When Colonel Tim Collins OBE spoke to the assembled Headteachers at the annual IAPS Conference last week, he espoused the importance of pathos and rhetoric. Both the experience of life, and ability to speak about one’s experiences, usually without a script, is an important life skill but one I fear is on the wane. One girl commented to me this week that a certain public figure “didn’t make much sense without it being written down.” But, fear not, there are plenty of opportunities to develop public speaking at Lyonsdown. All children receive a weekly Drama lesson and there are termly performance opportunities but the piece of rhetoric I enjoy the most are the Year 6 mock interviews, which have continued this week.
It has been a busy week for the Lyonsdown community, with Rosh Hashanah, netball and cross county fixtures all taking place. The ISA London North Art competition is always a highlight of the year. Although not strictly rhetoric, artistic endeavours are another way we can encourage children to express themselves and “show their feelings” (as Year 3 say). As always, Lyonsdown entered some truly tremendous pieces into the contest – the results are still to be confirmed, but watch out on our social media feeds for an update from Mrs Cowie, who is also the ISA London North Art Coordinator in the near future.
Rhetoric flowed in the school hall this week, as our expanded parents’ evenings gave a wider range of parents the chance to meet with their child’s teachers and further improve that most important partnership between school and home. It was also wonderful to show off our refreshed premises and have informal conversations with you all. If you are coming to parents’ evening next week, please catch me: I would be happy to give you a brief tour. There will be an official opening when the building works are fully complete, with details to follow next week.
Finally, a reminder to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The weekly newsletter can only give you a taster of what goes on at Lyonsdown, so head over to social media for the full menu.
All the best for a restful weekend.
Mr Hammond