Dear Children, Parents and Carers,
Firstly, my weekly message to the children,
Wow! It’s been so hot and yet so many of you have joined in with our Virtual Sports Week! I’m so impressed by your competitive spirit and by your determination. Well done for every point scored! I’m looking forward to hearing about the final results and I’m really glad to see how many of you have enjoyed taking part and working together even though you’re at home. It’s such a great attitude, and lovely to see teamwork and inter-house competition even in these tricky times. If you haven’t joined in yet, take a look at the website and do keep sending in your scores to Laura Sutton who’s masterminded the whole event so well!
With today being Fluffy Friday, I hope that you’ve come up with some good ideas for how to spend the day, especially if you were at home on your own. It’s been fun in school, although usually some of the best parts of Fluffy are getting to mix everyone up across the year groups and also going off site, and then telling each other all about it at the end of the day – we weren’t able to do any of that today, so it’s made me even more determined to get back to proper Fluffy Fridays as soon as possible. I promise that as soon as we can have one, we’ll make sure that it’s timetabled in!
There are so many different things to look forward to happening again one day. We’re all having to be really patient as we wait. I’m looking forward to hearing about the government’s plans for September, but until then, we’re working out ways for you to pop into school and collect your end of year report and your books. I’ll send your parents and carers details next week. Look out for the instructions because I know you’ll want to call in and say hello, even if it’s not quite what we’d hoped for, but just a short visit will be lovely.
And now to our parents and carers:
While we were all so pleased to see lockdown restrictions being lifted, it still doesn’t help us with welcoming more children back into school. Until we can go above 15 in a group, we just can’t do it. As I’ve said to the children, however, I’ll let you know about how we’ve arranged to invite you in briefly to pick up PE kits and books. We’ll also arrange for you to collect your child’s report at the same time. We’ll send details by parentmail next week.
I heard this week the sad news that Barry Williams, a previous Holy Trinity headteacher, has died. Barry served as head here long before my time so I spoke to Richard Rowe, my predecessor, who knew him very well. Richard wrote the following words in tribute to him and I thought you’d like to read about his contribution to the school’s history:
My predecessor as headteacher of Holy Trinity School, Barry Williams died on Monday 8th of June. He was 88 years old. It was my privilege to know him for forty years, firstly as colleague at many music festivals and sporting occasions in Guildford when I taught at Northmead and for almost all of his retirement meeting up with him at church on our annual holiday to the Isle of Wight.
Barry was head of HT from 1970 to 1989. He saw the school through very major changes; moving to its present site from South Hill as well as changing from an all-through primary to a middle school. Barry’s first headship was on the Isle of Wight at Carisbrooke. He was proud to be a ‘teaching head.’ He had an almost fulltime teaching commitment as well as heading up
music, drama and RE in the school. Music and Drama were his passion and he produced many outstanding plays and musicals.
Above all Barry was a great man with a great faith. He was always enthusiastic and fun, completely committed to the children and their well-being. He loved practical jokes – on one occasion getting the entire school to line up on South hill to welcome the ‘Queen’ only for he – himself to come cycling down the hill bedecked in Union Jacks!
He was an outdoorsman, a keen scout, cyclist, swimmer and canoeist. He had over thirty years of retirement, all spent helping others, organising amateur dramatics and being a stalwart member of Christ Church, Totland Bay, where he was a musician and ran the Sunday school well into his eighties. He also toured the old people’s homes leading sing-songs!
The Christ Church website said that Barry had been ‘promoted to Glory.’ We thank God for a life well lived and send our prayers to Maureen his wife, his children and grandchildren.
I wish I had met him and feel sure that he would have been proud to hear how well HTPD is thriving, even in these most challenging of times. Thank you for your ongoing support and kindness to the whole staff team as we work together to continue his legacy.
Do remember that we are closed on Monday for our midsummer holiday. I hope you have a great family day together.
With love,
Clare
Thought of the week: “Bee strong,” When have you had to be strong inside? “Blessed are those who are persecuted, for great is your reward in heaven,” Matthew 5, v11.
Friday Fun - is now available on this week's JTLYK page.
A parent has shared a post from another school in which families donated a book that increased the school’s stock of titles addressing racism and diversity. We would love to make our stock more representative of our community and more dedicated to educating the children in anti- racism. If this is something you would like to be a part of please mail Geraldine and she can supply a list of titles.