Dear Parents,

We are now at the halfway point through the term! Thank you so much for your support and understanding as we navigate these difficult times.   I’m so grateful for the way the teachers have thought creatively about ways of improving things during this period of lockdown. It is impressive that the vast majority of children have engaged so positively with their learning, and for those online who had the confidence to try and sort out technical problems themselves and remain in close contact with their teachers. 

As parents, we often put all our energies into making sure our children are dealing with lockdown as positively as possible, but neglect ourselves. We all know the aeroplane oxygen mask analogy, and so the following may be a useful oxygen mask for you – “How to Stay Calm in a Global Pandemic” . Dr Emma Hepburn, who wrote the e-book, is a clinical psychologist with expertise in neuropsychology, who has over 15 years’ experience of working with and treating mental health difficulties. She has a talent for expressing through drawings what many of us are feeling. The e-book is an excellent  resource for everyone: http://oxspringprimary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Stay-Calm-in-a-Global-Pandemic-Free-ebook.pdf

Emma also writes as @thepsychologymum on Instagram and @emmaneuropsych

Virtual Breakfasts with Parents
Again thank you for turning up online and welcoming me to the school. It has been a pleasure to meet parents and discuss issues related to:

• School lunch
• Uniform
• Preparation for University and beyond
• Communication with teachers
• Homework

I am aware that 10:30am was not a good time for many of you. I will be running a similar virtual event beginning the week of the 14th of March  for parents who were not able to attend in the morning at 5:30-6pm. The full details will be in next week´s letter.

Meetings with children and older students
This week I had the pleasure to sit down with our Head Boy and Head Girl Carmen C and Joaquin B. We talked about their experience of being students at KC Murcia since they were very small and the things they had learnt, their future plans and some suggestions for me as the new Headteacher. Interestingly they both felt the coronavirus pandemic had encouraged them to be more independent as learners and work harder as they navigated the online and virtual and live landscape of the last year. I found them to be both highly articulate and accomplished young people who are more than ready for the next step which will be University in the Netherlands and Spain. It is encouraging to know that they have choices and opportunities available and they are determined to make the most of these. They are truly excellent ambassadors for our school and I am very proud of them both.

Sixth Form Common Room
This week I have spent quite a bit of time in the common room talking to students in Years 12 and 13. I have also been in discussion with Mr Snowdon and Dr O´Brien about the small changes we can make to impact the private study space and act on feedback from the students. We have also been in touch with the Inspired Facilities network who have shared design plans to improve this space. We are excited to share these plans in the coming weeks.

Model United Nations (MUN) Years 12-13
We are very excited to have been invited to participate in the  11th edition of SMMUN (Saint Matthew Model of United Nations), which will take place from March, Wednesday the 10th to Friday the 12th 2021. Saint Matthew School, part of the Inspired group, in Colombia. The  main goal is to create responsible citizens with an enthusiasm for learning and respect for self and others. The MUN conference will take place virtually. The general topic  is “Globalization and development with an emphasis on international security and justice”. For more information about MUN https://www.un.org/en/mun

Fire Drills 

We have completed this term´s fire and evacuation drills. The timings were very good and the children and older students were sensible and quiet as they left the building.