“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
George Eliot
A week of crisp mornings and glorious, sunny afternoons. There can be few places better to learn than Croissy when the weather is like this. So good also to see our pupils enjoying the benefits of being outside for activities and indeed some lessons. Who knows, this fine spell may even last into next week when half term will be upon us, I do hope so.
Over the course of the half term, we have seen our youngest pupils make a positive start to school, they are gaining in confidence and developing independence. New pupils have become established pupils and the oldest pupils have started to apply for university. The year so recently started is progressing quickly. Much has been achieved, the foundations for a successful year have been laid. This newsletter has something of an end of term feel with so many highlights from this week and previous weeks featured. I was particularly inspired by the Junior School rendition of that autumn favourite “Conkers” sung simultaneously but separately this morning, you can enjoy the same uplifting joyful noise by following the link inside.
This half term has been a term in which we have seen school life return to some sort of normality. There has been some sport, expeditions and the odd school trip all led by our dedicated staff. But we cannot escape the continuing threat of the pandemic and I would ask you to be particularly vigilant for COVID like symptoms appearing over the holiday. We have been fortunate indeed to only have had to move one class to remote learning for a week this half term (and well done to 6T for continuing to learn despite this interruption), as the term continues, we run the risk of being affected once again so please do take care this holiday and avoid infection as far as you are able.
I am fully aware that the last paragraph may sound rather Eeyore-ish. I am not particularly anxious about the coming half term because I know that our pupils will take whatever comes in their stride. In truth, I’m with the American scientist Amory Lovins. He said: “I am neither an optimist not a pessimist, because they are just two different forms of fatalism. The optimist says things have to get better, and the pessimist says things have to get worse. I believe in applied hope. Things can get better, but you have to make them so.”
If ever we needed an example of how to make things better through applied hope, then it is to be found in the activities of this half term. Our pupils, our teachers and parents deserve to feel very satisfied with all that has been achieved. There has been much hard work and a great deal of enjoyment. We are back in school on Wednesday 3rd November to do it all again. I hope that you have a great half term, when it starts!
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
