Suddenly winter is upon us. With the change of the clocks we now get up in the dark and go home in it. The rain seems constant and the ends of my fingers are numb by the time I have cycled into school. If your daughter is cycling please make sure she is well equipped and if walking to school that she has something bright to wear. It’s very hard to see pedestrians on footpaths in dark clothes let alone cyclists on dark roads.
That darkness does seem quite overpowering at the moment, metaphorically as well as literally. The brutality of events in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine continue to dominate the headlines and finding moments of joy are like candle flames that flicker in the wind.
However, as a school with the motto of ‘Ad Lucem’ or ‘towards the light’, there are light bulbs which permeate the obscurity and allow our students to shine. Our fireworks event last week was magnificent and sold out before the event. This week we have hockey and netball matches galore, as well as the concert at St Barnabas Church where the music and architecture served as a very timely reminder that the good and the beautiful will endure and be remembered. Trips galore for our pupils including to the Victoria and Albert museum to visit the Diva exhibition and an English trip to visit ‘Rebecca – the musical’ which sounded intriguing (!) and a Classics trip this week to see Euripides’ ‘Medea’.
Our Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 pupils are taking their first steps towards gaining their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and our Year 10 had a great half day giving back to our local community by packing boxes in food banks, helping in charity shops and creating decorations for local hospices.
On Monday, a group of pupils from all faiths and none led an assembly on Diwali which takes place this Sunday, and on Wednesday a wonderful array of activities was available for students, ranging from eating the most delicious coconut sweets (I was only allowed one!) to decorating oneself with henna or trying on a sari. It’s a very timely reminder that cultural richness and understanding is part of the hallmark of a great education and it allows us to look forward to the future with confidence.