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Newsletter No: 34
Friday 5th July 2024
Children, staff, parents, grandparents, Governors, Head Master, and distinguished guests – a very warm welcome to our St Peter’s 2-8 End of Year Review and Celebration 2024. This wonderful occasion affords us the opportunity to come together to celebrate the many and varied achievements of our children, to express our gratitude, and to say a fond farewell to the departing staff. Above all, we gather to wish our fabulous Year 3 children well as they embark on the next stage of their educational journey.
At St Peter’s, our aim and core purpose is to nurture amazing adults who have a great time at school, and this very much starts with our youngest pupils. Young children are highly competent and capable, naturally inquisitive, and constantly seeking to understand their world. They are brave adventurers and explorers, creative thinkers full of burning questions, and amazing problem solvers who believe they can do just about anything! Childhood is such a precious but increasingly fleeting time, and it must be treasured. At St Peter’s 2-8 we harness these innate learning characteristics of childhood to nurture resilient, collaborative, resourceful and reflective learners who will be successful in their careers and personal lives and be able to make a positive mark on our world. It is during these formative years that the children learn the fundamentals of English and Maths, vital for accessing all learning but also develop the crucial values and dispositions needed to thrive and succeed. The children in front of me that we educate today will write the future and be the change makers of tomorrow, which seems particularly pertinent on this particular day and highlights the importance of the role of education in our society.
Of course, it is teachers who are the beating heart of education. Our incredible teaching staff make magic happen daily for the children. They work with energy, vision, care and dedication to ensure the best possible school experience, planning innovative themes and activities, and creating exciting learning environments. They seek to know and understand each child, enabling them to expertly direct and guide the children on their educational journey. Though this year may be coming to a close, our teachers are already working hard and planning for next year, the work of a teacher never ends. And the complex business of teaching and learning means we can never be the finished product! We are always learning too. Defined by a strong and unwavering sense of purpose, our teachers and teaching assistants are truly dedicated remarkable people one and all. Thank you for all that you do for the children; you make 2-8 the incredible school that it is.
Thank you to Mrs Coyle as Head of Early Years and Mrs Salisbury as the Deputy Head. These are not easy jobs to do. Both of you have been a constant source of support and worked tirelessly to make this year a huge success. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Alexander to the 2-8 leadership team in September as Head of EYFS.
Being the Head of 2-8 this year and a member of the Whole School Leadership Team has been the greatest privilege of my career and a source of huge pride to be entrusted to lead this section of St Peter’s. I would like to thank the WSLT and Mr Walker for their warm welcome, support, friendship and collegiality, particularly to Mr Hardy for his invaluable support and belief in me, and to the governors led by Mr Woolley for their guidance and advice.
As the proverb says "It takes a village to raise a child." This is certainly true at St Peter’s, where the work of so many often unseen contributes to the quality and care given to our children and families. To our school admin team, Mrs Mc Currie and Mrs Clark, we simply couldn’t function without you. You are the engine room of the school, ensuring it runs smoothly, managing finance, clubs, calendars, trips, and more. You are always ready for anything the day may bring, often the unexpected, and face it all with a smile and a calm air no matter the challenge! We welcomed Sue to our admissions team this year, a wonderful addition to our team. Sue has done a brilliant job looking after our prospective and new families. Thank you to our Medical Team. A special thank you to Sian, who’s a daily presence at 2-8, looking after all the children’s medical and first aid needs. Her kindness and care for the children are second to none and she’s always on hand with the fix all – the trusty wet paper towel! To our IT team, who come across at a moment’s notice when inevitable IT issues arise and switching it on and off doesn’t work, thank you. The cleaning team working from 6am and after school until 7pm to ensure the school is clean and tidy each day. Stuart, who starts cooking lunches from 6:30am every day to feed our children, along with Moira, Aga, Janet, and Michelle, thank you. To the Facilities and Estates teams, who work around the clock 365 days a year to keep the estate running, safe and secure, and functioning, and for who nothing is ever too much trouble, thank you.
We are so fortunate to have such an active Friends group who volunteer their time generously to organise events and raise funds. This year they have put on discos for the children, organized quiz nights, wreath-making, pop-up cafes, uniform sales, and a fabulous spring ball while also supporting the Yorkshire Children’s Charity, our school charity for the year. Thank you to all of the volunteers who give you time so generously and particularly to Sarah Dolan-Bent and Victoria Woolf for leading the Friends this year. Thank you to our parents for being advocates and enthusiastic supporters of our wonderful school and for the feedback you share with us. We value parental partnerships and positive parental engagement.
To our Year 3 children, congratulations on all that you have achieved at 2-8. It’s been a joy to be a part of your educational journey. I hope every experience you’ve had with us, whether a highlight or a challenge, has given you valuable insight, understanding and knowledge. I know you’ll all continue to shine brightly and do brilliantly.
I wanted to share a little bit of advice from me to send you on your way. Firstly, be brave, grasp every opportunity, and have big dreams. We are often more capable than we believe ourselves to be, and it’s our fear of failing that holds us back. Second, I know I always say this but be kind, the world needs more kindness, and when we show kindness and compassion to others, we get it back, and kindness is infectious. Thirdly, work hard and give your very best to everything you do. A great work ethic will get you far. Fourth, stop now and again to think of how lucky you are and how amazing your life is and appreciate the small things too. Lastly, treasure your family and friends; they are your greatest supporters and will sustain you through tough times. I hope that might help you a little on your journey and I look forward to visiting you when you're in J1.
This week we met Delphi, Mrs Evans baby and Clemmie, Miss Platts baby. Both are utterly gorgeous, and we all loved having baby cuddles. Congratulations to Miss Flockhart and her husband, Mike, on their upcoming marriage. Miss Flockhart will return to school as Mrs Slingsby! We hope you have a wonderful day and a very happy life together. We say goodbye to Mrs Brunton and Miss Cooke who are leaving us but are only on loan as they go to 8-13 next year to share their knowledge and expertise. We know you’ll both be amazing.
And finally, today we say goodbye to Mrs Coyle and Mrs Hall who are leaving St Peter’s. Anna has spent four years as Head of EYFS, and she embodies the very essence of what an Early Years teacher should be. She brings boundless joy and energy, and if your child has been in Anna’s class, you’ll know that her ability to see the world through their eyes provides excellent teaching and learning and the care she gives to each child is second to none. Anna’s wealth of expertise in Early Years education has had such a positive impact on EYFS, particularly Reception. Thank you, Anna. Though she leaves us with a heavy heart she has a lot to look forward to for her next adventure in Colorado, she will be so missed by us all.
Judith has had a 24-year association with St Peter’s, as a houseparent with her husband Chris looking after the boarders in the Rise and for the past 13 years as a Year 2 teacher, teaching around 260 children in that time. A pivotal and passionate member of the Year 2 team, Judith is incredibly dedicated to delivering the highest quality of education and pastoral care. In her time at 2-8, she has also led English and Art and run the library. The children have all benefitted from having a real artist in residence, and Judith has shown every child they too can be artists and they all remember her favourite saying, ‘Draw what you see not what you think you see’. Thank you for all that you have brought, 2-8 will not be the same without you but we wish you every happiness for your future.
Thank you to everyone and I hope you all have a lovely summer.
With Best Wishes
