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

Dear Parents, Children and Friends,

We can tell it is the Summer Term because it is light when we get up to come to school, there is lovely blossom on the trees and the most obvious sign – it is raining and the sports fixtures are cancelled. Mrs Kelly had geed up her teams, ready for the fray, the girls were keen to show Ranby what they could do and then, just as they were going, came the phone call. At least I know that we won’t lose any of our matches to smog, as sometimes happened in Chile. Let’s hope that this is the only disappointment the teams will have this summer and that we can have delightful afternoons watching lots of cricket, rounders and athletics.

On account of steadily increasing number of visits to the school, we decided that it would be sensible to have some “official” Open Days this term, in addition to the stand at the Lincolnshire Show. Over the last two days it has been a genuine pleasure to show our many visitors round the school and grounds, with the added bonus of it stopping raining at times! Seeing the gardens at the start of spring is a treat and how lucky we are to have this little oasis in the middle of the city. One lady was amazed at the size of the school behind the gate. “You wouldn’t think it was possible to have such a big garden in the middle of Lincoln,” was one of her comments, whilst a father gazed wistfully around at the neatly mown lawns and the Astroturf and told me he wished he had grown up in a school that had such a wonderful setting. (Thank you, Mr Johnston and Mr Beeley for giving the school that unique atmosphere which is so central to our way of education.) The comments and feedback we have had are all really positive about the school and the children so our decision to open has been more than justified.

The themed week of Team-building has been concentrating on positive behaviour and citizenship. It has been a successful exercise all- round, giving the children (and adults!) plenty to think about and opening up imaginations. In the course of our lives we all have to deal with other people, some of us are good at it, others less so; therefore it is a valuable exercise to bring into focus the pastoral side of education. Each school is supposed to have a week in the course of the year where positive behaviour is the highlight, but I doubt many will have tackled the topics in such interesting ways. The children have enjoyed approaching traditional subjects in what have been different ways. We have seen education, imagination, inspiration and smiles. We are all better people for it; my thanks go to the teachers for their enthusiasm and to Mrs Kelly for organising us all with such care.

It has been delightful to see the children coming in with such a diversity of Headmaster’s Awards this term.  Their faces almost always have a broad smile and I can feel their justified pride as they explain why they have received the accolade. The sticker and the lollipop really matter to them. I keep saying to the children in assembly that every day each of them is    involved in the most important competition in the school: the House Cup. By collecting points for their House, they are working in a team exercise where every point counts. I have only been here for a couple of years but already we have seen some extremely close finishes at the end of term. One of the best parts of St. Mary’s is that keen yet friendly inter-House rivalry. A lolly lasts for five minutes but a sense of achievement lasts an awful lot longer.

Lastly, I have been talking with Mr Daly as I fear that we may have to introduce extra maths classes for some of our parents and children because they honestly think my age to be double that what it really is! I am twenty-five, I’ll have you know – always have been and always will be! Thank you to all those who offered kind thoughts (sympathies?), cards and presents – very much appreciated.

Andy Salmond Smith