Principal’s Message
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,
The power of storytelling was in full force this week at West Island School as the sounds, sights and smells were beautifully created in our auditorium for Arabian Nights: Mr Welsh constructed a circular stage with two tonnes of sand, Ms Stanley built a majestic bird with at least a 20 metre wing span, Miss Hudson choreographed the stage movement, Ms Chaukria and Ms Rochester directed the scenes and Mr Jolly and Ms Dalgarno led the Orchestra. There were many more hands beside – sewing curtains, sawing wood, designing posters, selling drinks…
And then it began. Our students creating the magic of theatre and giving us their interpretation of the play. The performances were really well honed and the humour perfectly timed. I am still laughing from the enduring line, “I am a culinary artist”. I shall be using this phrase at some point over the holiday to excuse my attempt at Christmas cooking.
A huge well done to the cast and crew for giving us these evenings; you have much to be proud of.
As do some of our staff who will sadly be leaving us this Christmas. A big thank you to Ms Katie Hudson who is moving to France and to Mrs Nidhi Maskara who has been covering Mrs Buckley’s maternity leave. Your service is noted and we wish you well for your future. Mrs Buckley has already been in school to plan for the handover and we are delighted to receive Ms Jayne Cunliffe from the UK in January. She brings a wealth of experience as a long serving specialist teacher of dance.
It was also a pleasure to receive the School Sevens Rugby cup this morning from our A Grade team. They have actually won the tournament from not scoring a try in the final because their play has been exceptionally strong throughout the whole season – something rarely seen.
It has been a long and productive term. The last few days of school are as important as the first and we look forward to seeing you all in the new calendar year. We wish you all a peaceful Christmas.
Yours,
Mr Christopher Sammons
(Principal)
