Principal's Letters
| Letters | ||
| Principal's End of Term Letter - 22nd February 2010 | View» |  Download |
| Principal's end of term letter - 30th June 2009 | View» | Download |
| Principal's End of Term Letter - 17th December 2008 | View» | Download |
| Principal's End of Term Letter - 2nd July 2008 | View» | Download |
| Principal's End of Term Letter - 17th December 2007 | View» | Download |
| Principal's End of Term Letter - 9th July 2007 | View» | Download |
Principal's End of Term Letter - 17th December 2007
December 2007
Dear Parents
We were pleased to welcome Mrs Rachel Hicks (Old Girl) and Mr John Stapleton (Old Boy) as our Guests of Honour at the Girls’ and Boys’ Speech Nights respectively. They were very fine occasions: both effort and achievement were recognised and celebrated, and our Guests rose to the challenge by delivering inspiring addresses.
Congratulations to Mrs Dawn Wheldrick who has received national recognition of her work in support of Anti-bullying Awareness, Andrew Miller (leaver summer 2007) for gaining a place at Sandhurst RMA, David Coombs (Y12) who has been awarded a prestigious Army Scholarship which once through university will also open the doors of the Academy and Naomi Warner (Y8) who is now ranked 3rd in Great Britain at U15 level for trampolining.
This term has been busy in the Centenary Library. We have been fortunate to receive a donation of books from the personal library of Professor Brian Worthington FRCR, FMedSci; FRS. Professor Worthington is an Old Boy of the School and the donated books are available as a special collection in the library. Year 7 pupils have received a free book this term, under a government initiative. Booked Up is a scheme to encourage reading and each Year 7 pupil has had the opportunity to select a book from a list of twelve titles put together by writers, librarians and educationalists. We hope this will introduce pupils to new writers and encourage them in reading for pleasure. The pupils of Hulme Court and Estcourt were inspired by David Horner, Poet and Author when he visited the School in October.
Numerous charities have benefited from the care and concern of our community: some £4470 has been raised through the mufti day, jeans for genes day, balloon release, readathon, greenfingers appeal Fashion Show and in the pink day! Varying sums will be donated to The Rainbow Trust, Breast Cancer Research, Children in Need, CLIC Sargent and the Roald Dahl Foundation, Dr Kershaws and the Macmillan Nurses. The Shoebox Appeal has once again been extremely successful - 708 boxes have been sent to disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe. The recent Christmas Fair, organised by the newly formed Parents’ Association, was a fun filled afternoon which raised over £2000. The Parents’ Association Christmas Draw raised a total of £2680. Thank you to all who contributed with donations, prizes or gifts for these important events.
January will herald a new addition to our property portfolio in the guise of the new Art Block. All pupils in the Main School will immediately benefit from working in this new and stimulating environment. Allied to this development is our plan to relocate Kindergarten to Thornycroft and I am delighted to be able to report that we have now lodged the refurbishment plans for the original building and those for the new nursery with Oldham Borough Council. Our target is to move Reception and Years 1 and 2 for September 2008 and to transfer the Nursery as soon as possible thereafter into our new facility.
Visits / Trips We are indebted to many staff who give freely of their time to organise and accompany a wide variety of school trips. A great number occur as part and parcel of the curriculum, but others provide opportunities to experience different cultures and spectacular scenery. Recent expeditions have included Austria, Iceland and Morocco (details of which can be viewed on the School web-site) – the last of these proved to be a life changing experience for a number of pupils.
Staffing News
We were saddened to learn of the death of Major J Singh late last month. Major Singh was the Officer Commanding G7 Cadets for the North West of England and a great supporter of the Corps at Hulme. He particularly came to the fore with help and advice just over a year ago when our own contingent commander died suddenly. He will be greatly missed.
Miss Janet Hathaway has decided to retire at the end of this term. Miss Hathaway took on her role as Head of Lower School (Girls) in September 2000 and has ably taught English across the age range. Her contribution to the development of pastoral policies and practices has been invaluable. Mrs Gay Doyle (who is currently covering Miss Hathaway’s teaching duties whilst she is convalescing following a hip operation) will continue teaching Miss Hathaway’s classes for the remainder of the academic year. From January 2008 Mrs Jenny Wood will become the Head of Lower School (Girls).
