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

Dear Parents, Children and Friends,

This week has been mercifully quieter than last week and we can think of it as the calm before the storm that goes by the name of Hurricane Final-Week. I greatly enjoyed my visit to the Drama part of the Music and Drama Festival, seeing a couple of our pupils pick up well-deserved prizes. It was quite an eye-opener to watch nervous, twittery people walk up to the stage and become, calm, controlled and eloquent. The self-confidence that our competitors had does them great credit and says a lot about them as people and about the education that they have had to help them reach that point. I was ever so impressed by every single one of them.

We have now moved on to the musical side of the Festival and our choirs have done very well indeed. The individuals have also been performing very well, gaining experience in how to perform in front of strangers. It may be scary but it’s fun! My thanks, as always to Mr and Mrs Nowell for their time and effort on this front. Having scanned the notes about the contents of the various classes, there are a lot of very capable young musicians in the area. Over the coming years there should be even more as we try to increase the breadth and quality of music on offer at St. Mary’s.

One trip I wish I had been able to go with was the one that Cornerstone made to Goodies sweet shop. I would have gone purely for sound educational reasons of course and to make sure that no-one enjoyed themself too much. It sounds though that all had a marvellous time, seeing and even sampling lots of delightful things to eat. Once children are interested in something, they learn so quickly and willingly – and what could be more interesting than a sweet shop? I bet that they are going to remember that visit for a long time.

Last week I joked about having to delay my weekly paragraphs about parking and lost property, and I know you wouldn’t want to go two weeks without a mention of at least one of them, so I can tell you that the people from the Highways Department have been in touch about the parking complaints they have received and they are planning a meeting for me. The dreaded words “wardens” and “tickets” have been mentioned, but, let’s face it they are better than “accident” and “hospital” aren’t they?

The latest news of the summer dresses was in last week’s issue - even though it still seems like winter some days. Please make certain that your daughter’s summer dress is clearly named when she returns next term. If your son or daughter has outgrown any uniform by the end of the year, don’t forget that you can sell on their good quality second-hand items through Mrs Damant. Socks of any colour or length, however, will not be accepted!

Thank you to everyone who has responded to the Ski Trip letter. We have had a fantastic interest and it looks like being a resounding success. There’s still a few places left, so even if you can’t ski, you can still come along and learn – and have some happy evenings to yourselves while the children are safely locked in the attic with the spiders. (Sorry Mrs Kelly, should I be mentioning that yet?)

With everything that needs to be fitted in between now and next Thursday, I think that we shall all be ready for an Easter break. Sitting with teachers and the Development Committee we just looked with trepidation at all the things that  normally happen and wondered how we could do it. After a lot of brainstorming we have just about managed to fit a quart into a pint pot, though the timetable for next week needs to run with the precision of an atomic clock, let alone a Swiss one!

Do please watch out for any instructions that teachers send home about the events next week; there are a lot and it would be a shame to miss anything!

Get ready for that final week!

Andy Salmond Smith