This Week At Rowan - 9 October 2020

What a super week it has been at Rowan. It was a delight starting the week with assemblies focusing on the need for laughter at the Brae and celebrating diversity and equality at the Hill as we learnt about Black History Month. The girls showed great maturity, compassion and, at times, dismay at the thought of people treating each other differently because of the colour of their skin or their culture. We shared the story of Rosa Parks with them and showed them that it takes just one voice to make change happen and that we should all have the courage to stand up and fight for equality, respect and humanity. Unfortunately, we still live in a world where minority groups are persecuted; our girls at Rowan are the future and it is essential that they know they have a voice for good and it should be used to share, listen to and respect the views of others.

Whilst we covered some important topics with the girls in assembly this week, we have also been delighted with a huge array of musical performance. Music really does bring people together and we could see equal joy in the musicians and the audience as the girls shared their pieces. Lauren, in Year 6, performed a piece that she had written and composed on the guitar – it was incredibly moving and soulful and we were very proud of her for sharing something so personal with the whole school. Today, we had seven Year 5 girls share their instrumental pieces during Celebration Assembly. From the sax to the flute, duets on the violin and range of pianists it was great to hear the girls express themselves musically. “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato.

Beyond the assemblies, House cricket is well underway, and the finals will be hotly contested next week. It has been wonderful popping down to the sports grounds to see the girls in action. We were particularly impressed with the cheering and support from the Year 4 side lines. They were having a great time and we could see that their encouragement was motivating and supportive. At the Brae, in Reception the girls made scones and held a very fancy afternoon tea to celebrate Goldilocks’ birthday in class yesterday. When we saw them in class, their language and enthusiasm for the story and activities were palpable. Bringing learning to life not only enriches the learning experience but all, but makes it memorable and long lasting.

It has been a busy week as the girls explored the topic of the Victorians, conquered their understanding of algebra and enjoyed being outdoors during play time. We really do have a happy school, where the girls here thrive.