Also retiring at the end of the academic year is Mrs Phyllis Hargreaves who has taught part-time within the Art Department for the last eight years. Many girls both in the Main School and Estcourt have benefited from her dedication to the subject.
Miss Catherine Hennelly has been with us for this term to provide support for Mrs Titmus’ phased return to the Politics department. We wish Miss Hennelly every success in her future career as she moves on to take up a permanent teaching position.
Last month we were joined by Mrs Joanne Lawton in the Bursary as the new Human Resources Assistant and we wish her a long and happy association with the school. In January 2008 we will welcome Miss Melanie Wood in the new role as Head of Learning Support. It is felt that this appointment will open a new chapter in the development of this important area of school life.
As we rapidly approach the end of term we look forward to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at St Anne’s Church, Royton, the Girls’ Christmas Celebration and the Christmas Concerts which will be performed by Kindergarten, Estcourt and Hulme Court.
With best wishes to you all for an enjoyable and peaceful Christmas Season and a Happy New Year.
Yours sincerely
Dr Paul G Neeson
Principal
Notices
Term Dates
Autumn Term 2008
Term begins for staff - Mon 1 September
Term begins for pupils - Tue 2 September
Half-term - Sat 25 October - Sun 2 November inclusive
Term ends - Fri 19 December: 12noon
Spring Term 2009
Term begins - Wed 7 January
Half-term - Sat 14 February – Sun 22 February inclusive
Term Ends - Fri 3 April 3.45pm
Summer Term 2009
Term begins - Mon 20 April
[School closed Mon 4 May, Bank Holiday]
Half-term - Sat 23 May – Sun 31 May inclusive
Term ends - Fri 3 July : 12 noon
Dates for your diary:
Thur 10 January - Y5 Estcourt Parents’ Evening
Tue 15 January - Y5 Hulme Court and Y11 Parents’ Evenings
Wed 16 January - School Closed for Entrance Examinations
Thu 24 January - Y4 Estcourt Parents’ Evening
Wed 30 January - Y3 Estcourt Parents’ Evening
Thu 7 February - Y9 Options Evening
Tue 19 February - Y4 Hulme Court and Y9 Parents’ Evening
Thu 6 March - Y7 Parents’ Evening
Wed 12 – Sat 15 March School Production of ‘The Sound of Music
Marketing and Development Office
Once again 2007 had been another busy year for the Marketing and Development office. Our events in particular are growing in popularity and earlier on in the year we reviewed the success of both our Fundraising Golf Day held in June at Saddleworth Golf Club as well as our annual London reunion.
Our final event of this year was the Friends of Hulme Gala Dinner held on 23rd November. A record 175 people turned out for what was a fantastic evening. Again held at the White Hart Inn Lydgate, those who attended were a mix of parents, alumni, staff, governors and friends of the school. Their generosity in our raffle and auction raised £3000 towards new lighting in the Main Hall. The night was a sell out and hence we recommend that anyone wishing to attend next year books their tickets early!! The date is yet to be decided but it will be on the website once it has been arranged. Please look at the website to see the photographs of what can only be described as a wonderful evening.
A date for next year’s diary is the Golf Day which has been confirmed for 27th June, once again to be held at Saddleworth Golf Club. We hope that many more golfers will be keen to take part in this very worthwhile event, enjoying a round of golf and dinner whilst raising useful funds for the school.
In the run up to this year’s Open Day, some of you may have noticed the numerous adverts which appeared in the local press, community magazines, on bus backs and even on railway platforms. The advertising seems to have worked with more parents attending this year’s Open Day than in previous years. It was a successful event with some very positive feedback from many prospective parents. Each year most parents who complete and return their questionnaires comment on the overwhelming welcome they receive at Hulme as well as the courtesy of the tour guides who are indeed a credit to the school. Thank you to all those pupils who were involved in this year’s Open Day, we hope that you enjoyed the experience and will be keen to offer your services again next year!
Kate Chapman
Marketing and Development Manager
Dr Paul G. Neeson BSc PhD
Principal
