There is no doubt that Harrodian is a warm, inclusive and caring community. What better way to highlight this than our annual Community Tea party. This week our PP3 pupils and six of our Lower Sixth students worked together to host a group of Senior Citizens from FISH, Viera Gray care home and guests of the Age Concern group at Castelnau Community Centre.
40 guests were welcomed into our Theatre for tea and cake. It was a lovely surprise to see Mrs Pauline Mckenzie (pictured below holding Mr Smiley), who worked here in the Pre-Prep many years ago when Mrs Rhys-Evans was Head of Pre-Prep and also to meet two other ladies who worked here at Harrodian long before it was a school!
Our PP3 pupils were the perfect hosts - friendly, polite and engaging. They chatted to our guests and also helped them to fill out a fun quiz all about Harrodian. Meanwhile our Lower Sixth students poured tea, coffee and made sure everyone had enough cake.
The children then sang three songs that they had prepared and stayed to take part in a sing-a-long which was led by Mrs Sampson and the following Lower Sixth students; Lauren, Lucy, Ella, Rosie, Arabella and Charlie. Yellow Submarine, Daisy Bell and Wouldn't It be Loverly were just some of the hits that they enjoyed singing along to!
At the end of the tea party, our PP3 pupils gave each guest a goodie bag containing lavender bags they had made on the allotment, a thank you card they had handwritten, a bag of chocolate purple hearts and some pocket tissues. Our guests, pupils and staff all left with a spring in their step - it made their afternoon!
Elsewhere in the school our Senior pupils have been working hard to help younger pupils with their reading.
Reading Buddies, an initiative that has been running for a number of years now and is organised by Mrs Drummond-Chew (Head of Business), started again this Thursday. The sight of children reading on the sofas, in the library or on the steps and staircases around the school, is always a welcome one!
Those in need of extra help with reading are selected by their Form Teacher and then paired up with a pupil from our 15s or above. It is a responsibility that our Senior pupils take very seriously and one that requires them to be very organised and punctual. The Reading Buddies scheme is mutually beneficial for all pupils involved and as a result it is a joy to watch. Next time you are passing on a Thursday morning, come into the Main Hall/Reception from 08.30am to witness it!