Dear Parents,
It was wonderful to see all your children return safely on Monday, happy and relaxed. They all appear to have enjoyed an exciting holiday but most told us they were glad to be back. I’ve never seen so many happy parents either, also saying they are glad to “bring” them back.
We are indeed a happy and caring community with a common aim to nurture responsible, caring pupils whilst promoting high level teacher and learning.
We welcome 116 new pupils, we hope they have enjoyed their first week. I will soon get to know them all. May I remind new parents if you are unsure of anything at all, please ask, we will do our best to help you.
Each year brings positive change. This includes welcoming ten new members of staff.
The primary section welcomes:
Amy Garcia, Fiona Foody, Georgina Flack and Edward Hidden.
The secondary section welcomes:
Louise Marsden, Craig Scott, Sean Moore and Stuart Welsh.
We only recruit the best teachers for your children so please make them feel at home and support them.
The summer break is always a time when we can update our facilities. Just as an example, in the Secondary Section we have created additional classrooms and Science Laboratories, plus extensions of existing labs. Our Foundation Stage pupils can now enjoy new shading.
Thank you for supporting the introduction of our spectacular new uniform and indeed for your positive comments.
As the week has progressed many of the questions you raised have been clarified:
FAQ’s
Q: Does my child have to wear his/her tie now?
A: Some children from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 have chosen to wear their tie already. However, ties are not compulsory until after half-term, i.e. 4 November, as they are classed as winter uniform.
Q: Does my child need to wear his/her blazer?
A: Again, like the above, this is not compulsory for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 until November. However when it becomes cooler and your child requires a coat/jacket, this must be the blazer.
Q: Can the girls wear trousers?
A: Yes, we are a gender-neutral school.
Q: Must long hair be tied back?
A: All hair longer than collar-length MUST be tied back
Q: Are “trainers” acceptable if they are black?
A: No, All pupils must wear a formal black leather-type shoe
For any further questions please ask a member of staff.
At the moment we are in the process of photographing some students wearing the full new uniform, and we will display these around the school.
Lastly, and my apologies for raising a concern in only my second newsletter, but looking at the photos below I think you will understand why.
As you can see, by inappropriate parking some parents are putting our children’s safety at risk. Parents with children in pushchairs have complained they actually have to walk on the road in order to access school.
Inconsiderate parking causes other parents unnecessary stress when they cannot move their cars.
I ask that for you as well as for us the children’s health and safety be paramount. Please support us in this matter.
I sincerely hope that we are going to have another highly successful academic year.
Your sincerely
Elizabeth Batchelor
Principal
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
Welcome back and I hope that you have enjoyed your summer. It has been an absolute pleasure to see you all again. The children have settled into their new classes and routines very quickly, there is an air of peaceful calm along the corridors throughout the day! Understandably, Nursery takes a little longer in the mornings at the moment!
I have especially enjoyed meeting you all again, and some for the first time, in our year group meetings. These have been very well-attended and a great first opportunity to build a relationship with your child’s class teacher. Please remember if you have any queries, no matter how small, always ask your child’s teacher or myself, either directly, via email or via the Homework Diary. Information from these meetings and further information for the year groups can be found on the Parent Portal.
All children have returned looking ‘Super Smart’ in their uniform and I’m sure you will agree that the new one looks amazing! It is a transition year for the uniform which means that you can gradually replace as your children grow. I take this opportunity to remind you that hair must be tied back and shoes must be black leather and not trainers.
As we continue to grow as a school it’s important that children are able to safely enter and exit the building at the start and end of the school day. With this in mind I ask that no parents congregate on the ramp beside the blue pitch, unless of course you are dropping your Year 1 or Year 2 child at the gate in the morning.
This year I am very pleased to welcome new teaching staff to our outstanding team:
Miss Georgina in Year 1 – Miss Amy, Teaching Assistant in Year 1 – Miss Fiona in Year 2 – Mr Hidden in Year 3 – Miss Shaw in Year 5 and Mr Mulligan, our Digital Learning Teacher.
On Monday I will be holding my Welcome Assembly at 9.15 h in the School Hall which of course you are more than welcome to attend. I would also like to remind you that the first PTA Coffee Morning will take place next Wednesday 11 September at 8:50 h in the KS1 dining hall and all parents are invited. Aloha College Marbella and the PTA will hold a Welcome Beach Party at Bono Beach in Elviria on Friday 27 September (starting at 18:30 h) and I hope to see many parents and children there! Tickets on sale from Monday.
I’m looking forward to a great year ahead and in the words of a Year 3 child this week: “I love being back at school…it’s soooo cool!”
Next week’s target is: RESPECT
Talk Homework: What did I enjoy most about my first week back at school?
Your sincerely
Kathryn Salmon
Headteacher, Primary
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Dear Parents,
The first week of term has confirmed that we all needed routine. One would think that going back to school, after two months on holiday, would be rather tedious. Nothing could be further from the truth: your children have begun the year as if nothing has happened in the last eight weeks.We have had a smooth start!
The danger we now face is burning ourselves out through taking on too many activities. It is crucial to remember that in order to achieve a good balance in our daily lives we must rest our body and mind equally. The following example highlights this risk.
Students start their school day at 9:00 and, in many cases, finish well after 18:00. During that time they have had six classes, a break, lunch time, co-curricular activities and possibly an hour of sports. They come home and start homework. Finally they have dinner and go to sleep.
Since the time that we wake up, we should ask ourselves:
How much time do we spend each day alone, doing nothing? Noone around us, no mobiles and no noise.
How much time do we spend relaxing, trying to calm our thoughts?
How much time do we invest in exploring our emotions and how we can learn to feel better?
I am sure that the answer your children and even many teachers would give me to these questions would be: ‘Very little time’.
We don’t allow ourselves to spend time doing nothing. We look for constant entertainment, whether it’s with friends, social media, television or reading a book. We should be aware that being relaxed is just as important as being active.
From the moment you finish reading this letter, try to spend some time alone, in silence, focusing on your breathing. Just 15 minutes a day would be a good start.
I hope you have a good weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Francisco Escobar
Headteacher, Secondary
