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

Dear Parents, Children and Friends,

The first full week back has not seen the kindest of weather but the school is starting to get under way for another very busy term. Our first set of deadlines has been the entries for the Lincoln Drama and Music Festival. I hope that everyone understands fully what should have been done to ensure entry for this, but if there are any doubts or questions about the procedure, please have a word with Mrs Ford.

One of the delights of teaching in the best school in Lincolnshire is interacting with the children. This week I have been proud of lots of children from the whole age range of St. Mary’s. The Foundation Stage children are growing up and progressing so quickly now; it’s amazing how they have come on, whilst many of the old-timers in Y6 have impressed me with their maturity in dealing with each other and with younger children. Give them a challenge and they rise to it. After four-and-a-bit terms here I can see why senior school Heads are so keen to have St. Mary’s boys and girls come to their schools – they are self-confident without being cocky and can cope with all life throws at them. For a teacher it is fascinating to watch how nervous little five year-olds blossom into capable young men and women. Facebook and the similar websites are going to let us all see how this generation progress through life!

On the subject of the internet, I would like to ask you all how sure you are where your children go on the web when they are surfing. I am not being alarmist, I am not saying there is a problem, I am just wondering. Inside the school we have all the filters and firewalls that the Lincolnshire Education Authority can provide, so we don’t get problems with dodgy websites, brain-corroding games sites, horrible chat rooms and cyber-bullying. But it is so easy for it to happen in an unregulated situation. There’s the saying that “On the web, you’re only two clicks away from anything”, so it’s up to us parents to make sure that “anything” is not detrimental to our children. My Headmasterly advice is not to let them have a PC in their bedroom until they have turned thirty; a child’s PC is best in a public room of the house even if the beeping and squeaking of games drives you mad. Have strong firewalls and filters, if necessary ban certain sites; and check the History and Temporary Internet Files to see where they have been. It’s not spying, it’s responsible parenting – and if the History and Temporary Internet Files are empty, wonder why. As for chat rooms, do your best to steer them away from them. They are at best encouraging illiteracy and their worst doesn’t bear thinking about. If they want to talk to their real-life friends, better to stick to the phone. There are no easy answers and we are the first generation of parents to have to deal with this, so we do need to be aware of what may be going on in our homes.

Last week I joked about the parking in Winnowsty Lane probably returning for this issue. How strangely prophetic that was, or not, given the laws of probability. This week more concerned parents have been to see me about the cars and vans who park on the pavements, blocking those pavements and thus endangering small children by forcing them to walk in the road. The advice from the police is that those people who park on the pavement are breaking the law.  Speaking in sorrow not in anger, it may be that the police will give tickets to offenders, there may be fines to pay, but that is missing the point. And that point is that you are making other parents very unhappy indeed with your parking, because when you park on the pavement because you are in a rush, you are making someone else’s child, whom they love and value just as much as you love and value yours, walk in the road on a blind corner. I know you are in a rush, I know the traffic is dreadful and you are running late, but by not parking in Greetwellgate or nearby, you are putting children in danger. How will you feel if someone, God forbid, does get hurt?

Moving on to something more cheerful, well done to all the boys and girls who represented the school this week. The Spring Term is always the term that demands most from the children in terms of sport because the weather is usually foul and it is hard to motivate one’s self to attend practices and play hard in matches in pouring rain and bitter cold. However, our players have all shown the bulldog spirit this week and done themselves proud. Knowing them, I am sure that they will continue as they have started. Keep it going, all term long!

Andy Salmond Smith