Dear Parents and Carers
Now we are at the end of term I wanted to write to thank you for all your support and to wish you all a happy, healthy and relaxing Christmas.
Below is a copy of our Christmas card this year. In October 2018 I received a lovely email from a relative of Wynne Williams, a gentleman who was a pupil here in 1885. He donated 7 delicately painted watercolours by Wynne, all based around Kirkby Lonsdale, and these are now framed and on display on our main corridor. They have been the basis of Christmas assemblies over this last few weeks, reminding pupils of our connection to the past and the community we celebrate when attending St Mary’s at the end of this term. We know that so many of our young people are very interested in their part in our long history and gain comfort and support from an awareness of our past and our traditions.
Wynne’s schooling would have been very different to what we offer in 2021 in many ways; it would have been a school the size of Springfield House, boys only of course, and a boarding house with coal fires for the coldest of days, but it would also have involved celebrations of his community and time to reflect on this in Carol Services and assemblies, something we were so keen to continue with as part of this year’s end of term arrangements.
On these church events, whilst I’m not longing for the hardships of Wynne’s days, at least he would not have had to consider Covid mitigations! I’m delighted we could work with the church and Public Health to arrange the services this week, with appropriate mitigations in place. We missed the events very much last year – time to reflect and celebrate in such a beautiful building is a special way to end a the term.
On behalf of all the staff, Governors and Trustees, and, all those, like Wynne, who have gone before us like the ghost of Christmas Past, thank you for your ongoing support and wishing you a very happy Christmas.
With very best wishes
Cathy O’Neill
Executive Headteacher
