The View From My Study – 8th December
The words Bah Humbug! have been on quite a few lips this week but not because Bilton Grange is full of Christmas curmudgeons rejecting the festive frivolities. Quite the opposite. People, young and old, have been uttering Bah Humbug with joy, referencing the wonderful Middle School production they had seen and reprising some of the foot-tapping tunes. It was an excellent show!
The letterbox in reception has been in overdrive this week as the children have expressed their yuletide greetings and gratitude to each other. In an age where an electronic message is all too common, this has been lovely to see.
Today, in our closing assembly, I encouraged the children to continue the theme of being thankful through the holidays: thankful for the gifts they might receive; thankful for the rich food they will eat; and thankful for the time they will share with their families. I hope they show this gratitude in deed as well as thought.
We say goodbye, today, to three of our ‘Gappies’ – Mr Stevens, Mr Plummer and Miss Thompson. All three have done a sterling job, showing enthusiasm, compassion and kindness in everything they have done. We also say goodbye to Mr Monk and Miss Dand who have taught History, Humanities and Geography respectively, fusing purpose and fun in their lessons to great effect. Our two Den staff, Jocey Tysall and Sue Excell, are retiring and Miss Buchanan is also leaving; we wish them well with their next ventures. And, finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention Peter and Brenda Green who are retiring after ten years at the helm of Rugby School. Peter’s vision and foresight when determining the details of the amalgamation between the two schools in 2020, was integral to its success and his drive and ambition has been absorbed into the nature of BG. We wish them well as they rest before a new adventure begins for them both at Gordonstoun School in September.
I do hope many of you were able to attend our Carol Service this afternoon. If not, the live-stream will be available as a recording. In the meantime, I sincerely hope that you have a very merry Christmas, a very happy New Year and a relaxing, fun-filled holiday. See you in January!
Gareth Jones, Head
