Dear Parents and Carers,
This fortnight our Book Buddies have started work following their successful applications for the job, our oldest children have been learning how to be good citizens and stay safe when travelling around London in preparation for having greater independence at secondary school and the whole school has learned about Buddhism on our third RE Day. I am delighted to tell you that Brunswick benefited from an amazing surprise panto performance last Friday offered free of charge and at the last minute by M&M Theatrical Productions, and it was an absolute treat to see Years 3 and 4 enjoy it so much and participate with such enthusiasm. They were brilliant.
February is the time for two yearly initiatives: Safer Internet Day and Fizz Free February. The theme of SID this year is #freetobe, encouraging young people to use the Internet respectfully. I have included guidance for parents and carers in this Newsletter about how to help your children do this. Following an assembly given by Southwark Council’s public health team earlier this week, for the second year in succession many of Brunswick’s children have pledged to give up fizzy drinks for the next 29 days. If you children come home with a FFF chart, please support them to go fizz free for the sake of their teeth and to limit the amount of sugar they consume. There are certificates for all who succeed. I have been asked by the Council to share the latest guidance from Public Health England about the Corona Virus, which at the moment poses a low risk to the UK. There are details later in the letter.
Finally, on Monday this week the world marked Holocaust Memorial Day and 75 years since the liberation of those incarcerated at Auschwitz and the many other concentration camps, and today is the day when after 47 years the UK leaves the EU. Following WWII Winston Churchill’s vision was to create a unified Europe to prevent such atrocities from happening again. Leaving the EU appears to be a step backwards, particularly as it coincides with a rise in far-right views and ideology. We will always teach our children to be respectful, tolerant, compassionate, courteous, peaceful and kind to recognise prejudice in all its forms and tackle it appropriately. Brunswick’s children and families come from all over the world and bring many different cultures and ways of life to the school, which is a much better place as a result.