Dear ALS Community,
My name is Maya and I started at Arnold Lodge at the beginning of September into Year 7. I was very nervous about starting a new school, a new experience and because of covid I hadn’t met anyone that would be in my year. The day before the start of term we were invited to the Year 7 transition day which really helped me settle in quickly. Even though it was an extra day of school, the organised activities introduced me to teachers and staff that work here and gave me the opportunity to meet the other pupils starting in my year group. Despite being really nervous I was also really excited about making new friends and the Year 7 transition day gave me the opportunity to do that. Arnold Lodge felt huge on that first day and because we had come in a day early we were the only ones here so we had the whole playground to ourselves. The biggest difference between my old school and Arnold Lodge are the number of teachers, in my primary school there were only 2 teachers per year and here we have a different teacher for each subject to teach us lots of different things. And the stairs – there are lots of stairs here. In my old school we didn’t have any.
On that first day we found out about our new school house. I’m in Veritas. The ALS Houses do, in some way, remind me of the Hogwarts Houses. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan so this was very exciting for me. Once we found out my house, I got my house scarf, which was blue, to add to my new school uniform. My favourite subject is Science because it’s very interesting and we get to do lots of experiments. It’s British Science Week this week and we have made cress and are growing crystals which has been great. I also enjoy PPRE because I love deep thinking. My favourite sport is swimming, I swim outside of school in clubs as well as our lessons here in school where we get to use the University of Warwick Swimming Pool. This week our Year 6 swimmers have qualified for the National ESSA Primary Schools Team Championships in June which is really exciting.
I think my favourite pudding at school is the cheesecake and lunch is pizza which we usually have on a Friday as a treat!
So far the best parts of Year 7 have been the trip to Kingswood which we did at the beginning of October. We got to do a lot of sport and it was a great way to get to know everyone in our class because we were still quite new then. The other thing that has been amazing has been the number of opportunities available to us both in our lessons and as part of ExEn. I do Drama, Debating, Art, STEM, Journalism, Choir and Creative Writing. Such a variety.
When I’m older I would like to become a lawyer because I love debating and I’m in top set for English. Although I have only been here for 6 months, overall, Arnold Lodge has helped me improve grades, make friends, and have fun as well.
This week our mantra comes from Amicus: Be Grateful for the kindness of others. Our Head of House, Mr Dobson, writes: when I think of mantras that really get to the heart of what Amicus House is all about, this one is always quick to come to mind. As a school community, our aim is to show kindness to those around us, helping others in their time of need. However, on occasion it is also vital that we show appreciation for the kindness shown by others in our lives and how they have helped in our week. So this week, whatever the circumstance, show your gratitude towards the kindness of others in your life. Whether it is a family member helping in the household or a stranger letting you out during one of Leamington’s many current traffic jams, they really can make all the difference.
Mr Preston has asked me to share that on Monday 28th March, our school photographer will be coming in to take some year group photographs. For those that like to have haircuts, please note the date in your diary!
Have a lovely weekend.
Maya | Year 7
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