September 11th 2021
Every time I have walked through the front door of the school this term, I have found myself reaching into my pocket to put on my mask before I enter the building. This is surely an indication of how used we had become to the restrictions that we’ve all been living under for the past 18 months.
The relaxation in the rules has made all of us at Moulsford really appreciate the sense of normality to which we have returned this term. I know that the boys have loved the freedoms which have been restored which we all previously took for granted e.g. no masks around school, no designated playground areas, and perhaps most importantly the freedom to mix with other year groups. It has been particularly warming to see the Year 7 boys act as ‘buddies’ to the Year 3s as they start life in the prep school. Likewise, the Year 8s have been wonderful in guiding the Pre-Prep boys to their classrooms as they arrive in school each morning. Such interactions are of enormous importance to both community life and to the social and personal development of all the boys.
It’s been so good to have the boys back in uniform and they look incredibly smart. Thank you for kitting them out after such a long break. One item of clothing which many boys are struggling with is their tie and any homework they can do on this over the weekend would be much appreciated, and may have other spin-offs. The afternoon pick-up in the car park is an aspect of school life which we know we haven’t yet got right, and one cog in this complex wheel is that the boys now change back into their uniform after games or activities, which has a significant knock on effect to their arrival in the car park. Over the past 18 months, this transition has been much more straightforward as with no uniform, there has been no changing, and boys arrived ‘en masse’ for afternoon pick-up. We’re continuing to explore how we can tinker with logistics to ensure a smoother car park for everyone, and thank you for your patience in the meantime.
On Thursday evening we hosted Members of the Parents’ Association (PA), PA Taskforce members and the Form Reps in the open marquee for drinks and canapés. This was the first proper Moulsford social gathering since the initial lockdown and so was quite a seminal moment. On Wednesday 15th September we very much look forward to welcoming the Pre-Prep parents to a coffee morning in the marquee from 8.30am, and there are additional coffee mornings planned for other year groups. It will be super not only for us to chat to parents again, but for you to be able to meet each other. We know that this is a very important part of school life for parents, and look forward to welcoming you if you can join us.
This term sees the relaunch of Moulsford’s Sustainability programme which we are really excited about, with Arts Week (w/b 11th October) providing the focus. For a recent article about Moulsford’s approach to Sustainability, published on the Muddy Stilettos online blog, please click here.
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