This week in our school community: 24 October 2024

Our Culture and Diversity festival began on Monday with a wonderful display of colour and cultural dress  

We have certainly enjoyed a brilliant week to draw Term 1 to a close. Our Culture and Diversity festival began on Monday with a wonderful display of colour and cultural dress - our students looked incredible in their outfits and it was a great learning point to find out the significance of certain colours, symbols and accessories. We also enjoyed a spectacular offering of food at break and lunchtime; thank you to all the students, families and staff who cooked and baked items for our Cultural Food Market. I sampled delicious food from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Poland and Mexico and there were so many more places represented on the day. We raised over £300 and all proceeds will go to Bath Welcomes Refugees, an incredibly important charity for those displaced and far from home.

On Tuesday we enjoyed workshops and a lunchtime performance from Rainbow Steel Band, bringing the melodies and sunshine sounds from the Caribbean to our school. It was wonderful to see so many students engaged in learning how to play a new instrument. Mid week we saw our very first successful Clothes Swap; congratulations to the Year 11 Prefect Team for leading the way and reminding us of the importance to reuse and recycle as part of our commitment to live by the Catholic Social Teaching principle of stewardship, where we realise that the goods of the earth are a gift from God and it is our duty to protect our planet and the people in it. The African music workshops on Wednesday were a fantastic way to engage our Year 7 students with the music of Zangi, a UK based Kenyan Gospel artist.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in bringing such incredible experiences and opportunities to our school this week, especially our brilliant sixth form student leadership team. A special thanks goes to Josie H, Year 13, our Deputy Head Personal Development, who did a brilliant job of organising the week.

In other exciting news, following two rounds of auditions Lucy O'S (Year 10) has been offered a place as an Associate Member in the National Youth Orchestra! We are thrilled for Lucy and so proud of her achievement which will involve a huge commitment balanced alongside her academic studies.

As we go into half term, I leave you with a beautiful reflection that I encountered at the Lasallian Headteacher’s Conference last week. It is so powerful because it reminds us to have courage and joy so that we recognise our gifts and talents and spread happiness to those around us:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

  -Marianne Williamson

Enjoy a wonderful half term break, let your own light shine and safe travels if you are journeying near or far.

Mrs Melissa George (BA Hons, MA, PGCE) 

Headteacher