Welcome

Both Swan babies have now arrived – Mrs West’s baby arrived early and Miss Essex’s baby arrived late! Poppy West weighed in at a healthy 6lbs 12 oz on the 16th June whilst baby Essex arrived on 26th June. Seb Rado was a tad heavier at 7lbs on the nose. We wish both our new arrivals well and can’t wait to see them.

Au Revoir

We’re saying “goodbye” to some much loved colleagues at the end of term. Isha Mehmet, having bravely commuted from Staines since she returned from her second maternity leave in September, has decided that the journey is just too much and so she will be leaving us to move to a job closer to home – walking distance in fact! Isha joined us as an student and has brought many things to Strand over her time with us – running club, mindfulness and meditation, mathematical genius and even traditional Indian dance, the list is endless! The Year 5 corridor will certainly be a quieter place without Isha’s laugh and her unfailing good humour will be missed – I’ve never asked Isha to do anything without getting a cheery “No problem” in reply. We wish her well in her next challenge which involves teaching a Year 6 class! Similarly Gemma Kitson will be not be returning in September. Having trained with us as a School Direct student, Gemma is a Strandite through and through. Her technical talents will be sorely missed by Mrs Bonner – Gemma has been her go to person when struggling with Macbeth animations, assembly presentations and musical mash ups. Gemma has been a perfect ‘other half’ for Isha this year and their skills have complemented each other perfectly. Gemma is taking a break from teaching – embarking on a new career that gives her more time with her young family. They will both be missed.