Although it has been a damp start to the term...

which will play havoc with many sports fixtures this weekend, at assembly on Tuesday, we set the scene for the term, but we also acknowledged a good number who were awarded pockets in a whole range of activities. It was great to see a large number of parents also attending. The awarding of pockets is also a recognition of the people behind the scenes who give these opportunities to the boys, both staff and parents

We know that especially in these first few weeks another wave of Covid will circulate the community. It’s begun to happen already. We have put steps in place to help mitigate this. Along with schools in the rest of the country we will be wearing masks. I want to convey to all the community that in this difficult environment, we show some patience with each other and show some mutual respect and in so doing we try and minimize as much as possible the sickness in the whole community.

At the end of last term learning routines were disrupted because of staff and student illness, staff have told us that routines need to be reestablished, because they are important for learning to happen.

So, as we begin this new term, we will attend to the little things, we will begin each class with a prayer, put our phones in the racks, and run to the bells. Staff will also ask students to tidy up their appearance as they leave that period, and that the small things like tidying up the rubbish from the last period will happen as well.

These may appear small and even petty but if we collectively attend to them we will navigate the challenges we face far better. They to me are the building blocks to this new and challenging term that we begin. Let’s remember it’s still a term to be enjoyed as well. So, at some assemblies or lunchtimes we plan to have events or activities where we can have some fun too, and many of our students will still have their sport and cultural activities to enjoy playing in or supporting, so it’s important we don’t lose sight of that to lift our collective spirits.

Until next week

JG Boyle