(The full version of St. Mary's Messenger can be found in the password-protected area of the website)

Dear Parents, Children and Friends,

Have you noticed this week that there have been quite a few children, teachers and parents with hacking coughs and streaming colds? The bugs have built up strength and are now making their assault. This is only to be expected, but please do remember to keep any poorly children at home until they are fully ready to take on the rigours of work and play at St. Mary’s. So far we have been very largely spared the Norovirus, so, without tempting Fate, I suppose we have been lucky.

While the start of the week was relatively quiet, the end of the week can be best described as little short of frantic. I explained last week about the massive response to our Performance Dance initiative, but yesterday and today have seen the first two groups visiting the school. What a couple of days it has been! Everyone involved has had a tremendous experience – not just because they have had a day off school to go dancing – but because of the sheer fun of the day. It was lovely to see the smiles on the faces as they were rehearsing, but it was even better to see them perform together at the end, like a proper dance troupe. My thanks go to Mrs Stuffins for all the hours of organisation involved in getting this off the ground and, of course, to Mrs Rimmer for leading the activity.

On the sporting front we had a better set of fixtures against Witham Hall than we did last term, when the teams were not exactly evenly matched. This time the games were much more evenly contested, but perhaps the best point of the afternoon was that we were able to involve all the girls in both Y5 and Y6. I do believe that it is a very positive experience for a child to say that they have represented the school, so this was a good day all-round, but especially for those who have not always had the opportunity. I hope that we can find more chances for more children to represent the school, so thank you Mrs Kelly, keep up the good work.

In the last couple of weeks I have been disappointed to hear of a few instances of St. Mary’s children not behaving in the way that I expect them to. Don’t worry, this is not a major problem, society is not about to collapse around our ears, but it is something that can and must improve. Little things mean a lot, so when someone uses bad language, pushes past a grown-up on the path or interrupts a conversation, all the good things that happen are forgotten and that one negative impression is the one that is remembered. We are going to be keeping up high expectations in all areas of manners and behaviour as these are central to the development of every child’s personality.

As I write, we are gearing up with great excitement for the intellectual highlight of the year. No, I am not talking about the 11+, not the KS2 Level Tests nor even Mr Daly’s mental maths test; what I mean is the Development Committee Quiz night, where dads can show off their knowledge of dodgy 70s pop records and mums can come to blows about the colours on the flag of Indonesia. Last year’s was a super evening and this year’s looks set to be even better. The Development Committee have been working very hard to make sure all needs are catered for, so if you have the opportunity to come, please do! You do not need to have a big team, just a couple of friends or even play on your own if you are Albert Einstein. (Though if you are, you’ll probably struggle on the dodgy 70s pop records.) See you tonight!

Have a good weekend.

Andy Salmond Smith