Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been back to winter coats on the playground this week as the weather has been significantly chillier than in recent weeks, although I am told the sun is saving itself for the three-day weekend in seven days' time!  

I am pleased to say that some seriously positive vibes are coming your way in this week's newsletter! Firstly, we have been fortunate to have welcomed back several former pupils on their work experience placement this week, and the way they have added to our positive school culture has been excellent. From supporting our younger learners in the classroom to helping out at short notice on school visits, their energy and enthusiasm have been most welcome. At a time when youngsters and especially teenagers often get a bad reputation in the media, these students have been wonderful role models. A huge thank you to Daniel, Sofia, Destiny, Helen and Taylor, who have undoubtedly added so much to our team this week! We are so proud that you all started your pathway through education at De Havilland and you are welcome back at our school anytime.

My second reason to be cheery is our very own wonderful Miss Black. I received a message from her on Tuesday evening which included the contents of a letter from Sonia in Cherry Class. The note included a big thank you and an uncannily accurate depiction of members of the Year Two team! It was lovely to see the joy spread, and I know Sonia will not be the last child to express their fondness for Miss Black during their time at De Havilland.

I also want to give a shout out to Year Five today for sharing so much of their recent science learning with me. I have learnt all about filtration and how to separate a solid from a liquid. Did you know that we all have two high-tech filters sitting right inside us? Our kidneys act like a super-powered filtration system for our blood, filtering our entire blood supply about 40 times a day to keep us healthy!

Finally, I could not end this newsletter without giving a special mention to our Year 6 cohort. They have shown tremendous positivity and resilience in navigating their way through SATs week in the face of some tricky papers. Their reward today was a multicoloured inflatable obstacle course, which I hope enabled them to let off some steam! They also have their celebratory disco next Wednesday evening to look forward to, and I look forward to seeing many of them dancing the night away.  

Wishing you all a very pleasant weekend and looking forward to seeing everyone next week - the last week of the half-term.

Mr Bostock

Headteacher