Christmas 2009 Letter from Mr. Gulley
Dear Parents,
First, a reminder that we break up next Friday, 18th December, at 3 o’clock. We return to school on Tuesday 5th January. Half term will be the week commencing 15th February and the end of term will be Thursday 1st April (no fooling).
As we draw to the end of term I have to inform you that we shall be losing the invaluable services of one of our two deputy heads, Mrs. Green, who is moving to take up a headship in Kent. This is very sad for our school as Mrs. Green has been one of the most energetic, enthusiastic and professional members of staff this school has ever known. She has worked tirelessly as a teacher, as a subject co-ordinator and as Deputy Head, with great success in each area for our school. Mrs. Green has also been highly popular with children and parents alike and by all staff members and she will be sorely missed by us all. I am sure you will join with me in wishing her continued success and much happiness in her new post. Also at the end of term Mrs. Munoz will be starting her maternity leave as she waits to have her baby in January. We wish her great happiness also. Mrs. Okonta will be returning to the Nursery after having her baby.
I am very pleased to report to you that on our recent Charity Day we forwarded £106 to each of six charities and last week we forwarded nearly £400 to the NSPCC after our very enjoyable Maths Day. That makes over £1000 donated this term alone – I always marvel at your generosity despite all the hardships of this day and age. And we sent over 270 pairs of shoes to Africa! Thank you.
I would like to praise your continued support for all that we do at Temple Sutton – it is, as I have said many times in these letters, one of the key components in our successes. The interest shown by parents in Foundation Stage 2 and Year 1 in their children’s work in recent weeks has been phenomenal, as has been the support for those children taking the eleven plus recently. Parents are hugely involved in their children’s development throughout our Children’s Centre and Nursery and, to be quite honest, I am finding such support prevalent throughout all our year groups. I look forward to 2010 and even greater involvement. I hope that we can re-establish our Circle of Friends with a strong influx of new volunteers – watch out for the AGM date in January. Watch out also for a new Parent Council I intend to establish in the year ahead.
When we return in January, work will have just commenced on the building of three new classrooms which I told you about earlier in the year. This work will unfortunately be quite disruptive – the path into the playground from the Lewes Road entrance will be blocked and an alternative route will be laid out. Although every aspect of the building site will be blocked off I would urge you to take great care. The entrances to 1JC and each of the Foundation Stage 2 Classes will be unaffected. It will be the area leading into the playground which will be blocked off. I would urge you to use the Norwich Avenue Gate if you can. Thank you. The work is due to be completed by May 20th. Our Children’s Centre extension and entrance remodelling will be completed by the start of the new term.
I would like to close by praising others – our Years 1 and 2 for their excellent Nativity production, a joy to behold; our various Choirs, performing in the Cumberlege Centre, the Pensioners’ Club at St. Edmund’s Community Centre and in Cluny Square (7pm on 16th December), this last one being a lovely community event; our Chess Team who went to Hertfordshire in Round Two of the National Secondary Schools’ Knockout Championship and demolished a large secondary school 6-0, and so many of our children for their great attitude, good manners and warm characters – they keep an old headteacher happy. I would also like to thank and praise all members of staff for their continued professionalism, commitment, good humour and high levels of care. In these days of harsh judgements by inspection teams, financial cutbacks and unbelievable demands by the Department for Children, Schools and Families amongst others, it is good to know that we have such a dedicated and talented staff working so hard, as was reported by the OFSTED team that visited us this year and as I witness every day. You will be proud to know that the Value Added Score for our school in the last academic year (the improvement from Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2) was the third highest in Southend. Our expectations remain high for our children.
May I wish you and all your family much happiness this Christmas and I look forward yet again to another successful year in 2010. By the way, contrary to rumours, Mr. Gulley is not retiring next year! Best wishes.
Mr. G