I hope that your children have had a wonderful and well-deserved break. As a new member of staff, I have been so impressed by how welcoming and kind your children are and this sense of family is the one thing I am always struck by when I walk around the school. None of this could happen without an amazing staff body who are so committed to the children and bring all their energy to life inside and outside the classroom: it is something which rubs off on all of us. These qualities came together in house singing on the final Monday before Half Term where the sense of camaraderie extended to all acts: the house rivalry was mixed with plenty of appreciation for one another gave everyone the confidence and energy needed to perform on stage. Lying on top of this event were the individual performances from Jack (on piano), Emily (on violin), Hanaa (dance) and Xavia (guitar and singing) and then the four dancers who performed with such elegance and poise – Hanaa, Sophia, Diya and Emily. These Year 7 and 8 pupils were wonderful role models but they were not alone, all the senior year groups lead their houses with energy and inclusion and you could see how much the younger year groups gained from such obvious, authentic care. As you can tell, I wake up each day very proud to lead such a wonderful school and even though the nights are drawing in the energy levels from the pupils will keep us going all the way to the wonderful Christmas Services, I do hope you will be able to join us for these.