Thursday, 17th December 2015
End of Term Letter
Dear Parents,
The holidays are here! Your children have been very busy for many weeks and it is now time for them to do more of what they really love and choose to do; it is their time and they have earned it. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them all on their achievements from the hugely impressive, to the equally important but smaller successes such as trying something new or volunteering for the first time. Being asked to conduct our orchestra this week in our End of Term Assembly was, for me, a terrifying experience and it reminded me just how hard it can be to take a risk, how enormous the fear of failure can be. And so, I salute all of our pupils who have taken such a leap, and encourage them to keep doing it, as it is truly exciting to achieve something that you did not think possible!
As always it has been a very busy term and when I look back at all that has been achieved and then shared in this term’s Prep Posts, it is awe inspiring what members of our community have made a reality: From academic achievements to Charity Days, from Cinderella to India Day, from House matches to National Day, from Netball matches to Science Week and finally our Festive Concert last week. The range of experiences, accomplishments and challenges that your children have taken on and conquered is wonderful and I am so proud of them all.
Every term there are stand out performances from individual children and this term has been no different. It has been wonderful to celebrate these successes in the Prep Post each week. In our End of Term Assembly we were treated to some special performances to celebrate these achievements. Cara Easton, who has recently performed at the Pollen Concert in Abu Dhabi, played a beautiful piece on the flute for us. Assembly also included a Brighton first as Prep School pupils showed us the energy and athleticism involved in Irish Dancing. Maebh Macauley-Conway, Erin Costello-Kelly and Imogen Robinson have all recently returned from the Irish Dancing European Championships in Milan where they all performed extremely well and succeeded in qualifying for the World Championships in Glasgow in March. This is a fabulous achievement and we look forward to them using our stage as a practice venue in Assembly next term! My congratulations to them all.
Many of you may have noticed that work has begun on our new playgrounds and I am hopeful that in January we will be really close to being able to offer our younger pupils an exciting addition to their break times; with the cooler weather here at last it will be wonderful to see them having an alternative outside space on which to be active.
Revision guides for all the children in Years 5 – 8 have been shared on the communicator. These offer guidance, advice and a breakdown of what to expect in the upcoming exams. But whilst revision is important, this holiday time is as well! The children all need to ‘sharpen their saw’ and to return to school refreshed and ready for another busy term both within and beyond the classroom. However, Year 8 must not forget the importance of what lies ahead for them with mock Common Entrance examinations taking place next term.
On Thursday the children will have come home with their interim reports, these will give an overview of where your child is at the moment and the effort with which they have approached their studies in recent weeks. Guidance about the grades can be found on the communicator.
The Prep School continues to be a busy and vibrant place but what continues to thrill me above all else is the genuine care, compassion and love of learning that all your children show their peers and their teachers on a daily basis. New teachers to the Prep School have all commented to me recently how very special our children are and what a delight they are to teach. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with them and steer them in these very important years.
With best wishes for a happy and restful holiday and a safe return in January. We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday, 10th January for another action packed term at Brighton College
Best wishes,
Vanessa Robitaille