from Nursery to Sixth Form
Every week the Bulletin newsletter is sent home from the School Office highlighting important forthcoming dates and events, along with a round-up by Mr Richards of the week gone by. Read below recent messages from the Head's desk and previous word's from former Head Mrs Heywood.
One of the many wonderful things about being a teacher is that the job offers lots of opportunities for renewal. At the end of term we all look back and reflect on what was, and plan for what will be better. This has been the most turbulent of terms but the stoic nature of our community means we have taken it, got through it and continued to improve.
As I wandered around the site at 3.30pm this afternoon, I felt very proud to be a headteacher here. You know you have a great school when all the young people are focused and working hard a week and a half before the end of term on a mufti day! It has been lovely to receive all of your positive messages of support and encouragement since we have been back. Whilst we are working hard to ensure that Claires Court is the best in the land, we do appreciate your kind words, thank you.
Well, I hope you have not been suffering from empty nest syndrome this week as we have taken the young people back into school. We’re sorry if you are missing them but we have loved having them back in school. We have had near on 100% attendance this week and perhaps that means they have enjoyed being back at school too. We have tried to keep them off screens as much as possible and working with a pen in their hand, and a smile on their face. The buildings feel alive again, as the ebb and flow of a normal school day has returned to College Avenue. It has been wonderful to drop into lessons this week to see students and teachers in their right places. I will never wrap my head around seeing people behind masks in school, but we will wait for the next review of this guidance at Easter, which is not too far away.
I am writing to you during my break from car park duty at the Claires Court Testing Facility. The testing is running smoothly because of our fantastic nurse, her team, and the staff volunteers really stepping up to the plate. As always, the young people are getting on with it with no fuss. This again shows the strength of our community.
With announcements coming thick and fast from both Number 10 and the Department for Education. I would like to thank Mr Spanswick for his excellent work to ensure all our students will return to school on 8 March, tested, masked, and distanced.
Happy half term everybody. I must start by congratulating Heidi on her fantastic ISA award in Art. She has won first prize in the regional competition and is now through to the national finalists. We are very proud of you, Heidi, well done.
I knew it was a bad idea to set my alarm clock to Sonny and Cher’s I Got You Babe on 1 January ... This term really has felt like Groundhog Day. Well, it was the actual Groundhog Day this week and, in a marked change to 2020, Punxsutawney Phil did not predict an early spring. Maybe we can take it as a sign that things are on the up and 2021 will be considerably better than 2020. We all hope so. In the excellent movie, Bill Murray uses his repeated day to learn new skills and get to know people better beyond the occasional pleasantries. He is only able to break out of his Groundhog Day by showing genuine kindness, love and affection for others. Perhaps that is a good message to hold on to during these last few weeks of lockdown.
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It was such a nice weekend. That beautiful blanket of snow lifted the spirits of the whole community and we were then treated to a sunny day on Monday. There are very few better days than a blanket of snow and bright sunshine, I hope you were able to enjoy it all.
There does seem to be a renewed sense of hope in this world. I know we are still at a very dangerous time in the pandemic, but we have seen some green shoots of optimism this week.
I am delighted with the way both staff and students have adapted to online learning.
We all knew it was coming, perhaps not this soon, but we knew it was coming. The adjustments we made to the timetable and the numerous opportunities to practise online teaching and learning meant that we were ready for it, but we do miss the buzz of the school.
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Well, we made it! This is the final bulletin of 2020 and I think we can all agree that it will be good to see the back of this year and look forward to the rest of the roaring 20s.
When I was talking to a group of our Year 10 pupils today, I began with how difficult the year had been but I was immediately corrected by one pupil who told me that it had been fine and to look at the positives. She said she felt so lucky to be able to come into school every day since September, she felt she was ahead in her courses because of how much both she and her teachers had done during lockdown and everyone she knew was healthy and well. She went on to tell me how even when her friends had to isolate here, they still logged into their lessons in real time and did not miss out. I know this is not the case for all of us, but this little conversation served as an important reminder for me. We are in a privileged position here and seeing in a new year is as much about celebrating and appreciating the present as it is looking forward to the future.
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Claires Court staff members will be taking part in the 2021...
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1 College Avenue, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6AW
