9th September 2022 / Medi 9fed 2022

Bore da,

A great big Castell Alun welcome to all new students especially this morning. As we start our new school year we can report that everyone is settling in well. The news of yesterday evening dominates our thoughts today.

We have just shared a short time of reflection with our school family and people of various ages, backgrounds and beliefs will reflect upon Queen Elizabeth over the coming days.  Whether we regard ourselves as royalists or not, to lead a nation for 70 years and invite 15 different Prime Ministers into office, is a feat unparalleled in recent history.

Many people stand in awe of a life which was devoted almost entirely to serving both the nation and Commonwealth.   The Queen’s distinct and understated selflessness, loving nature and gracious approach to others surely provides a lesson for each of us.  As a school we have already begun to consider Queen Elizabeth’s ability to act appropriately in any given situation, knowing when to laugh and when to cry, when to speak and when to listen, when to be a mother and when to be the sovereign Queen. She was profoundly resilient, wise, dignified and, we would say ‘all-in’, in everything she did, and these qualities, amongst others, are ones that we seek to develop in all of our students. Castell Alun values are grounded upon respect, honesty and determination and Queen Elizabeth’s immeasurable influence on so many areas of the world demonstrates that she was also guided by these attributes as she brought integrity and positive influence to the most demanding of situations.

We now move on to celebrate the virtues of a life well-lived and will hold our first main assembly of the year next week.

For now, all that remains to be said is a big thank you to all families for your support in ensuring that each of our students is ready to learn. The excitement which accompanies a new academic year is palpable and we will begin reporting the successes of our students and key events in the life of the school in the blog next week. For further information on extra-curricular events which are already in session please do check out our website.

Diolch yn fawr

We hope that the weekend brings you all rest and relaxation.