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Back to it!!
As one of the staff said on Facebook last week: " Who stole the holidays!" :)
As soon as they began we seem to already be back to work, with Christmas celebrations a hazy memory as we begin the new term.
I spent a good deal of the holiday, as I hope you all did, relaxing, and catching up with family and friends. I also reconnected with one or two old friends- having a little more time I discovered a couple of people online who had somehow dropped off my Christmas Card List, and I've been happily rolling back the years.
I spent the last week before we came back (and every weekend and most evenings since!) trying to find a new car. Its something I like to do once in a while , and the New Year always feels like the right time! I think I've probably got it sorted out now, so if you see me in some flashy looking vehicle you'll know I managed to!
Everyone is already back in the swing of things - Ms. Cox and I had one of our "Learning Walks" on Friday afternoon, and the overwhelming feeling we had as we visited each classroom was how very comfortable, and above all else happy every single one of the staff seemed to be. School is certainly a very happy place at the moment- long may it last.
I'm amazed that I've already been here a full year, yet somehow feel like I've been here a great deal longer- someone commented about me no longer being the "New Head" but I'm not certain when that happened- but I certainly feel like the newness has gone. Its a very postive feeling.
Lots of things to look forward to this term, I'm off to London on Friday to an ICT exhibition, to get an idea of the latest developments in ICT in Education, and make sure we keep ahead of the game in school.
Over the next few weeks we will have some news regarding the position for September in terms of accomodation- Council spending decisions are currently being finalised and I have a meeting on the 19th when I will find out if we are moving out or staying put!
Rest assured that which ever situation we find ourselves in, out primary focus of providing the very best for every child within our school will be just as it ever was.
Technological developments!!!
No Mrs. Beetham this morning- she's out finding out about ways to collect money for things like lunches and trips using an online system. As the school gets bigger the amount of cash we are handling weekly is becoming extremely large, and as a result we are looking for a more effective system.
Feeling all technologically inspired by this I have just set up a school "Twitter" account which I will attempt to update with news from school when I can. For those of you versed in such things you can follow us on twitter @Gomersalprimary. More developments to follow #watchthisspace :) I'm also looking at setting up an iphone and android application which will allow us to feed news to parents really effectively- again, more news to follow as we progress. Finally we are also looking at using email to reduce the amount of paper coming in and out of school, so we will be able to distribute newsletters and suchlike to you all without the hazards of pupil post.
Enough technology for now- my head already hurts!!!
Only a few weeks until Easter, and the end of an era- Hilary Hepworth, our school caretaker will be retiring at Easter, and I am sure you would all wish to join with me in wishing her a very happy retirement.
Her successor has already been appointed, Mr. David Batley, and he will be joining us after Easter- we look forward to welcoming him to the team.
Exciting news on the staffing front- for those of you who don't know, Mrs. Barrett, and indeed Mr. Barrett are eagerly anticipating a new addition to their family in September- we are all excited to the new arrival to the family :)
Parents' Evenings this week- Hope to get a chance to talk to many of you over the next few days.
September 2012
Because I haven’t been here for a while…….
It was mentioned in passing that my blogs on here had become less frequent- Looking at the “latest” update I can see that to be true- last time I blogged Mrs. Barrett was announcing her pregnancy now the baby has arrived – sounds like nine months or so to me!!
Apologies for the gap- it’s not that there isn’t anything to say, more that the time to say it in has been filled with all those other things that take up the days (and often the evenings too)
School is ridiculously busy (and very, VERY crowded) at the moment- can’t wait for Easter to arrive when we finally move to more suitable accommodation. The most popular question is regarding what will happen to this site when we go- the most straightforward answer is that we really don’t know- talk of carpet warehouses and residential development are still just rumours.
Work has begun up the road- the bungalow which used to belong to the caretaker has been demolished, together with the greenhouse and outbuildings. It’s turning into a building site up there, and I think I’ve been banned from visiting for the time being. We took the opportunity to have a really good look round the whole site at the beginning of term and were really excited by what we saw, particularly with the school grounds. The grounds here are lovely and we are very lucky to have such good spaces, but our new school grounds will present some huge opportunities for developing the curriculum both inside and outside- we are already looking at ways to take fullest advantage of every opportunity.
Lots and lots of new children and lots and lots of new staff and a real excitement in school. The greatest thing about working in this kind of environment is that no two days are ever the same. There are ups and downs, busy times, and even busier times, but every day is really varied and exciting-always something to keep us on our toes.
