KEEPING UP WITH THE LOWER SCHOOL
Head of Lower School As I sit in my office there is something which is becoming ever more profoundly noticeable. The silence. Except for the extractor fan, which I must get fixed, all there is… is quiet. This is so strange! I work in a school, I work in a place with 750 children between the ages of 2 and 10 years old, not to mention the old students of Upper School. I work in a place surrounded by incredible professionals and friends who are not here – and I miss them. I miss the noise; I miss the conversation and I am not ashamed to tell you that this is hard. For those who know me, they will tell you that I am an incredibly positive person, and this is true. I work each day with a desire to improve and I go through each day with an outlook that my actions will support all around me in a positive way. From the start of this term I am in role as Head of Lower School and I look forward to driving us forwards. What excites me is the potential, the potential for every student to achieve, the potential for every staff member to make an impact. The reason for my excitement is this. Whilst it may be quiet in school, online Lower School is buzzing, online Lower School is filled with the sounds of learning, filled with the sound of excitement and filled with the sound of potential. We are proud of the offer which each child throughout
Head of EYC
our school is receiving and whilst it can be challenging for all involved, we hope to find a balance. The balance should be struck so that learning takes place and well-being is maintained. Positivity currently is key, thinking about what is good and working is so effective in allowing us all to get through this one step at a time. What I do understand though is for some this might not be possible, and I implore you, if anyone needs support we are here. Our teachers are available, the leadership team is here, and we have a range of resources and advice which can help those in any situation. Together is how we succeed. Our learning is engaging and enables progress because we do it together. We ensure positivity is maintained because we talk together, and we will get through this period of home learning because we will do it together. I am proud to lead the Lower School and privileged to work with such an incredible team surrounded by a community who want the same as me – a world class education for children who will be enabled for life and leadership. As this term progresses, I am excited by the prospects and looking forward to the challenges which lie ahead. I always tell my team that if they need me, they know where to find me… and I say this to all of you… if you need me, you know I am there. Mike Godwin Acting Head of Lower School having learned and reflected on the previous online learning, last year. The content we are providing has been carefully planned to be broad and balanced, covering all the areas of learning and development in the Early Years. We hope the activities and suggestions we provide enable the children to have a healthy balance between time spent on screen and completing activities off screen. I have been so impressed with how well our students have adapted to the change to Online Learning. Thank you to all of the parents and families at home who are supporting the children so magnificently. We love seeing all the wonderful photographs and videos of the experiences the children are having at home. We understand that there are challenges for families at this time and we are here to support you in any way we can, so please do get in touch if you need anything at all.
A very Happy New Year and welcome back to that start of Term 2 from us all at The Little Lions Early Years Centre. This term, we welcome a number of new families to Harrow Bangkok; I wish you all well as you start your learning journey with us.
Once again, my many thanks for your continued support. We are all looking forward to welcoming you back to the campus as soon as it is safe for us to open again. Best wishes,
We have started this term with a move to online learning, using Google Classroom as our delivery platform. We start this process in a strong position,
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Ste Foster Acting Head of EYC
