17th December, 2015


Dear Newboldians,

As I write, the children are just coming in from their playtime after a fantastic Christmas lunch prepared for them by our PTFA. Needless to say, it was wonderful. The church cafe was beautifully decorated and we were greeted by some jolly Christmas music and the aroma of delicious food; Christmas arrived at our school in those moments. We are so blessed to have such a thoughtful and dedicated PTFA who do so much for us.

The children's Christmas performances of Are We Nearly There Yet were of a very high standard; I enjoyed both of them immensely. Did anyone notice that the centre of the town crier's bell flew across the stage in an unscheduled take off during the evening performance?  It was hilarious. Munya and Manny carried on like true professionals, weaving this surprising occurrence seamlessly into their performance. Many people asked afterwards if the bell incident had been planned but the answer was a definitely no. I think we can all agree that Mrs Cook has surpassed even our wildest expectations in her first term with us by producing such a professional show. Well done to all involved.

Then came the London concert at St George's Chapel - this year without our lovely Princess Alexandra. The children missed seeing her and hoped that she was not ill. Sir David Graham put their minds at rest, however, with a lovely message from the princess saying how sorry she was to miss meeting the children this year. The next day, we sent a Christmas card to her from all of them with a photo of their performance.  The photos and videos of the children's performances will soon be placed on the website for you to view. 

Another unusual occurrence of the London trip was when the group met Rod Stewart outside the front door of St George's Chapel. He very kindly posed for a photo with them - a surreal moment indeed. I jokingly said to the staff that Mr Stewart must have heard that the famous Newbold Choir was in the locality and consequently dropped in for a photo opportunity with them!

All in all, it's been a tough term with lots of coughs and colds but also very rewarding in what we have achieved. Now as the school holiday approaches, amongst all the fun of feasting and partying that is yet to come I hope 0you will also find some moments of peace and quiet to reflect on the birth of our Lord and Saviour. May we follow in his footsteps during this important Christian festival, showing love, patience and kindness to those around us. 

May God bless you all.

Kind regards,

Mrs Crissey