Dear OFS Community,
We returned to the perfect theme as we enter the season of Lent - ‘making healthy choices’. I dropped into the various year group assemblies that were tailored to this topic and it was wonderful hearing the different levels of understanding as well as curiosity around this subject. I was also impressed with the honesty on display – talking about balancing plates of food, bedtimes, getting rest, exercise and so much more...our pupils from youngest to oldest are so self-aware and willing to really engage.
I’m not sure how I feel about this – on the one hand it strikes me that this decision could be described as closing the door after the horse has bolted? On the other hand, it might curb addictions and negative outcomes that we have all been reading about with growing frequency.
Time for some futher research!
On Tuesday Yr4 zipped into London to visit the Natural History Museum as an extension to their Creative Curriculum topic on Japan. With London on the doorstep, we're so lucky to be able draw upon fantastic experiences that encourage pupils to dig deeper with their research - the earthquake simulator was a hit along with the volcano exhibits.
My favourite thing was seeing the big whale and doing the earthquake experience." - Kiaan
My favourite part of the NHM trip was the workshop because we saved a village from an erupting volcano." - Jai
My favourite part was seeing the medical kit, the quizzes and experiencing the earthquake!" - Anaiya
I enjoyed the workshop and being trained as a scientist." - Jehan
My favourite part was the earthquake simulator as it was so realistic I thought I was in a real earthquake!" - Gautam
The Magical World of Theatre
On Wednesday, we travelled by tube to London Victoria for the annual English Yr6 trip to see Wicked. We were all impressed with the pupils’ enthusiasm for the show. We look forward to the follow-up work where we will be putting Elphaba on trial, and perhaps realising she may not be as ‘wicked’ as first thought.
Visiting the Tower of London
Yr 1 didn't let the monsoon weather dampen their spirits on their trip to the Tower of London! They marvelled at the sheer size of the London landmarks that they had seen in books and were dazzled by the Crown Jewels. They saw a real example of a Tudor house that had survived the Great Fire and spoke to a Beefeater. The children had a memorable day.
Partnerships
It was fantastic to host Grange Primary pupils to an afternoon festival of Netball for Year 3. Mixing up the teams meant partnerships and collaborations were essential with ‘teamwork’ being the overriding theme. I have no doubt that a great deal of good comes from these events and I simply want more opportunities for our children to find purposeful as well as recreational reasons to meet and come together across Harrow. Seeing children celebrating achievements having just met each other is pretty powerful stuff – thank you to the parents for their equally positive vocal support!
Tooled Up
As a Tooled-Up School, we have access to some fantastic resources, do click through on the link below for the latest food for thought:
I know that we are living through especially challenging times, but I would invite every member of our community, regardless of faith, to use the season of Lent to simplify our lives by searching for what we truly need. This might mean giving something up or taking up something new but if it’s founded in ‘healthy choices’, it can only lead to good!
Tim Calvey