Volume No: 2004-05/22

Date: 1 April 2005

The events of this week have been sadly overshadowed by the passing away of Mrs Hamsa Ravi Mandalam. Hamsa, as she was known to all of us, was a familiar figure around the school, giving generously of her time and skills to both children and staff. She will be sorely missed by all of us and I know that I write on behalf of the whole school community when I extend our deepest sympathy to Dr Ravi, Chitra and the family.

The end of term seems to be approaching at a startling rate. Today is Mufti Day and before the end of term next week we shall be squeezing in House volleyball matches, a secondary karaoke and disco evening, a family assembly for Year 1/2 , and a final assembly. Year 11, meanwhile, are working harder than they have ever worked in their lives to complete coursework and prepare for their (I)GCSE and GCSE examinations.

End of Term

Term finishes, as usual, at 12.00 noon on Wednesday 6 April.

Clubs

Clubs will run as normal next Monday and Tuesday.

Lost Property

We seem to have an accumulation of lost property at the moment, much of which has been there for a very long time – several months in some instances! All lost property needs to be cleared by the end of Monday, 4 April, please, and any unclaimed items will be disposed of. This is your last chance!

Website Addresses

A parent recently asked if we could suggest good websites for use by children. Tom White has very kindly put together the attached list. He has checked all of these sites to confirm that they work properly and we hope they will prove useful. As one of my favourite ICT quotes says, “It’s all out there – the trick is finding it”. This should help. On an interactive basis, if you find any of these sites particularly useful, let me know and I will publish it in the newsletter to help others.

Dates for Term 3

Along with this newsletter are the key dates for next term. There was no feedback about the format when we published these last term, so we have assumed that this format is acceptable to people and repeated it.

Year 1/2 Family Assembly

Year1/2’s family assembly will take place on Tuesday, 5 April, at 1.30. Obviously this will be of most interest to parents with children in the 1/2 class but all parents are very welcome to attend.

Disco/Karaoke Night

Secondary students have the opportunity to let their hair down a little tonight at the disco and karaoke evening. A separate letter has already been sent out. Please follow the collection times to ensure a smooth and happy evening for all.

Year 1/2 and Year 3/4 Visit to Sapi Island

Julie Wickham writes: “Last week the children, along with some parents, went on a geography visit to Sapi Island .  The day was a mixture of fun-filled activities that included a treasure hunt and sandcastle building, as well as identifying physical and human features of the island.  It is always an important aspect of education for children to draw upon their own experience.  It was a learning opportunity for parents also, as the children had to advise them on what were the physical and human features of Sapi Island !

We would like to thank Mr and Mrs Seung In Park for their generous donation of a boat to take us to Sapi and also for the hospitality they gave us on the island.  Thank you, as well, to the parents who participated so competitively in the activities.  It was a great day out and one to remember!”     

This will be my last letter before the end of this term, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a good break and we look forward to seeing you when next term begins on Monday, 25 April.

Best wishes,