It has been a very busy and energetic half-term. As always there have been lots of events outside of the classroom. Last week it was a pleasure welcoming back Dennis Tattoo, former esteemed Assistant Head, as our Guest Speaker at our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Evening. Dennis presented each award winner with a special card which included some quotations. One was from Mahatma Gandhi who said, “selfless action is a source of strength.”
It was great hearing about some of the stories from the various expeditions that have taken place. There were several where the conditions were very wet but all the groups persevered on. Now talking of weather, can you believe that it is now a year since heavy rain caused lots of flooding in Suffolk and led to an early closure of the school!
This half-term we have welcomed many visitors, mostly prospective families of current Year Six children, to see our school at work. Interest in our school and its opportunities have been very positive. Of course their visit starts with our website. Over the past year this has been refreshed and it is a great, dynamic window on the world of Thomas Mills High School and Sixth Form.
In response to Open Evening, I received a lovely letter from Grace. She enjoyed a tour of the school and noted the huge Library as well as the music rooms. You probably know that our Library is a very valuable space in the school and we were delighted that Miss Vale received an honour as a finalist in the national Librarian of the Year Award. She has also recently been to Parliament to speak to them about the importance of libraries.
This week our Library will be centre stage as we enjoy lots of events connected to Book Week. We were delighted to welcome author Simon James Green. With half-term on the horizon, I hope you all can find some time to get lost in a good book! I am looking forward to reading Prophet Song, the winner of last year’s Booker Prize. Anyway, whatever you do, I hope you enjoy a lovely half-term.
Warm regards,
Philip Hurst
Headteacher