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Life is Cruel Sometimes

Yesterday morning, a beautiful young falcon gave the front office staff an unexpected show of avian superiority as it swooped into the driveway and lunged after an unwitting seagull that was momentarily resting on the ground. It was both brutal and mesmerising as grace quickly gave way to power and a deathly intent. Life is cruel sometimes.

As I contemplated the feeling of helplessness for the poor seagull, I could not help but draw parallels to the horrors of war in a week where we have remembered the fallen. My mother turns 88 next week. A wartime evacuee, she also endured The Blitz and continues to visualise the graceful Spitfires engaging in deadly dogfights above Hampstead Heath. She also recalls the moment of seeing an empty chair where her friend usually sat next to her at school and then realising, with horror, that it was her friend’s house that had been bombed in the parallel street and that was why the ARP wardens had cordoned off the road. As I said, life is cruel sometimes!

Wednesday’s Remembrance Service was a different event this year but no less poignant and, in fact, its virtual nature provided an opportunity for the pupils to see images of war that they perhaps would not have seen otherwise. From evacuees leaving Eastbourne Station to the barbed wire along Beachy Head or from the claustrophobia of trench-life to the power of an exploding cannon. War is never a happy time but we can learn from it and by remembering those who have suffered; it can drive us to avoid war and conflict in the future. Thank you to all those who put the virtual service together. If you missed it, please do access it via Padlet. You won’t be disappointed. 

On Wednesday Dr Aric Sigman gave an enlightening talk about the dangers of screen dependency. In line with the school’s stance, he did not suggest that children should never use screens but urged us all to regulate and monitor their screen activity. Based on current trends, a child who lives until the age of 85 will, on average, have been looking at a screen for 20 years of their life! This is all the more reason to get our children into outdoor and active pursuits, to nurture a passion and encourage a broad range of interest. Exactly what a St Andrew’s education is all about!

Well done to Poppy Campion who has been elected the new student head of the Eco Warriors. Hugely dedicated and supportive of all things ‘eco’, Poppy will lead the ‘warriors’ in various projects to help the environment. 

Pride in one’s House has led to fierce competition this week, both physical and mental. Sea Kings reigned supreme in both the Years 7 and 8 cross country races, to follow up on the victories by VCs (Year 6 and Juniors) and Arcos (Year 5) last Wednesday. In yesterday’s House Quiz contest, Sea Kings won this too with consistent performances in all age groups. Well done to all for your efforts.

Today is Friday the 13th but it has not been a problem for me as I do not suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th!). It’s not clear when or why this date became associated with bad luck. It may be biblical, given that the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus. Or maybe 13 suffers from coming after the more-pleasing 12, which gets to number the months, the days of Christmas and even the eggs in a dozen. There are also 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labours of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus. Whatever the reason, fear of 13 has spread far and wide: hotels and hospitals often skip the 13th floor, and even airports quietly omit gate 13 sometimes!

Hopefully there will be no such fearing of numbers tomorrow as we stage our first virtual family bingo night. Yours truly will be saying ‘eyes down’ at 6pm. I look forward to seeing you there. Have a great weekend everyone!