Coronations, sagas and sleepovers

Oh my goodness! We are hurtling towards another end of the year and I can’t put the brakes on! We have packed so much into a very short period of time and, as usual, I cannot fault the enthusiasm of the children over the last few weeks.

Sleepovers, both indoors and under canvas, have become part of the school calendar for Middle School. What a great way to spend the night with your best friends and teachers!

Organised chaos happened in the corridors and classrooms as we wound down over the final couple of days and headed towards another glorious summer filled with childhood memories in the making.

King Charles helped us have a brilliant start to the Summer Term when he kindly gave us a bank holiday to help celebrate his Coronation. We had the perfect day enjoying an indoor street party lunch and entertaining our family and friends with renditions of ‘I just can’t wait to be King’ from Year 3, and the Year 4 ‘If I were King’ by A.A. Milne to tumultuous applause.

It was also wonderful to watch the Year 4 children learn to cross stitch and create a crown fit for the King. They worked hard to learn a new skill and teach it to their classmates, giving them a commemorative keepsake of this historic event.

Going back to things kings from a long time ago had to put up with, Year 4 started a short theme with a focus on the Viking invasions, their sagas and their legacy. Comparing, contrasting and chronology kicked off the lessons and they got into the forest to build their own Viking longships - definitely the team players and creative thinkers at their best!

Let’s not forget about Year 3 as they had the opportunity to spend the morning in Stamford as part of their ‘out and about’ topic, searching for physical and human features, and we were all able to take time and really study our local town, known as the ‘best stone town in the UK’ and it's just on our doorstep! An afternoon in Burghley and the new play area really topped off a perfect day.

As we end another year, our Year 3 needs to say a formal farewell to our Reception Buddies, but we will always be on hand to keep an eye on them and make sure they have a smooth transition into Year 1.

We also say a fond farewell to our Year 4 children as they move from Middle School into Upper. It’s been wonderful watching them progress over the years, overcoming the trials and tribulations of homeschooling and developing into fabulous independent learners who are confident, articulate and ambitious young people, and we wish them all the luck in the world.

Also it’s a little bit of change in Middle School as we bid ‘adieu’ to Mrs Donaldson as she moves into Lower School and takes her enthusiasm and charismatic teaching to Year 2. I will certainly miss her ‘joie de vivre’ and homeschooling was much easier with her teaching alongside me - Hans and Heinz live on!

We welcome back Mrs Underwood into Year 4 as we say a fond farewell to Mrs Hawkins, who leaves us for Dubai. Sarah has been with us a short time but her impact will continue to have a significant effect on our lives long after she has left, and as a team we sincerely wish her lots of luck in her new adventures.

On behalf of all the team in Middle School we wish you all a fabulous summer break spending time with your family and friends, and having lots of new adventures.

We will see you all in September. The children may be a couple of centimetres taller but one thing is certain: they will definitely be ready to learn new things and continue to embrace the Copthill life!