I feel most people hold dearly.
Just a reminder that school will close at the normal time (3.20 p.m.) on Friday for the half-term holiday. Children return on Monday 25th February. I hope you all enjoy the break.
Yours sincerely
D A Clough