An All-singing, all-dancing world book day at the junior school
Some days and weeks are more special than others. This week has been particularly wonderful.
Book week could be seen as an opportunity to read a little extra, maybe meet an author and to stress out parents with a last-minute search for a costume. However, this week has been so much more than that. It has been a mosaic of rich, enjoyable experiences, joined by the theme of celebrating books but each in their own way memorable. We have been lucky to welcome multiple authors this week, including former members of staff here at KES and former parents as well. They have brought inspiration and energy as they have talked about their experiences, shared their stories and challenged the children to try new things themselves. We have had our book swap, searched for hundreds of butterfly bookmarks around the library, tried our hands at animation and of course, the annual DROP EVERYTHING AND READ! where the whole school- all pupils and every member of staff regardless of their role- stops what they are doing to spend time reading. And then there was the fancy dress. We had inflatable ducks, princes and princesses, wardrobes, peas, pigs, more pigs and all manner of other wonderful outfits. I realise that this can be a stressful job for parents to prepare for but I assure you that it brings an extraordinary amount of joy and fun to the school and it is one of my favourite times of the year.
The culmination of the week was today’s Speak Out Finals. The children have been learning and reading pieces at home and the finalists, voted by their peers, performed this morning. The standard was exceptional in all areas. It was incredible to see the confidence, the poise, the stage presence and the entertainment that such young pupils brought to the stage. It didn’t all go perfectly, but some of the most proud moments of the morning were when pupils overcame slips to continue under the glare of the audience and finish what they had started- a show of true character. Most enjoyable of all were the taps on the back and the ‘well done’s shared between children as they came off- there was a genuine appreciation of what they had all achieved. The morning was finished with two exceptional performances from our Year 4 classes of Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet. To perform on stage at their age is impressive, to perform Shakespeare even more so. A huge congratulations goes to all pupils for today and for the preceding rounds that every child has been involved in, it made for a special event and I am so glad to have been able to share in it. An extra thanks goes to Mrs Heaney whose passion for reading and books is infectious and is integral to all that we do here. Without her energy and enthusiasm, this week would not have been what is was.
To stand on stage and to talk, act, sing or dance is a skill that will be useful for the rest of the children’s lives. As I said to them today, I hope that as they get older and inhibitions grow, they remember how brilliantly they have done and they remind themselves that however scary it may be at the time, they can do it, they have done it, and they were amazing!
Sean Price - Head of the Junior School
