News

Heads' Welcome to the New Year

A warm welcome to the new term and new year to all families and especially our new families . We hope you sense the warmth of our welcome and good wishes even if that has not been translated into warmth on a thermometer!

The newest staff among us are already seeming like old hands. I would like to thank all new staff joiners for their energy and commitment as we prepared for and began the new year. Their colleagues have done a fine job in helping them settle and I sense high levels of enjoyment around me.

A particularly warm welcome to Carole Beedham, our new deputy head. She is bringing rich new ideas to me and my colleagues and will be principally overseeing and leading on Curriculum and Assessment as well as carrying out the day to day logistical management and having responsibility for Professional Development and Child Protection.

Katy Taylor joins us to provide management and leadership cover time principally for our Key Stage 1 and 2 Heads.
She is very much looking forward to working at St Nicholas Preparatory School as a part-time Teacher. She has worked previously as a Class Teacher at a prep school in Putney, and also in Madrid in an international independent school. In 2010 she completed a Masters degree in child and adolescent health, and also qualified in January 2011 as a child and adolescent counsellor. She is married with two teenage boys, one is at The Brit School studying performance music, and the other is about to start at The City of London School for Boys.

Her hobbies include travelling with her family, going to the theatre, reading and listening to music.

Sadly, on the last day of term, Cindy Simon decided to leave us so we welcome back Alexandra Marcondes de Souza, who is working in our Reception again.

Alexandra was born and studied in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She studied German and then went on to get a BA in English and Portuguese. In 2001 she moved to Madrid and studied a master in Human Resources while she worked teaching English as a Foreign Language. In 2005 she came to London and taught Spanish to children and EFL to adults moving from Spain to the UK. In 2007 she earned her black belt in karate and 2 years later began her teaching practice here at St Nicholas.

Friends’ Events

May I thank Frédérique, Valérie and the entire Friends’ Committee and team of helpers for their great work this week on the sales and the Breakfast for New Parents. I did remark to the ladies around lunchtime today that perhaps this was in fact their second address! We are all grateful for their hard work and preparations for the new year.

Clubs and Matches

Our clubs and matches all start next week. The calendars for parents should come home with children today. There is one copy for you to keep at home and the children have their own copy which they name and keep at school or in their bags. 

Jill Aisher