Rydal Penrhos Daily Notes – May 18

Day 41 of Rydal Penrhos’ keyworker childcare provision – 16 pupils, 8 staff

A happy coincidence today. Our staff at Rydal Penrhos are working weekly shifts to teach and care for the keyworker pupils who are attending on-site school during the lockdown.

This morning Mrs Louise Roberts, our pre-school leader, found herself on duty with the younger pupils.

In all areas of school life, we have seen change and disruption and postal deliveries are just one aspect of this; we are receiving all of the school post up here at the Prep School, and sometimes most of our neighbours’ post also!

We often have no delivery for two or three days. Yet today these two facts brought together the happy coincidence…a hand-written letter arrived for Mrs Roberts in the post, if you can believe that!

It was from Annabelle in pre-school and contained a message saying she was missing school and missing Mrs Roberts and all of the staff.

It had the carefully drawn pictures that only a four-year-old can come up with and the carefully copied lettering that would have taken considerable time.

Mrs Roberts let out a shriek (no, she really did!!) and then smiled and cried. All the staff cried! We miss our pupils, we miss our families, we miss our friends…. Oh dear, pass the tissues again!

In these days of remote learning, virtual chats and ‘zooms’ instead of rooms there is still something so special about a handwritten letter.

So if you have time today get out your envelopes and stamps (they’re at the back of the desk behind all of the home learning paraphernalia, the gardening manuals and the home crafts) and get writing…an expedition to the nearest postbox is beckoning!

Mrs L Davies

Head of Rydal Penrhos Prep School