Reflections on the week at school...
Our final newsletter of the school year can only really be about our December value of appreciation and gratitude. Last week we saw a fantastic nativity performance. This week we have seen a trip to the pantomime for all to enjoy, a whole school Christmas dinner and a very memorable and heart-warming Christmas Carols at Wymondley last night. Our choir performance at Needham House with mulled wine and mince pies at 4 pm on Monday is still to come. I am very grateful that these events have taken place this year, they are all special occasions that live long in the memories of those who attend and they are part of the fabric of our school and of what Wymondley is about.
But these events and the many others that have come before them over the course of this term do not just take place by themselves. There is a hardworking, kind hearted and caring staff team behind each of them. Without their dedication and above and beyond attitude these events would not be anywhere near as good as they have been. I am very grateful for the staff team we have here at Wymondley and I am sure that you all are as well. If you do feel that way, Monday and Tuesday of next week presents a great opportunity for you to tell the adults in your child's class just that. Christmas cards are the order of the day (it is late December of course!), but please don't underestimate the power of telling someone face to face how grateful you are for what they have done and continue to do for your children. Trust me, it can be really powerful.
Then there are all of you, I am grateful for all of you and for the parents you all are. It is no easy thing to be a parent these days, often juggling work commitments with home commitments as well as child commitments. Sometimes there is time to sleep as well, but that's about all! Reading with your children each night, making sure they are completing Spelling Shed and Doodle Maths and trying to remain positive throughout. Helping them to learn script words for their Christmas performance, or learning song words with them, sometimes by choice and sometimes not so much! It isn't easy, I know, but you do it all the same. I am grateful for how you support school events, not just the Christmas events, which have come thick and fast over the last two weeks. Your support for ongoing events like shared reading on Tuesdays and Thursdays (if your child is in Puffins or Toucans) as well as coming in to join one of our Friday celebration and sharing assemblies makes such a difference. All of this was even more difficult when school emails suddenly went down - thank you for bearing with us while that one was fixed!
Finally and most importantly, I am grateful for each and every child that we have at Wymondley. They are all wonderful. They have their own unique little ways. They have their own strengths and they also have their own areas that they are working hard to improve in. We know each and every one of them and have really enjoyed being part of their journey over the last four months of this term as they have moved forward in so many different ways. Your child will never have another autumn term in the year group they are currently in. It was a one-off as they all are, but that makes me smile because I think they have just had a terrific autumn term and I am very grateful for that as well!
I hope you take some time to reflect on what you are grateful for as we move closer to the big day on December 25th - Merry Christmas everyone!
(By the way, for anyone who couldn't attend last night or who just wants to relive some of the fantastic singing which took place - click on the Twitter link below and you will find a few festive videos to enjoy together! Merry Christmas!)
Click here to see what else has been happening in the school this week