I hope that you have all had a good week and that the football fans amongst you have managed to come to terms with the England defeat last weekend. There was maybe something about the World Cup being in Winter that lessened the pain. There certainly hasn’t been the same euphoria surrounding the tournament.
I have attached information regarding Strep A and scarlet fever. We are tracking cases and ensuring that we are following any guidance that we are given. We have increased cleaning around the site and have put hand sanitizer back into every classroom. If your child is unwell, please do not send them into school.
We had a safeguarding audit conducted this week by an external safeguarding expert. For part of the process, he was able to speak to large numbers of our pupils and he remarked on how polite, well spoken, respectful and well behaved they all were. He spent time around the site and was impressed by the strong identity and pride in the way pupils wear their uniform and embrace The Alsager Way. We do set high standards, and this is reflected in the outstanding behaviour exhibited by the overwhelming majority of our pupils. It was a pleasure to hear such lovely comments about our school.
Yesterday we had our first Christmas concert in three years, and it was an absolutely fantastic evening. A big thank you to all pupils who took part and to all parents and carers who attended and who put up with the hours of practice! We have a wealth of talent in school and it is always a pleasure to be part of these performances. It has certainly helped to set the tone for our school production of Beauty and the Beast in March ’23. I would urge everyone to come along; our shows are always spectacular.
It is the time of year when we start to reflect on our achievements and make plans for the new year. How many of us will make resolutions to become fitter and healthier, perhaps to maintain our youthful looks. There will be no need for any of that for people in South Korea. Currently babies in the country become 1 on the day they are born and then get an additional year tacked on come January 1st. Babies born on December 31st can age 2 years within hours. However, as of next year, South Korea is adopting the international standard of counting age so all South Koreans will soon become a year or two younger. I do love that idea!
The weather has turned extremely cold. We suffered a burst pipe in Elkin Building on Thursday evening which has meant we have 5 classrooms out of action today, but hopefully they should be fine by Monday. Please encourage your child to wear a plain tee-shirt or vest (!) under their school shirts, wear thick socks or tights and to bring a warm coat.
I messaged all pupils this week with a gentle reminder about hairstyles and to save any extreme haircuts or colours for Thursday afternoon. I also shared with them information about keeping safe throughout the winter period. Please do speak to them about this. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the boys who sadly died last weekend in Solihull.
We are moving to the end of a very busy term. We have attendance certificates to hand out and we have introduced swans for pupils with the highest number of BFL ones this term. Pupils can look forward to receiving these in the new year based on their commitment to their learning this term.
There are not many schools continuing into next week, but we will reap the benefit in January. A reminder that school closes at 12:05 on Thursday 22nd December. As always, thank you for all of your support this term. Thank you to all parents and carers who have been in touch this week to thank our staff for their hard work. Your kind words are very much appreciated.
“I start early, and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.” (Lionel Messi)
