Posted on: June 17th 2016 | Category:
Just over a year ago I had the privilege to become part of the Norfolk House community. Over the course of the last week, the word 'community' has been epitomised and is a welcome reminder of why I accepted the offer to join Norfolk House. Two fantastic and very different events where the children, parents and teachers came together to share, collaborate and celebrate were Sports Day and the School Council's VIP Day.
The ideal weather conditions and the careful planning and organisation of Miss Howson promised to make Sports Day a day to remember; and we were not disappointed. Parental attendance was incredibly high, as it always is, but what really made it was the support and participation that struck a perfect balance of inclusion and competition. All the parents getting behind each and every child and celebrating their effort (who could forget Jones, and everyone else, encouraging Harrison to finish the sibling race?). An even greater number than previous years joining in the parent sprints, three-legged race, space hopper race and the tug-o-war which brought excitement and sense of fun to the day, with children visibly proud of their mums and dads.
Yesterday was our first ever School Council VIP Day where some of our parents took time to come in and talk to the children about their professions. I say talk, but it was far more than that! The parents who came in put an awful amount of preparation to make the sessions engaging and fun. The trial of Mr. Smith was a prime example of this; with Barristers Chris Stimpson and Tim Godfrey and Judge Habgood presiding. Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Godfrey wrote a trial, brought along a witness (Mr. Stimpson's mother aka Mrs. O Biddy during the trial), involved Detectives Ashton and Graham, with the children in Forms 3 and 6 playing the part of the jury. The children got to see a trial in action, learnt about the rule of law and took part in finding Mr. Smith innocent of theft - what a relief! It was so much fun for all involved and another example of how the Norfolk House community, working together, is of tremendous benefit to our children. Special thanks to Miss Harman and Mrs Burke for leading this new initiative.
There is a wealth of research that highlights the benefits of parental involvement in their children's education and school community that include improved confidence, self-esteem and academic achievement for children, the development of stronger ties between the parents and school, parents becoming more confident with parenting and decision making, better communication between school and parents and deeper culture of respect. We are very fortunate at Norfolk House to have such dedicated, professional teachers and committed, enthusiastic parents. I would like to thank all our parents for their continuous support and dedication and our teachers for all their hard work and for continuing to create opportunities to bring our community together for the benefit of our children. It makes me very excited about succeeding Ms. Habgood next year and I look forward to building on the successes the school has enjoyed under the last 5 years of her leadership.
