Dear Parents,
The run-up to Christmas begins in earnest next week, with rehearsals under way for the readers, soloists and group performers starring in the Carol Service that will be filmed in the Chapel on Wednesday 9th December. All Prep children will be involved, so please make sure your child has their blazer in school and is looking smart! A ‘You Tube’ link will be sent out so parents can all watch it on Tuesday evening, 15th December, instead of going to St Swithun’s Church in East Grinstead.
Similarly, the Nativity productions in the Pre-Prep are being filmed over next week, with the links sent out for parents once it has all been edited together. Although it is more complicated this year having socially distanced singing and performing in bubbles, the children are thoroughly enjoying the preparations. The Nursery children’s fun Christmas activities on Tuesday 15th will be filmed and sent home at the end of term.
Next week, we have ABRSM Music exams on Monday, so good luck to all those taking grades, particularly Ethan in Year 8 who is sitting both his Grade 8 piano, and his Grade 5 flute exam. Our young piano player, 6 year old Hongqi, who plays at Grade 4+ standard, has been the star of our social media posts. He is another very talented musician, who is destined to sit Grade 8 before he leaves us.
On Thursday, all of Year 6 will be sitting a formal Verbal Reasoning test, under strict exam conditions, as preparation for Senior School entry tests held early in January. Feedback from parents last year suggested that the physical experience of this sort of exam situation, would help make the real thing slightly less daunting, so we have listened and put something in place.
Friday 11th December is “Christmas Jumper” day for the whole school. Festive non-uniform can be worn, with a suggested £2 donation going to Save the Children. On the charity front, the Reverse Advent Calendar is still going ahead until the end of term. Children can bring in daily donations of food etc. that we will share between two local charities which both support the needy.
There is a full morning of prospective parent tours going on tomorrow, so my thanks to the staff involved, and to parents who continue to recommend the school to their friends and colleagues.
Have a great weekend.
Chris Jones