It is amazing how a pair of colourful trousers can transform your whole look. It is the first time I have been described as a ‘big butterfly’ but I have had many firsts this past school year. I am glad that, when this happened, we were off to the Butterfly House in Lancaster because I must have blended in well! We had a great day. The children were wonderful and it was a delight to watch them enjoy learning and playing in a different environment. It has been a long time since I had to put a children’s car seat in my car. The mechanics of different car seats amazed me and having three small children in the back seat was a revelation! I applaud the parents who do this on a regular basis-you are truly wonderful.

The school continues to be alive with renewed enthusiasm and new topics. We don’t do anything by halves and we now have a wonderful new Year 2 classroom and a Pre-School. You are all most welcome to come in and have a look at the end of a school day. All staff have been flexible as always and we have worked together as a strong staff team. My genuine thanks goes out to all of them. It is an absolute privilege to work alongside such dedicated and thoughtful human beings. Our assembly today was about being human and what this means for us as we put our trust in others. I find from experience that it is kindness, consideration, tolerance and trust that what we do is for the greater good. At St.Francis’ we have huge long term vision for the school and we put our trust in each other. Openness is at the heart of everything as are the relationships we have and the way we communicate with each other.  The children are our biggest representatives of this and I find it humbling to see how they interact with each other. When I asked the children to think of another member of their class or school and say one positive thing about them, it was a brilliant start to the day. Positivity breeds positivity and I think we sould do this more often. We have much to celebrate and be thankful for.

We welcomed three new children to the school today and we can’t wait to have our first Pre-School ‘Stay and Play’ session this Friday. We are here for you all and if you wish to speak to either myself or any other member of staff please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Grimsargh Field Day on Saturday was a success and we set up yet another St.Francis’ stall to make our school known to the wider community. When I arrived at Mrs Kerr’s house to find that she had curled her hair and could not possibly wear a St. Francis’ baseball cap, I was pleased to see that our very active chair of governors, Michael Blair, was more than willing! Thank you to the parents who came along again to help promote our school and to the children who took flyers to ‘anyone with a pram or a small child’-they were wonderful and incredibly polite as always.