For the first time in living memory we have a full intake of sixty reception children- lots of faces to learn and names to remember and lots of potential to develop and experiences to enjoy. It’s really daunting to look at the beginning of seven years of education and to picture how far each of them is going to travel- scary in many ways, but absolutely why we do what we do.
I was talking to some visitors on Friday, and holding forth about my long standing personal theory that I may or may not have already mentioned on here. I believe that everyone, every single person can be absolutely brilliant- completely world class, at something- and that the lucky ones actually find that thing that they are good at. We can’t all be Usain Bolt, or David Beckham, but maybe we do all have potential to be great at something. David Beckham was lucky enough to discover his talent at an early age, and to have his potential spotted and nurtured. I believe that as educators we should try as far as possible to encourage children and young people to take up as many opportunities to experience as wide a range of different activities as possible. They might be musical, creative, sporting, academic- we may have a budding Usain Bolt in our reception class right now, but if they are never encouraged to run, we will never know. Our job is to provide opportunities for children to shine, an environment in which they are secure enough to take risks and fail, and encouragement to keep trying to be the best that they can.
Enough for now- I shall try to make sure I return to this page more often, especially since I’ve discovered that at least one person reads it!
October 2012
Twice in a week!
After a long gap, two blogs in a week! I blame Chris Moyles! As stupid as that sounds, it did occur to me that it probably is his fault (or perhaps the controller of Radio One) To explain, my journey into work takes me about half an hour. I used to listen to Chris Moyles and found that doing that involved active listening, there was so much “talk” that I wasn’t able to think at the same time (if that makes sense!) The journey home is very similar- Radio Four always has things to make me think. Since Chris Moyles left I’ve been completely unable to find anything to replace him on the radio, so have started to listen to my daughter’s “holiday playlist” CD’s . I find that background music helps me to tune out, and I’m able to think more on my journey, and I’m constantly surprised about the things that pop into my head.
Today I was recalling the way in which different people have impacted on me as a person, and in particular on those people in schools who have inspired a love of learning.
I think it started with National Poetry Day, or whatever it was called! We didn’t particularly celebrate this one- I think I’ve mentioned before, we could have a “special” day almost every week and I know it becomes tiresome thinking of Fancy Dress costumes every few weeks! Anyway, my son’s school has a new (Very keen!) head, and at the moment they seem to celebrate every possible event – this week alone we have had National Poetry Day and Jeans for Genes. Jacob was lucky enough to be chosen for a special workshop with Simon Armitage, an old favourite of mine, and he even managed to get him to sign a couple of his books for me….. Yesterday he came home telling me about assembly, where all the staff wore T-shirts with their favourite poem on them. He was a bit annoyed because the head of English had said that lyrics were acceptable, so most of the staff had the words to their favourite songs on there, “which isn’t REALLY poetry” according to Jacob…. That’s a whole different debate, and one for another occasion, but it started me thinking about where my interest in poetry began, and thus onto teachers, especially ones I actually remember. In particular this morning I was recalling English lessons with Mr. Heavisides (who we used to call light bottom!) who definitely managed to spark some kind of interest, and I imagine I owe him a great debt. The other teacher who somehow managed to capture my interest was a very strange physics teacher , Mr. Mead. He was a very unusual gentleman- he wore a suit which had cost him 1p (this is in the days before ebay, so very impressive!) and attempted to teach us various aspects of physics through song- usually played on his Chinese Viola, and woe betide anyone who called it a violin!!!
I didn’t succeed massively in sciences, but still can sing Archimedes Principle perfectly (but please don’t ask!!)
The point of all this is, I suppose that as we journey through education, and indeed through life, various people influence and guide us, and some will leave a lasting impression. They might be teachers, friends, or any people we relate well to. As an educator, and as a parent, it strikes me that this responsibility is huge – imagine that every action, every lesson, every interaction could be the one that a child will remember in 30, 40, 50 years time. Imagine every person you come across could be someone who will take something you have said, and somehow allow it to make a positive difference to their lives. It’s a massive, and really quite frightening responsibility, to be a person who in many years time someone will say- I remember when they did this, or said this, or how that made me feel. It’s a scary thought, but an important one. I hope we continue to bear in mind just how significant our actions and words can be to other people, and in particular to our children.
Enough. Time for meetings- have a wonderful weekend.
Back to School again!
