Miss Bailey's Blog - Week 13, 2023

Wasn’t last weekend absolutely brilliant! The 2023 Christmas Fair was a huge success and the girls and staff genuinely enjoyed themselves and it was the result of a giant collective effort. Thank you to all volunteers and FoG, especially Maxine Grainger and Clare Wiseman-Clark, who came together to make this such a fun family and community event.

There is something extremely heart-warming about watching a school Nativity. Well done, to our Nursery and Beginner’s class today who gave the most compelling performance of ‘Everybody Loves a Baby’ in the JK Theatre. Joined by a large and supportive audience of parents and wider family and staff, the children brought the house down and there was rapturous applause as they finished. My thanks go to all the Early Years’ staff involved in the preparation and direction of such a successful show. The lead up to Christmas has now officially begun and the Christmas Countdown over the next 12 days is a sight to behold! The festive activities planned before the end of term are an absolute treat and include breaktime hot chocolate and rocky road, santa hats for everyone, the infamous annual Santa Fun Run followed by delicious Christmas lunches, Christmas Jumper Day and a few confidential surprises along the way also await, to keep the girls guessing!

We then host a range of other events and we hope to see you at the Christmas Gymnastics Display on 8^th December and the Kindergarten and Transition Nativity on the same day in the JK Theatre. The Lodge Perriss Knight Awards is hosted in the Main School Recital Hall on Monday 11^thDecember and we host the Lower School Christingle in the JK Theatre on Tuesday 5^th and the Carol Service at All Saints Church, High Wycombe on the final day of term on Tuesday 12^th December. We do Christmas and the festive season very well at Godstowe and the Boarders are off to their Pantomime Trip and Waddesdon Manor Christmas Market. The Godstowe staff are taking part in the Marlow Santa Fun Run on Sunday and we wish them luck and good cheer.

I would like to celebrate Hikari in Uppers, who, as one of our 11+ Art Scholars this year, has designed the Godstowe 2023 Christmas Card which gets shared with our school and wider community. It is absolutely beautiful and I am sure you will all agree that Hikari has done us all proud this year, as it drops through your letterbox in the coming days, ahead of the holidays. Well done and thank you from us all!

We have really enjoyed welcoming our Governors to Godstowe recently and their visits and learning walks are both supportive and informative. It is always good to hear their positive feedback about your girls. I am off to Cheltenham Ladies’ on Monday for the day to meet with Eve Jardine-Young, which will be good. I always enjoy visiting my alma mater and to catch up with a wealth of Godstowe alumnae, no doubt!

Have a super weekend, everyone and remember to order your Christmas Turkeys from Copas Farm as £10 of every purchase comes back to Godstowe what more could you want!