Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
We’re still basking in the limelight of our Science Fairs and the feedback from you all has been wonderful.
My thanks to the whole school yesterday for showing resilience in the face of the rain and the wind for the whole school photo!
Today, we’re sharing the eagerly anticipated Hollygirt five year strategy (link here) and I hope you enjoy reading the vision for the school. This document is the work of the Trustees and the leadership team. My thanks to the Trustees for the voluntary hard work and especially to Dr Debra Costley for her ‘above and beyond’ in pulling together the strategy.
My thanks to the Senior Leadership Team for their hard work this term. I have just come away from assembly (where we celebrated many merit awards) where I asked the students to thank their teachers. My thanks to the whole team. We are all tired and very ready for the break – testimony to the hard work that has gone in this term. Many thanks to the catering team for providing all of the children with rice krispie cakes as an early Easter treat today.
You should also receive a separate email today about logging on to our new iSAMS parent portal. This is where rewards and conduct, detentions, timetables, calendars and reports etc. will be held. It is vital that you do log in and we have arranged for our IT team to be available for the next week to field any problems or queries. In September, the ISAMS app will launch, and we think you will find this all helps with communication. For now, homework is staying on Satchel: One but we are looking at this provider next term.
It was lovely to see many of you at Year 8 Parents’ Evening this week and celebrating much good news about progress here; it was also lovely to have such a great turn out for my coffee morning this morning.
Congratulations to our Spoken Cup winners – Dhaman and June in Year 7 and Georgia B in Year 8. Well done!
Short reports (data capture really) are with the students today in all year groups and Year 10 parents have received separate communications about the mocks and reporting cycle. Soon all of this will be on iSAMS and you will simply get an email asking you to take a look! So do remember to log on!
There will be a lot of exciting news to share in the new term about school improvements and I look forward to this, but a flavour, a snippet, will be the arrival of our new Hollygirt minibus in May. This will help us to attend more fixtures and to organise more extra-curricular activities.
Sadly, some goodbyes, to Ms Cooper-Cassady, thank you for everything! We will still see you at football on Fridays so more of an adieu here, I hope. We wish you every happiness in your new ventures. To Mimi – who has helped with just about everything and will continue to support a couple of our youngsters with their History, you’ve been a star! To Carol, who has worked at the school for 23 years and been a dedicated and loyal member of the team. Time to enjoy the petanque and a well-earned rest Carol.
I need to let you know that Mr Firth will leave us this summer and we are busy recruiting for this key role. Mr Firth is moving nearer to home and to a new challenge and in spite of wishing I could glue him to his desk, I can’t, and we will wish him well when the time comes.
Some ‘Hellos’ – to Ms Laura Hill who is our new DT Teacher and to Miss Tracey Brown who will start as our new School Administrator after Easter.
Enjoy your children and we will see you on Tuesday 18th April.
A quick reminder to Year 11 parents that Sixth Form applications and option choices are due in w/c 17th April.
Helen Barsham
Head
Message from the Head of Prep
Good afternoon,
What an eventful term we have had, full of amazing events. I am so proud of how hard everyone has worked and everything the children have achieved.
Our uniform suppliers were in school this week with the new summer dress and I was so pleased with all the positive reactions. If you were unable to purchase a dress this week, it is now available to order online and will also be stocked in the shop. For this year, the red and white gingham dress can still be worn as an alternative.
Well done to the children in Clumber for gaining the most house points this term. EYFS and KS1 enjoyed a movie and snacks whilst KS2 had great fun at Planet Bounce.
This morning, the children have celebrated their achievements in our end of term assembly and this afternoon, will enjoy an Easter egg hunt. The Spring Concert is later this afternoon and I am very much looking forward to this – I am sure there will be some wonderful performances and a really lovely way to end the term.
Thank you to children, parents and staff for all your hard work and support this term. Enjoy the break and I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 18th April.
Victoria Wright
Head of Prep