Many of you will have heard, and hopefully some of you may have seen, that our Chamber Choir featured on BBC Breakfast and various other BBC channels this week having taken part in the performance of The Carol of the Bells in conjunction with a few other schools at Benenden. Raising money to support those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, here is hoping for a Christmas Number One! Our thanks are due to Benenden School and to our own Mrs Lordon, as well as to the members of the Chamber Choir of course.

Other highlights this week, as well as the usual drumbeat of matches, music and magic, have included: the children in Year 4 hearing from some former SVPS pupils, now in the Upper Sixth form at SVS, talking about building friendships and the importance of kindness; the children in Year 5 hearing from local MP, Helen Whately, (see photo here) about what it is like to dedicate your life to public service, where the children asked some searching questions demonstrating their potential for debating (perhaps never in doubt to parents!); the children in Year 6 who have applied to SVS taking their entrance tests today; parents from Nursery to Year 6 who wanted to find out more about our Learning Support team enjoying a coffee morning on Monday; as well as of course the fireworks display last weekend, for which our thanks are due to the SVPSPA.

Of course, nobody will have missed the rain this week either. In such circumstances, parents and children are more than welcome to gather in the Bates Hall if the rain is falling between 8am and 8.15am (when the doors to Underhill or Coles open). I would also like to pay homage to some stoic staff, children and parents who either braved the weather earlier this week, or withstood the onslaught having been caught in Forest School or on the Games pitches when the rain started (again); we very much admire the ambition to get outside, even when sometimes we might have the wrong clothing!

Thank you too for the positive response to the messaging about the driveway in the morning, especially when the weather is against us. The drop off zone is being used for precisely that purpose more consistently now, although please can parents avoid driving onto the curb when trying to pull up, and the extra spaces made available seem to have helped the snake of traffic flow a little more smoothly. Thank you for responding to the message about not idling your cars too.

With Reception nativity rehearsals and other Christmas planning in full swing, the School’s governing body met on Thursday too and not only scrutinised the current operation but also discussed plans for the future, which we look forward to sharing with parents soon. And finally, the Parents’ Consultation Group (PCG) met on Friday afternoon for the first time this year and we will soon share further updates about this meeting.

Have a good, and hopefully dry, weekend.