Dear Parents, Carers, Staff, Students and Friends of St Edmund’s,

In the recent parent survey a few parents have asked me for a regular blog/update on life at the academy, particularly as, during these days of lockdown, we cannot meet in person. So – this is my first attempt!  I have decided to call the blog “Mrs Hazeldine’s word of the week” because, well, I am an English teacher and I LOVE words, and also because I find words are my best friend when trying to bring order to a chaotic world.

So, this week’s word: 

“UNPRECEDENTED” 

I think we have all heard this word more in the last year, than we may have done in our lives! Unprecedented means “never done or known before”. If I reflect on what this means for St Edmund’s, there are lots of examples. 

Just some of the things we’ve “never done”  before….

 

• Delivered live lessons into the homes of every student at St Ed’s – including P.E.!
• Delivered a chromebook to the home of every student who did not have access to a device to ensure that no student can fall behind due to lack of technology
• Delivered revision packs to the houses of all students who require additional resources
• Delivered violins and keyboards to the houses of our music students so that they can keep on practising!
• Trained ourselves in how to carry out lateral flow testing and set up a LFT centre in one day
• Made sure that every vulnerable student can work from school should they wish and receive a daily or weekly phone call to “check-in” if they are at home  

Unprecedented also means things that have never “been known” before. What have I “never known” ? 

I have never known such support, such resilience in a group of people I have worked with. I have never known such joy in everyday things -crunching across the snow, learning to use a crockpot!   I have never known just how important my faith is to me, keeping me grounded, giving me hope, holding my balance. 

The road does seem long at the moment. We don’t know when our school will reopen – after half-term? after Easter? As a human who likes to be in control, it is very difficult for me to say to you all “I just don’t know”. 

What I do know is that we should all feel secure that learning is taking place every day. St Edmund’s isn’t a building. It is what is happening right now in your homes. With the right technology, the best lessons, a pastoral team determined to support every student’s well being and our commitment to prayer, we are prepared, we will not let you down.

 

Stay safe,  God Bless

Maggie Hazeldine

(News just in! Gavin Williamson says that we will (“hopefully”) reopen on 8th March. )