Aren't half terms wonderful!! A week's break at some randomly appointed time, and often just when you need it most. I had a wonderfully full week, and managed to cover about a thousand miles of driving in visiting various relatives and friends. A really refreshing and positive week- but I'm really glad to be back in school- so much so I actually cleaned my shoes on Sunday afternoon- which is absolutely unheard of! I don't know if it's just me, or society in general, but I don't do shoecleaning anymore unless it's absolutely essential. There must have been some subliminal reason why I decided to clean them. Shame really since Ms. Cox dragged me down to the wooded area at the bottom of the field to look at how it can be used for our new "Forest Schools" initiative. Don't think its been mentioned on here before, but it forms part of our plans for after the move to allow children to learn more effectively from the outdoors environment and to experience life outdoors- think den-making, cooking over open fires etc. etc. It is going to be a really exciting addition to what we already provide. If anyone is interested, the Ms. Cox will be happy to talk at GREAT length about the scheme. If I were you I'd be inclined to look at the forest schools' website - it will probably be quicker....... http://www.forestschools.com/ . Anyway, my shoes are now filthy!!!!
Also, I've been annoying everyone who will listen, and plenty of people who didn't want to about Derren Brown's Apocalypse. Tbh he isn't my favourite television watch, but started to watch this show by accident and found myself totally enthralled. I finished it off last night and the whole thing was an incredibly well put together show. It may or may not have been faked, but the message which comes from the show was incredibly powerful. If you watched it and didn't think "Wizard of Oz" then you should watch it again with that in mind- if you didn't watch it, then I'd recommend it to you. It requires a little stamina, and maybe a little suspension of disbelief, but if you think in terms of the Wizard of Oz it works incredibly well. I think the idea that we all essentially have everything we already need to become better people comes through very well, and is a great message to remember. After a week of travelling all over the country visiting friends and relations, there really is "no place like home", and this strange "event" of a television show really helped me to understand that better. Watch it- just maybe not with the children!
Blackburn versus Huddersfield tonight- if I'm not in school tomorrow you know why!!!!
Almost there!!!
We're finally in the home straight and on the push towards Christmas- feels like it has been a week too long and I'm sure we are all ready for a well-deserved break. It was great to see so many of you last week at the various Christmas events, I hope you all enjoyed the "Carols in the Playground" and Early Years performances as much as I did!
The excitement is definitely building- I collected my eldest from University at the weekend, and we are looking forward to a peaceful and quiet Christmas together at home.
On the subject of Christmas (topical as ever!), does anyone else totally DREAD one of those "round robin" letters inserted inside a Christmas card? I love Christmas as much as anyone, but some of these annual missives make me feel just a teeny bit nauseous! Are everyone else's children SO much more successful and productive than mine? (No!) Is everyone else's life so much fuller, happier and more significant than mine? (again, I think not..) I keep threatening my wife that one year I'm going to send one of these letters round listing our many and various family achievements...... maybe I can stretch it to a couple of paragraphs. :)
Lots of Christmas excitement around school, parties this week then a wonderful break to enjoy my VERY favourite time of year. I can't wait to spend a gloriously peaceful Christmas day with my family- just the four of us, going through our own Christmas Traditions, pleasing ourselves, and sharing in a family celebration together.
I really ought to do some shopping at some point too.
I hope that all of you enjoy Christmas as much as I intend to, and look forward to seeing everyone in what promises to be a REALLY exciting New Year.
Have a good one!
At last!
The coundown to the end of term is now into hours and minutes, and a legion of badly dressed children and staff is enjoying the celebrations to mark the end of term. The re-scheduled "Bad Christmas Jumper" day fits nicely with the end of term, and the final Christmas party has begun. It's been a busy half term, and it has been great to see so many parents and friends of the school at our various Christmas celebrations.
We are back to school on Tuesday 8th January (assuming that the Mayans somehow got it wrong) for our very last term in our current building.
Lots to look forward to in the New Year, and I know that all the staff are really excited about the move, and will all benefit from a peaceful Christmas break.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
It's been a while.....
I've not been active on here for a while. A combination of the normal day to day, and excessive amounts of buildings related issues have been literally eating up my days. I think its 60 days or so until we actually make the move up to the new site, and it can't come soon enough. So many decisions to be made, so many question to answer, choices to be taken, and everybody seems to have a different thing to worry about. In April it will all be done and we will be up there, functioning as normal, in fact functioning better than normal!!
