What a term it has been! It has been so lovely to finally have an Autumn Term unfettered by the fallout from Covid - Christmas in a Prep School is truly a joyous place to be, and I have barely been able to wipe the grin off my face over the last few weeks such has been the sense of enthusiasm and positivity on show.
We finish today with a Carol Service in Wimborne Minster which is a highlight of the school calendar: to share that with so many of you as parents always makes the occasion very special indeed. I do hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to belt out those Christmas hymns with as much gusto as you can muster - I can promise you, the children and the staff will be!
Finally, I would like to share a short Christmas message with you all to thank you for all you have done to support the school this term, and to wish you all a very merry Christmas with your families: Mr Saenger's Christmas Message
Cups and Awards Ceremonies
Each term at Dumpton ends with a Cups and Awards ceremony. We use these to celebrate children's achievements and their progress in the things that matter to us most. As well as recognition for academic, sporting and performing arts endeavours; pupils who 'live our values' of being kind and aiming high are also celebrated. This year we also introduced cups for the 'The Dumpton Way' for the first time, well done to the pupils who were recognised for their enthusiasm, empathy, creativity, resilience, courage, global citizenship and collaboration.
Staff Thank you
I just wanted to publicly thank the staff for their efforts this term. I know from the lovely cards and presents they have received from you all how grateful you are for all the work they do with your children, and the culture of nurture and high expectations that they work so hard to create in their classrooms. I am personally very grateful to them too for their ongoing professionalism and commitment to the school. I am sure we wish them all a very well deserved break over Christmas.
Y3 Christmas Play
After Nursery and Pre-Prep last week, Year 3 finished off our Christmas shows with a brilliant performance. It was so lovely to see the confidence on stage of all the children, as well as their increasingly impressive singing. Thanks as ever to the Y3 team and the performing arts staff for their efforts.
Pre-Prep Christmas Fun
The Pre-Prep had a wonderful time this week, with Y2 seeing a pantomime on Tuesday, Y1 having a special Christmas outing on Wednesday, and Reception having a visit from Jamie Jigsaw today. As well as that, all the pupils had the chance to meet Father Christmas this morning. They have behaved themselves beautifully all term and certainly deserved all the fun that they had this week.
Christmas Lunch
Steph and her team look after us so well every single day here at Dumpton - but the Christmas Lunch yesterday was a particularly special occasion. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was wonderful as pupils and staff enjoyed one another's company and shared the odd Christmas cracker joke. Mrs Bolter and the Woodwind Ensemble played Christmas carols, and the Year 8s helped serve desert. Thank you to everyone involved!
The Spring Term: Calendar Published Today
As part of our focus on improving the quality of our communication with parents, we have published our Spring Term Calendar today, and it can be found in the usual place: www.dumptoncalendar.com. My thanks go to Mrs Shaw and Mrs Miller for their hard work here. We hope it helps you all plan for the term ahead - and as you will see, it already looks like it will be a term full of excitement for the pupils.
Christian Saenger
Headmaster