Welcome to the Summer Term! Today marks the “last day” of Year 11 and Year 13’s course of education before embarking on study leave and examinations begin in earnest. Whilst many will continue to come to school to use our study facilities and work with their teachers, it is an important date in the calendar of a pupil’s journey through their education and I hope that the pupils have had a memorable day.
As an all-through school, I understand that this time of year can sometimes feel focused on our most Senior pupils and their GCSEs and A Levels. For many of our pupils now sitting their examinations, they were once in our Key Stage 1, looking up to the older pupils in school. They were Year 6 pupils, preparing to move to Seniors. They were Year 9 pupils, excited to start learning their Option subjects. Each year, the celebration of our eldest pupils is a celebration of our whole school community and our pupils’ journey from EYFS to University. So, whether your child is about to sit their first external examination or if they are working through EYFS with Miss Kelsall, I hope you will be just as proud of our young adults as they embark on their next steps in education.
This week’s mantra is a poignant one as Year 11 & 13 embark on their external exams and Year 10 & 12 get ready for their mocks - ‘Always give your best’. Mr Scott, Head of Dedicas, writes that we can be reluctant to fully invest our efforts and focus on certain tasks, often due to fear of failure. We must strive to ensure that we are not afraid of failure, because often failure is one of the first steps on the road to true success. Whilst there are endless factors out of our control within our lives, one thing that we can always control is ensuring that we push ourselves to give our best in all aspects of our lives. As Oprah Winfrey said ‘Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.’
As we look forward to the rest of this summer term, we have some key dates for you. Our Summer Open Day is coming up on Saturday 21st May. Please can pupils be dropped off for 9:45am and then collected at 1:00pm (please note the gates will not be open prior to 9:45am). We would be grateful for any parent helpers who would like to help out on the morning. If you are able to support the school, please do let Katie know on [email protected]. Whilst this is a compulsory school event, there is no expectation for Year 11 and 13 to attend. IF your child is unable to attend please let their Class Teacher (Juniors) or Mentor (Seniors) know.
Mr Gear is currently organising our Annual ALS Golf Day for Wednesday 22nd June 2022. More information can be found in this letter. This had become an annual event before Covid put a stop to it. Mr Gear is hoping to have a very good parent turn out for the session. Whilst a day out playing sport appeals to me very much, I’m afraid my golfing ability (which is zero) would serve only to let anyone on the day down. I can carry the bacon sandwiches and coffee around, though!
On Friday 24th June our annual whole school Sports Day will be held at the Leamington Cricket Club. I gather both Mr Scott and Mr Hawkins have been in training for the staff 100m (with Mr Hawkins the reigning champion) as well as the staff vs pupil tug of war. In previous years, there have been some close run competitions, particularly between staff and parents and I’m sure this year will be no different! More details on Sports Day will follow.
To close, I would like to wish all those embarking on exams over the next few weeks the very best of luck and for you to all have a wonderful bank holiday weekend.
