Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends
The new term is well underway. We have almost completed the first cycle of our two-week timetable, so students will have met all their new teachers now, and vice versa!
Ask any of our students what we as a school want from them, and I am pretty sure that they would reply, “Be kind, aim high, and work hard”. Some might labour under the misapprehension that, while kindness is always valued, the latter imperatives are somehow restricted to classroom learning. As Mrs Pearce wrote last week, we are rightly proud of our students’ academic achievements but aiming high and working hard are about far more than that.
Anyone who has chosen to plan a garden project, commit to memory lines from a play, learn a new language or perfect a new sporting skill will know the pleasure (and sometimes the pain) of stepping outside their comfort zone. Additional benefits of these kinds of activities can include new friendships, enhanced communication skills and improved self-esteem. All of this and more is available to our students through our programme of enrichment and extracurricular activities.
Oxford Languages defines “enrichment” as:
noun
1 the action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.
“enrichment of the soil for more plant growth”
At The Holt, we want to provide that fertile soil in which students can flourish as they learn, play and develop their character. I wrote to parents last week with details of our extracurricular timetable for this term. We would encourage all of our students to attend at least one of these activities each week. Form tutors will be helping individuals to think about what they might try, but conversations at home on the same theme would also be most welcome. Whether it is sports, craft, games or music, we think there is something for everyone.
Hold on. Do you hear the people sing?
Today, we are delighted to be launching the process for this year’s ambitious school production of Les Misérables. This sung-through musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic tale of love, loss, revolution and redemption is set in France during and beyond the Second Bourbon Restoration. The show will be a spectacular team effort with contributions from a huge number of students and staff.
Miss Harris writes, ‘”At the end of the day”, a Holt production of Les Misérables is something we’ve “dreamed a dream” of and now that the launch is here, we’re all excited to collectively storm the barricade and “hear the people sing”. Hopefully the launch today will have so many students involved that there will be no “empty chairs at empty tables”. No doubt we will have many “stars” of the show!’
Full details of the audition process and other opportunities to get involved will be sent out by the production team in the coming weeks. Les Misérables will run from 25th to 27th March in our school hall.
EDIT:
We had one or two students attend the launch workshop today…
Another way for all of us to enrich our lives is through reading for pleasure. Mrs McClelland, Head of English, writes:
“Love reading or want to read more and don’t know what to read? Join us in the Holt School Staff and Parent Reading Challenge!
At our school, we pride ourselves in fostering a strong reading culture, and we believe that promoting reading for pleasure is key to developing a lifelong love of books. To support this, we hold an annual reading challenge for both students and staff, with many taking part each year. This year, we are excited to invite parents and carers to join in as well! By reading alongside your child at home, you can help model the importance of reading for enjoyment. To help you get started, use the QR code below to access our staff recommendations for books and podcasts that you can use to complete the challenge. At the end of the year, if you finish the challenge, you could be in the running for a prize and a special mention on our blog. Happy reading!”
On a related theme, Wokingham Library host creative writing sessions for 11-18 year olds led by Alex Baker who has visited The Holt to run workshops for many years, You can find out more and sign up for Igniting Writing here.
Sports fixtures are up and running already. We have had teams competing at netball, hockey and badminton. On Monday, for the first time, we have a team competing in the English Schools Swimming Championship at St George’s school in Ascot, and we wish all competitors well in their aquatic endeavours.
We also have exciting residential trips planned for this year including visits to Iceland, Spain and France. Year 8 students have just been offered the opportunity to stay at PGL Osmington Bay during our Activities Week in July.
All of the enriching experiences mentioned in this blog can only happen because staff are willing to give their time, expertise and energy above and beyond what is required of them. I am sure you will join me in thanking them for all that they do for our young people.
Ben Adams
Assistant Headteacher
18th September 2024