Dear Parents, Carers and Families
I wanted to get in touch to wish you all a restful holiday and I hope that you find time to enjoy some quality time with family, friends and loved ones.
It’s been an enjoyable first term at Ballakermeen and I can say that I have been warmly welcomed by students, staff and families alike. I am enjoying getting to know everyone!
It's been a busy but lovely end to the term. We had Y6 students in enjoying the Police Treat event and our recent Carol Service was amazing and really showed off some of the amazingly talented students (and staff!) that we have here at Ballakermeen. Over the past week we have also had a series of celebration assemblies where students who have been receiving the coveted ePraise points were recognised.
We have also been thinking of others in the run up to Christmas. Students in various Houses have been holding charity events, the 6th Form have been celebrating the festivals of various cultures alongside Christmas, staff have had a collection for Foodbank and a staff Christmas card has raised money for Hospice. Another highlight was the LSS Christmas Fair! Students and staff had put so much effort into producing items for sale and collecting raffle prizes which made for a superb afternoon whilst also raising a significant amount for Cystic Fibrosis. You may also have seen, and hopefully voted for, our SPC choir who performed brilliantly for the 3FM Carol Cup. What a wonderful and joyous performance!
As we move into the New Year, thoughts often turn to fresh starts and resolutions. In school we are no different. We have tried to be very clear about the standards that we expect (particularly if we are going to get onto Santa’s good list!). The overwhelming majority of students are doing most things well most of the time. This is fantastic and one of the resolutions that we want to make is to strive to recognise this majority more explicitly and to share our pride in our brilliant youngsters. Sanctions are an inevitable part of emphasising expectations however we are determined to enter the New Year actively seeking to find the brilliant things that our youngsters are doing.
I look forward to speaking with you in 2023 but until then have a wonderful break or, with reference to Culture Vannin, Kegeesh Ommidjagh, 'foolish fortnight'!
Graeme Corrin – Head Teacher