What a great week! As the new Head, I felt like I knew what to expect from St Christopher’s: excellent teaching, outstanding co-curricular opportunities, and a warm, family environment. What I have discovered this week is that
St Christopher’s is all of these things and so much more.
I have made it a priority to walk around the school three times every day to help me get to know our school better and visit the lovely Glebe Villas Reception site at every opportunity. On my walks and visits I have seen a numeracy lesson for eager Reception children, heard the choir singing beautifully, inspected some excellent handwriting in Year 1, seen majestic castles in year 2, watched an inspired lesson about ancient Egypt in Year 3, entered a laser and light show as part of Year 5 Science, seen real focus and determination in a Year 6 Maths lesson, was pleasantly surprised as Year 4 learnt about the baptism of Jesus via the medium of Lego, and watched some very happy children enjoying the grass pitches at Glebe during a games lesson. At the top end of the school, children in Years 7 and 8 are all setting the example with excellent manners, kindness, and focus in lessons.
We have also begun in-person Assemblies, and I was very impressed with how well the children listened and how many hands shot up when I asked a question. My Assembly this week was about the three rules of building trust. Trust is the bedrock of every relationship so it is very important to know how to build trust and how to avoid losing trust. I used the analogy of adding marbles to a jar. Rule one, trust is built on small acts over time, like adding marbles to a jar. Rule two, ONE unkind act can remove ALL the marbles from the jar and you will have to start building trust again. Rule three, if you have made a mistake (and we all make mistakes) the best way to jump-start your trust building is with a heartfelt apology. A good apology adds a handful of marbles, not just one. It is my hope that this useful analogy is easy to remember and will help children navigate the inevitable ups and downs of growing up.
A few additional messages:
Good luck to all those taking part in the Brighton and Hove Marathonon Sunday, and my thanks to all those staff and children who will be helping to run the St C’s Water Station and Area Base.
Please continue to use common sense caution regarding Covid-19;keep children off school, get them tested if they show any symptoms, and contact us if you have any questions.
A reminder to all, but especially new parents, that you can follow the day to day life of the school at work and at play on Twitter and Instagram @stchrishove.
I am already looking forward to Monday. Have a lovely weekend.