We are planning a leaving event- an opportunity for the whole school community to leave the current Gomersal Primary School and to arrive at the new school as one. More details to follow, but hopefully it should be a morning to remember.
Outside of school life is similarly hectic- so many things to take care of, and the changable weather just seems to add to problems. I must change tack, I'm starting to feel like I'm whinging- and hopefully nothing could be further from the truth! We are all very excited about the move, and eagerly anticipating our new context with a very positive outlook. We're also all VERY tired and looking forward to half term. As many of you will be aware, Mrs. Carter leaves on Friday to begin her Maternity leave and we wish her, her husband Jack and the pending new arrival all the best- photos available soon after the birth I'm sure!!!
I'm glad I started this today! It seems to have taken me out of a stressed beginning to the day and allowed a little reflection, which is always a good thing. Tuesdays are often a good day- I have my quiz league tonight (Murgatroyd Arms, Halifax- 13 games unbeaten and clear top of the Halifax Winter quiz league!) and we can seal the second division title tonight if results go our way. Unfortunately this then results in promotion to the first division where we will be against many teams who would be more at home on "Eggheads"!!! In fact, famously one gentleman who shall remain nameless who used to wear his official "Yes I was on Eggheads!" T-shirt, until the offers of Margharitas (the drink associated with the question he got wrong to lose the show) got too much for him- I understand he burnt it in the end!!!
Now I'm starting to ramble, must be nearly time to go. Last few things- Really actually enjoyed "Les Miserables" despite my hatred of musical theatre (don't ask), and have to admit to having got something in my eye when Anne Hathaway performed "I dreamed a dream" I'm also reserving 10.00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings for Ricky Gervaise's "Derek" - if you haven't seen it I would say it's definitely worth a look- you will I imagine, either love it or hate it- certainly our household is divided. It's a powerful comedy with some very serious messages about disability and old age (as well as a great deal of boderline appropriate humour!)
Back to packing and planning......
Blogging in the Holidays- How rude! :) Now here's a first- blogging in the holidays! No particular reason- possibly a little more time and a desperate need to avoid watching Coronation Street...... but sometimes it's nice to sit down in front of the keyboard and see what comes out. (thank goodness for the delete button....) So far the holiday has been good- caught up with some friends at the weekend, and ventured into parts of Halifax town centre that I wouldn't have known existed (and came home good and early!!). All my suits are having their half termly clean, and I'm slowly working my way down the list of jobs provided for me by my dear wife. :) Popped into school today to sort out some dates- I'm VERY excited about the move, and have begun planning the "official" opening which is likely to take place in June, and will almost certainly involve a totally inspirational person who I've managed to get to do the official opening- I can't WAIT to welcome them to school and hope that their exceptionally busy diary allows them to come and help us celebrate our new site. She has promised me that the only reason for cancelling will be if she gets her invite to London to pick up her MBE from the Queen! (no really!) Watch this space for more news later. The end of term disco was a great success- lots of hot sweaty children dancing to Mr. Batley's disco- what fun....... I'm having a restful week, quiz night tomorrow and up to Durham on Friday are the only real plans,
Blogging in the Holidays- AGAIN!!!! It must be a reflection of the current state of my workload that yet again I'm blogging in the holidays- technically not even really in the holidays- the last evening of the last day of my "Easter Break" As I'm sure you can imagine Easter hasn't been a particularly restful time- I managed to get Flu which forced me into having a little time out of school, but for the most of it we've been "Decanting" and "Recanting" the school into our new site. I have to use the official Kirklees terms for moving in and out apparantly! The new school is looking wonderful- work is complete enough for us to move in safely on Wednesday, and although there have been one or two delays in certain areas, the workmen have moved heaven and earth to ensure we open on time. We will be operating normally, and all the classrooms are fully working- we just have one or two spaces which we won't have access to for a week or so, but nothing to stop us from starting term on time as promised. It has been a REALLY exciting few weeks, every day something new seems to arrive or happen. There is so much to see at the new site, I hope many of you are able to come up with us on Wednesday morning to have a look round and see the new place. The staff have done a tremendous job over the Easter break, and I'm sure you would want to join me in thanking them for their efforts- In particular Mrs. Beetham and Mr. Batley who have both worked tirelessly to ensure that everything arrived in the right places and that as far as possible the move ran smoothly- we couldn't have managed without them !!! I hope to see as many of you as possible on Wednesday as we finally arrive at the new school.
